Applied Soil Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Conservation tillage regulates the influence of drought on multitrophic network complexity and improves soil multifunctionality","authors":"Ling Ma ,&nbsp;Guixiang Zhou ,&nbsp;Lin Chen ,&nbsp;Zhongjun Jia ,&nbsp;Hongtao Zou ,&nbsp;Congzhi Zhang ,&nbsp;Donghao Ma ,&nbsp;Changdong Han ,&nbsp;Jiabao Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global climate change is leading to increasingly severe droughts, which affect not only microbial communities but also the maintenance and stability of terrestrial ecosystem functions and services. In agricultural ecosystems, conservation tillage can improve the traits of soil microbial communities and increase soil nutrients. However, our understanding of whether conservation tillage helps plants cope with drought stress to improve soil function through regulation by microbial communities remains limited. In this study, we investigated the effects of constant moisture and drought and rewetting on the diversity, structure, and co-occurrence networks of microbial communities and their functional potential, as well as their relationships with soil multifunctionality, via the use of soil samples from long-term conservation tillage and traditional tillage. These results indicated that drought and rewetting did not significantly affect the α-diversity of the soil microbial communities. Compared with traditional tillage, conservation tillage significantly increased ecosystem multifunctionality and network complexity. However, drought and rewetting significantly reduced the abundance of most functional genes associated with soil multinutrient cycling. Moreover, drought and rewetting diminished the influence of biodiversity on multifunctionality, whereas network complexity consistently emerged as the critical factor regulating multifunctionality under varying soil moisture conditions. Overall, this study provides new evidence that conservation tillage plays a beneficial role in mitigating the impacts of water stress on the belowground micro-food web and agroecosystem functions. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating soil multitrophic microbial coexistence patterns into the assessment of ecosystem functions and services in the context of global climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105942"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143388271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increased loss rate of straw-derived nitrogen following the woody peat addition is more significant in saline than in non-saline paddy soil","authors":"Qingxia Wang ,&nbsp;Meiqi Chen ,&nbsp;Jisheng Xu ,&nbsp;Dandan Li ,&nbsp;Jiabao Zhang ,&nbsp;Bingzi Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105922","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105922","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Elucidating the biological mechanisms underlying the loss of straw-derived N is crucial for developing eco-friendly and cost-effective methods for straw return to the field; however, research on this topic is lacking, particularly an integrated comparison of the conditions for woody peat-amended and non-amended in saline and non-saline soils. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to monitor N loss from maize (<em>Zea mays</em> L.) straw labeled with ¹⁵N in saline (S) and non-saline (S0) soils with woody peat addition (W) or a control without woody peat addition (W0). Woody peat input tended to significantly increase the loss rate of straw-derived N (LSN) by 2.21 % in S0 soil and 10.02 % in S soil. In addition to the total N (TN), <em>narG</em> and <em>nirK</em> genes, a group of highly relevant bacterial taxa, greatly contributed to the LSN variations, although the bacterial taxa composition under W0 conditions was significantly different from that under W conditions. Furthermore, the composition of the bacterial community was determined and the taxa enriched and depleted following straw application were isolated. Under W conditions, the LSN was positively regulated by the recruited bacterial taxa and negatively regulated by the depleted bacterial taxa. However, the opposite was observed under W0 conditions. These highly relevant bacterial taxa contained different proportions of denitrifiers, further implicating their important role in mediating the loss of straw-derived N. Our results provide new insights into the driving factors of woody peat input to LSN in saline and non-saline soils, with implications for developing reasonable usage measures to control straw-N loss.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105922"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"16S rRNA sequencing reveals synergistic effects of silkworm feces and earthworms on soil microbial diversity and resilience under elevated temperatures","authors":"Fuzhi Lu,&nbsp;Delong Guan,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Zhang,&nbsp;Jinmei Wei,&nbsp;Jing Song,&nbsp;Feng Qian","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105952","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105952","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil microbial communities are fundamental to ecosystem functioning and agricultural productivity, yet they are vulnerable to environmental stressors such as elevated temperatures. This study investigates the synergistic effects of silkworm feces and earthworms on soil microbial diversity, community structure, and functional resilience in nutrient-poor soils under varying temperature regimes. Utilizing 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we comprehensively profiled microbial communities across treatments involving silkworm feces, earthworms, and their combination at temperatures of 25 °C, 30 °C, and 35 °C. Our findings reveal that the application of silkworm feces and earthworms significantly enhances microbial diversity and alters community composition, promoting taxa associated with nutrient cycling and organic matter decomposition across temperature regimes. Elevated temperatures induced shifts in microbial assemblages; however, the presence of both amendments mitigated these effects by fostering functional redundancy and maintaining key ecosystem processes. Notably, the combined treatment supported the persistence of beneficial microbes such as <em>Rhodococcus</em>, which are crucial for soil health but declined under heat stress when amendments were absent. These results demonstrate that integrating silkworm feces and earthworms into agricultural practices can bolster soil microbiome resilience against climate-induced temperature fluctuations, thereby supporting sustainable soil management and enhancing crop productivity. This study provides critical insights into the development of biotic strategies for maintaining soil ecosystem services in the face of global climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105952"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil arthropods make an important contribution to litter decomposition in both indigenous and plantation forests","authors":"René Gaigher,&nbsp;James S. Pryke,&nbsp;Michael J. Samways","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105945","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105945","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Declines in biodiversity can disrupt ecosystem functioning. Yet, for soil ecosystems, which are rich reservoirs of biodiversity, we have a limited understanding of the consequences of soil biodiversity loss to ecosystem functioning. We assessed soil arthropod diversity in South African <em>Eucalyptus</em> plantations and nearby indigenous forests and estimated the contribution of arthropods to litter breakdown with an arthropod suppression experiment over a 13-month period. Litter bags in tree plantations attracted significantly lower arthropod species richness and abundance, and assemblages with different species composition compared to those in indigenous forests. Overall litter decomposition did not differ between the two biotopes. In both biotopes, arthropods made a significant contribution to litter decomposition, increasing it by 12 %. These results show that the altered soil arthropod assemblages in plantations still support an important ecosystem function, and management aimed at conserving this biodiversity will benefit plantation soil resilience. Furthermore, maintenance of natural habitats is critical for conserving indigenous soil biodiversity in these landscape mosaics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105945"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbial keystone taxa and nitrogen cycling enzymes driven by the initial quality of litter jointly promoted the litter decomposition rates in the Tengger Desert, northern China","authors":"Guisen Yang ,&nbsp;Lei Huang ,&nbsp;Wei Zhang ,&nbsp;Yafei Shi ,&nbsp;Zhiying Ning ,&nbsp;Rui Hu ,&nbsp;Zhishan Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105919","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105919","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Abstract</h3><div>The initial quality of litter, specifically the chemical composition, is an important factor in determining litter decomposition rates (<em>K</em>). However, further investigation is imperative to elucidate the underlying mechanism governing the impact of initial litter quality on <em>K</em>. We conducted a 420-day field litter decomposition experiment in the artificial sand-binding vegetation area in the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert. We measured the 5 typical sand-fixing plants initial chemical composition of litter, soil microbial community, soil extracellular enzyme activity (EEAs) after 420-day of litter decomposition. The initial chemical composition of litter is an important factor in determining the <em>K</em>, and the initial content of Nitrogen (N), Carbon (C), and cellulose in litter (Litter_PC2) increasing the abundance of positive taxa Ascomycota, Agromyces, and Preussia, while decreasing the abundance of negative taxa Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadota, Chytridiomycota and Aspergillus, thereby collectively enhancing the activity of nitrogen cycling enzymes and oxidase, ultimately promoting <em>K</em>. The lignin, lignin/N, and C/N (Litter_PC1) enhance <em>K</em> through nitrogen cycling enzymes stimulating oxidase activity, but reduce microbial biomass carbon (MBC)/ microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) further inhibit the activity of enzyme C/N, thereby inhibiting decomposition. Overall, the energy and nutrient of litter initial quality regulate <em>K</em> by influencing the microbial keystone taxa and EEAs, which provides reference for species selection and reasonable collocation of artificial sand-binding vegetation in sandy area and also provide a scientific foundation for future management and stability maintenance of artificial vegetation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105919"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143377157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The accumulation of soil microbial necromass and the changes in the depth-driven mechanisms along the altitude gradient","authors":"Tengyue Du ,&nbsp;Kaiyang Han ,&nbsp;Ermao Ding ,&nbsp;Minmin Qiang ,&nbsp;Huan Ma ,&nbsp;Liping Hu ,&nbsp;Dangping Yan ,&nbsp;Yajun Tian ,&nbsp;Dapeng Zhu ,&nbsp;Kaihui Zhao ,&nbsp;Weibo Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105951","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105951","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microbial-mediated soil carbon (C) accumulation processes are highly sensitive to mountain ecosystems, which are characterized by pronounced spatial heterogeneity. However, the accumulation patterns and regulatory mechanisms of microbial necromass C (MNC) across different soil layers along altitudinal gradients remain poorly understood. This study collected topsoil (0–20 cm) and subsoil (40–60 cm) samples along an altitudinal gradient in the Qinling Mountains, China, to analyze the spatial distribution of MNC and its contribution to soil organic C (SOC), as well as to elucidate the key factors driving MNC accumulation. Quadratic regressions analysis revealed that soil microbial necromass exhibited showed an increasing and quadratic growth trend with elevation in the topsoil and subsoil, respectively. Fungal necromass C contributed significantly more to SOC (20.8 %) compared to bacterial necromass C (2.8 %), indicating that fungal necromass dominates the accumulation of total MNC. We found that the MNC content was strongly influenced by soil properties and plant roots than by microbial properties. Random forest models and structural equation model identified soil total nitrogen and root biomass as predominant factors influencing MNC in the topsoil, resulting in MNC concentration increasing progressively with altitude. In contrast, MNC in the subsoil decreased significantly at higher altitudes, primarily due to limitations in soil nitrogen and phosphorus availability. Additionally, soil moisture and bulk density played crucial roles in regulating MNC accumulation. Overall, our study clarified that MNC accumulation was primarily constrained by soil nutrient availability. These findings provide further evidence for the long-term persistence of the SOC pools.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105951"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of seed priming with different concentrations and forms of silicon on germination and growth of rice under cadmium stress","authors":"Yan Tan ,&nbsp;Xin Liu ,&nbsp;Zhibo Shen ,&nbsp;Yang Xiao ,&nbsp;Youjun Zhang ,&nbsp;Huihui Du ,&nbsp;Zhibin Wu ,&nbsp;Dan Zhi ,&nbsp;Avelino Núñez-Delgado ,&nbsp;Yuan Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105947","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105947","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cadmium (Cd), as a pervasive heavy metal, poses significant toxic risks to both plants and humans. Extensive research indicates that the application of exogenous silicon (Si) - encompassing inorganic silicon (IS), organic silicon (OS), and nano‑silicon (NS) - can mitigate the deleterious effects of Cd on plants. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the seed priming effects of these three forms of Si on rice seedlings remain not fully understood. To address this gap, the current study evaluated growth indices, Cd distribution, antioxidant system activity, and ionomic responses in rice seedlings. The results reveal that priming with all three types of Si confers a degree of resistance to Cd, with IS proving to be the most efficient. Specifically, IS treatment enhanced germination rates and significantly promoted seedling stage growth. Moreover, it alleviated oxidative damage in rice seedlings and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration within tissues. Additionally, Si priming decreased Cd absorption rates and hindered its translocation to the edible parts of the plant. It also augmented the levels of essential elements such as Magnesium (Mg), Potassium (K), Manganese (Mn), Phosphorus (P). In conclusion, under Cd stress conditions, IS effectively fosters rice seedlings growth, reduces oxidative damage, and limits Cd uptake, outperforming the other two Si forms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105947"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143377155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of cropland abandonment succession on soil microorganism and multifunctionality in the arid zone of Northwest China","authors":"Yujie Zhou ,&nbsp;Yiheng Zhang ,&nbsp;Wanying Li ,&nbsp;Juan Li ,&nbsp;Zhijuan Li ,&nbsp;Yangquanwei Zhong","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105954","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105954","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil microorganisms play a critical role in the succession of terrestrial cropland abandonment and the maintenance of ecosystem functions. However, the extent to which and how the soil microbiome and its interactions influence soil ecosystem multifunctionality in the context of cropland abandonment restoration and tillage remains largely unexplored. In this study, we selected abandoned cropland with varying abandonment durations (0 years: maize cultivation/maize-vegetable rotation, 20, 40, and 60 years) as succession stages to investigate the microbial composition, diversity, co-occurrence networks, and community assembly mechanisms of bacteria and fungi, and further explore their relationships with soil multifunctionality. As abandonment progressed, significant changes were observed in the soil microbial community structure, including shifts in α/β diversity, network structure, and community assembly processes. Notably, both the bacterial richness index and the fungal Shannon index exhibited significant correlations with soil multifunctionality. Network analysis revealed that abandonment led to a reduction in the complexity of bacterial networks, while fungal networks became more complex. As the duration of cropland abandonment increased, the assembly processes of bacterial communities shifted from stochastic to deterministic. Random forest analysis identified soil moisture (SM) and total phosphorus (TP) as the most significant predictors of soil multifunctionality. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further indicated that soil multifunctionality was directly affected by abandonment and indirectly influenced by bacterial diversity rather than plant and fungal diversity. Our findings provide valuable insights into the effects of natural cropland restoration in arid regions on soil microbes and ecosystem functions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105954"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subsurface drip irrigation with micro-nano bubble hydrogen water improves the salt tolerance of lettuce by regulating the antioxidant system and soil bacterial community","authors":"Jian Wang ,&nbsp;Xin Guo ,&nbsp;Qihang Zhao ,&nbsp;Rui Chen ,&nbsp;Guanlin Li ,&nbsp;Bo Zhou ,&nbsp;Pengfei Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105948","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105948","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil salinization is a severe environmental issue limiting the growth and yield of crops worldwide. Subsurface drip irrigation with micro-nano bubble hydrogen water (SDH) is an innovative way to realize the role of hydrogen gas (H₂) in improving plant resistance to salt stress in practical agricultural productions. Nonetheless, limited information is available on how SDH affects the plant salt tolerance performance. Especially, the underlying physiological respond, hormone-regulated and soil microbial-mediated mechanisms have not been reported so far. In this study, the effects of SDH on lettuce (<em>Lactuca sativa</em> L.) growth, photosynthesis, root development, antioxidant system, phytohormone, and soil microbial community were investigated under normal and salt stress conditions. The results showed that, with salt stress, SDH significantly enhanced the lettuce fresh weight, photosynthesis activity, and root growth. The leaf antioxidant enzyme activities increased and reactive oxygen species (ROS) content decreased to reduce the oxidative damage. The decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content indicated a low membrane lipid peroxidation responsible for cellular damage. SDH also helped to maintain osmotic homeostasis, which was reflected by the increased soluble protein (SP) content. Reduced Na⁺/K⁺ ratio and ROS did not trigger excessive production of stress response hormones abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA), which alleviated the mediated growth inhibition effects. SDH enriched the abundance of the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in the soil, such as <em>Arthrobacte</em>r and <em>Pseudomonas</em>. That might be the reason for explaining the increase in hormone indoleacetic acid (IAA) in lettuce and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity in the soil, which was beneficial for inhibiting ethylene production and promoting plant growth. Under the normal condition, variations of physiological and growth indicators as affected by SDH were similar to those under the salt stress condition, except for root development. High concentration of dissolved hydrogen gas in water might expel the oxygen. The induced soil anoxic environment limited oxygen diffusion, in turn inhibited root respiration and growth. The effect of hydrogen concentration on the plant tolerance against salt stress under different salt content could be further studied.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105948"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metagenomics reveals divergent functional profiles of soil carbon and nitrogen cycles in an experimental drought and phosphorus-poor desert ecosystem","authors":"Yanju Gao ,&nbsp;Akash Tariq ,&nbsp;Fanjiang Zeng ,&nbsp;Xiangyi Li ,&nbsp;Jordi Sardans ,&nbsp;Dhafer A. Al-Bakre ,&nbsp;Josep Peñuelas","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105946","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105946","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles are fundamental biogeochemical processes in terrestrial ecosystems. The specific contribution of soil biodiversity toward these processes in hyper-arid desert environments with limited availability of water and phosphorus (P) remains ambiguous. This study performed a three-year pot experiment to determine the importance of biodiversity among dominant soil microbes in C and N cycling under varying conditions of water (drought and well-watered) and P (no, low, medium, and high) supply. The dissolved organic C (DOC) and ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) concentrations and cellulase and nitrite reductase activities were 11 %, 18 %, 49 %, and 14 % lower, respectively, under drought with no-P supply conditions (stress scenario) compared with well-watered with high-P supply conditions (accommodative scenarios); however, the nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) concentration and ammonia monooxygenase activity under these stress conditions were 16 % and 44 % higher. The relative abundances of the C-cycling genes (60 %) associated with all C-cycling processes (e.g., <em>frdB</em>, <em>mcmA1</em>, and <em>IDH3</em>), while N-cycling genes (57 %) were associated mainly with dissimilatory nitrate reduction and N degradation (e.g., <em>nrfA</em>, <em>gltS</em>, and <em>glnA</em>). The dominant microbe diversity, mainly copiotrophic bacteria in Acidobacteria, was lower under drought with no-P supply compared with the well-watered with high-P supply treatment. The relative abundances of these two genes, the dominant microbe biodiversity, and soil DOC and NH₄⁺-N concentrations were strongly positively correlated. This research indicates that drought and/or low-P conditions can impede nitrification and soil organic matter reduction and decomposition and promote denitrification. Additionally, the findings emphasise the importance of dominant soil microbe biodiversity in driving desert soil C and N cycling. These results could provide evidence-based recommendations for the sustainable preservation of the composition and capabilities of desert ecosystems and further contribute to addressing desert ecosystem imbalances caused by global climate change by increasing soil fertility and greening desert landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105946"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143377156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}