Dual Controls of Shrub Encroachment in Semiarid Grasslands: Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Soil Nitrogen Cycling

Land Degradation and Development, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 19, 2025

ABSTRACT Shrub encroachment significantly impacts biodiversity and ecosystem functions in grassland ecosystems. Soil microbial communities may play a key role this process. Previous studies have focused on plant competition soil abiotic factors, but the specific biological mechanisms by which microbiota drive shrub remained poorly understood. Through integrated vegetation surveys high‐throughput sequencing of across gradients Inner Mongolia, we assessed composition functional genes importance value. We found that value closely correlated with limited resources, including water nitrogen (N), during encroachment. Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi were recruited semishrub Artemisia ordosica , increasing its competitiveness under conditions resource scarcity. Changes community affected N cycling reducing abundance involved fixation, nitrification, nitrate assimilation. Concurrently, shrubs preferred (NO 3 − ‐N) over herbaceous plants nutrient‐poor environments. The was facilitated EcM fungi, enabling them to thrive N‐deficient arid environments preferentially utilize NO ‐N. Our findings establish novel microbial‐mediated pathway driving encroachment, fungal symbionts enable host alleviate limitations through modified nutrient acquisition strategies. These results suggest targeted manipulation associations could inform restoration strategies shrub‐encroached grasslands highlight need for management approach accounts dynamics.

Language: Английский

Elevational trends of root traits for alpine grassland are weakly dependent on grazing-related degradation

Soil and Tillage Research, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 252, P. 106596 - 106596

Published: April 18, 2025

Language: Английский

Climate and shrubs at different scales jointly drive the changing pattern of moss crust soil multifunctionality in a temperate desert

Plant and Soil, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: May 7, 2025

Language: Английский