Effects of short-term and long-term warming on soil nutrients, microbial biomass and enzyme activities in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China

• Published in: Soil biology & biochemistry 2014-09, Vol.76, p.140-142
• Main Authors: Wang, Xuexia, Dong, Shikui, Gao, Qingzhu, Zhou, Huakun, Liu, Shiliang, Su, Xukun, Li, Yuanyuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Alpine meadow; Biochemistry and biology; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; Enzyme activity; Experimental warming; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Microbial biomass; Microbiology; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; Soil nutrients; Soil science
• ISSN: 0038-0717; 1879-3428
• DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.05.014

Two open-top chambers (OTCs) experiments were conducted to assess the impacts of 2-year and 10-year warming on soil biochemistry in the alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) of China. The soil warming at 0.8–1.1 °C above the control in the two experiments did not significantly affect soil pH, bulk density, total carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon, available phosphorus, NO3-N, microbial biomass C, N, P, and cellulase, catalase, phosphatase activities. NH4-N and soil urease were significantly increased, but soil moisture was significantly reduced from both short and long-term warming. These findings suggested that short and long-term experimental warming might have the similar effects on soil nutrient levels, microbial biomass and enzyme activities in an alpine meadow ecosystem on the QTP. •Impacts of short- and long-term warming on soil of alpine meadow were assessed.•Short- and long-term warming did not significantly affect most of soil biochemistry.•Both short- and long-term warming significantly increased NH4-N and soil urease.•Both short- and long-term warming significantly reduced soil moisture.