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DOI

  • Arthur A. D. Broadbent
    University of Manchester
  • Lindsay K. Newbold
    Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford
  • William J. Pritchard
    University of Manchester
  • Antonios Michas
    Helmholtz Zentrum München
  • Tim Goodall
    Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford
  • Irene Cordero
    University of Manchester
  • Andrew Giunta
    University of Innsbruck
  • Helen S. K. Snell
    University of Manchester
  • Violette V. L. H. Pepper
    University of York
  • Helen K. Grant
    Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster
  • David X. Soto
    Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster
  • Ruediger Kaufmann
    University of Innsbruck
  • Michael Schloter
    Helmholtz Zentrum München
  • Robert I. Griffiths
  • Michael Bahn
    University of Innsbruck
  • Richard D. Bardgett
    University of Manchester
Abstract The seasonal coupling of plant and soil microbial nutrient demands is crucial for efficient ecosystem nutrient cycling and plant production, especially in strongly seasonal alpine ecosystems. Yet, how these seasonal nutrient cycling processes are modified by climate change and what the consequences are for nutrient loss and retention in alpine ecosystems remain unclear. Here, we explored how two pervasive climate change factors, reduced snow cover and shrub expansion, interactively modify the seasonal coupling of plant and soil microbial nitrogen (N) cycling in alpine grasslands, which are warming at double the rate of the global average. We found that the combination of reduced snow cover and shrub expansion disrupted the seasonal coupling of plant and soil N-cycling, with pronounced effects in spring (shortly after snow melt) and autumn (at the onset of plant senescence). In combination, both climate change factors decreased plant organic N-uptake by 702 soil microbial biomass N by 1985336 respectively. Shrub expansion also individually modified the seasonality of soil microbial community composition and stoichiometry towards more N-limited conditions and slower nutrient cycling in spring and autumn. In winter, snow removal markedly reduced the fungal:bacterial biomass ratio, soil N pools and shifted bacterial community composition. Taken together, our findings suggest that interactions between climate change factors can disrupt the temporal coupling of plant and soil microbial N-cycling processes in alpine grasslands. This could diminish the capacity of these globally widespread alpine ecosystems to retain N and support plant productivity under future climate change.

Keywords

  • alpine ecosystems, climate change, nutrient cycling, plant–soil interactions, seasonality, shrub expansion, snow cover
Original languageUnknown
Pages (from-to)e17245
JournalGlobal Change Biology
Volume30
Issue number3
Early online date21 Mar 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Mar 2024
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