Soil Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Cycling Microbial Populations and Their Resistance to Global Change Depend on Soil C:N:P Stoichiometry

Abstract

To be effective in predicting future stability of soil functions in the context of various external disturbances, it is necessary to follow the effects of global change on functionally specialized microbes related to C and nutrient cycling. Our study represents an exploratory effort to couple the stoichiometric drivers to microbial populations related with main C, N, and P cycling and their resistances to global change. The abundance of microbial groups involved in cellulose, starch, and xylan degradation, nitrification, N fixation, denitrification, organic P mineralization, and inorganic P dissolution showed a high stoichiometry dependency. Resistance of these microbial populations to global change could be predicted by soil C:N:P stoichiometry. Our work highlights that stoichiometric balance in soil C and nutrients is instrumental in maintaining the stability and adaptability of ecosystem functions under global change.