Effects of livestock grazing on the relationships between soil microbial
Xu, Hongwei (Sichuan Agricultural University)
You, Chengming (Sichuan Agricultural University)
Ton, Ba (Sichuan Agricultural University)
Xu, Lin (Sichuan Agricultural University)
Liu, Yang (Sichuan Agricultural University)
Wang, Minggang (Beijing Forestry University)
Xu, Zhenfeng (Sichuan Agricultural University)
Sardans i Galobart, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)

Date:	2023
Abstract:	Livestock grazing of grassland ecosystems may induce shifts in microbe community traits and soil carbon (C) cycling; however, impacts of grassland management (grazing) on soil C- microbe community trait (microbial biomass, diversity, community structure, and enzyme activity) relationships are unclear. To address this, we conducted a global meta-analysis of 95 articles of livestock grazing studies that vary in grazing intensities (light, moderate, and high) and durations (<5 years, 5-10 years, and > 10 years). We found that gazing decreased soil organic carbon content (SOC; 10. 1 %), and activities of the enzymes of saccharase (SA; 31. 1 %), urease (UA; 7. 0 %), and acid phosphatase (11. 9 %) in topsoil. Meanwhile, the SOC, soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities consistently decreased as grazing intensity and duration prolonged. Furthermore, we observed strong linear relationships of microbe community traits with SOC (p < 0. 05), but weak relationships with soil N or P (p > 0. 05) in grasslands, which also depends on the grazing intensity and duration. In conclusion, our results indicate that traits of soil carbon content, soil microbe community, and in particular their relationships in global grasslands are overall significantly affected by livestock grazing, but the effects strongly depend on the grazing intensity and duration.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-115770RB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2019-110521GB-I00 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-1005
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Livestock grazing ; Grazing intensity ; Grazing duration ; Soil carbon cycling ; Soil microbial community
Published in:	Science of the total environment, Vol. 881 (July 2023) , art. 163416, ISSN 1879-1026

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163416

Available from: 2025-07-30 Postprint

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles