Historical Nitrogen Deposition and Straw Addition Facilitate the Resistance of Soil Multifunctionality to Drying-Wetting Cycles

Abstract

Current climate trends indicate an increasing frequency of drying-wetting cycles. Such cycles are severe environmental perturbations and have received an enormous amount of attention. Prediction of ecosystem’s stability and adaptability requires a better mechanistic understanding of the responses of microbially mediated C and nutrient cycling processes to external disturbance. Assessment of this stability and adaptability further need to disentangle the relationships between functional capacity of soil microbial communities and the resistance of multifunctionality. Study of the physiological responses and community reorganization of soil microbes in response to stresses requires large investments of resources that vary with the management history of the system. Our study provides evidence that nutrient managements on agroecosystems can be expected to buffer the impacts of progressive climate change on ecosystem functioning by enhancing the functional capacity of soil microbial communities, which can serve as a basis for field studies. ABSTRACT Climate change is predicted to alter precipitation and drought patterns, which has become a global concern as evidence accumulates that it will affect ecosystem services. Disentangling the ability of soil multifunctionality to withstand this stress (multifunctionality resistance) is a crucial topic for assessing the stability and adaptability of agroecosystems. In this study, we explored the effects of nutrient addition on multifunctionality resistance to drying-wetting cycles and evaluated the importance of microbial functional capacity (characterized by the abundances of genes involved in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles) for this resistance. The multifunctionality of soils treated with nitrogen (N) and straw showed a higher resistance to drying-wetting cycles than did nonamended soils. Microbial functional capacity displayed a positive linear relationship with multifunctionality resistance. Random forest analysis showed that the abundances of the archeal amoA (associated with nitrification) and nosZ and narG (denitrification) genes were major predictors of multifunctionality resistance in soils without straw addition. In contrast, major predictors of multifunctionality resistance in straw amended soils were the abundances of the GH51 (xylan degradation) and fungcbhIF (cellulose degradation) genes. Structural equation modeling further demonstrated the large direct contribution of carbon (C) and N cycling-related gene abundances to multifunctionality resistance. The modeling further elucidated the positive effects of microbial functional capacity on this resistance, which was mediated potentially by a high soil fungus/bacterium ratio, dissolved organic C content, and low pH. The present work suggests that nutrient management of agroecosystems can buffer negative impacts on ecosystem functioning caused by a climate change-associated increase in drying-wetting cycles via enriching functional capacity of microbial communities. IMPORTANCE Current climate trends indicate an increasing frequency of drying-wetting cycles. Such cycles are severe environmental perturbations and have received an enormous amount of attention. Prediction of ecosystem’s stability and adaptability requires a better mechanistic understanding of the responses of microbially mediated C and nutrient cycling processes to external disturbance. Assessment of this stability and adaptability further need to disentangle the relationships between functional capacity of soil microbial communities and the resistance of multifunctionality. Study of the physiological responses and community reorganization of soil microbes in response to stresses requires large investments of resources that vary with the management history of the system. Our study provides evidence that nutrient managements on agroecosystems can be expected to buffer the impacts of progressive climate change on ecosystem functioning by enhancing the functional capacity of soil microbial communities, which can serve as a basis for field studies.