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Interactive effects of nitrogen fertilizer and altered precipitation on fungal communities in arid grasslands of northern China

  • Soils, Sec 2 • Global Change, Environ Risk Assess, Sustainable Land Use • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Fungi play an essential role in regulating the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and are sensitive to climate change factors. Climate change incidents, such as N deposition and altered precipitation, create abiotic stress regarding the water use efficiency of soil and nutrient limitation impacting the activity of soil fungi. This study aimed to examine the combined effects of N fertilization and altered precipitation on soil fungal diversity and composition in the desert steppe.

Materials and methods

In the present study, we carried out a field experiment to assess the soil fungal diversity and composition of the desert steppe in response to N fertilizer (0 or 35 kg N ha−1 year−1) and precipitation changes (control, − 50% precipitation, or + 50% precipitation) in the desert steppe. The study was initiated in 2012, and plant and soil samples were collected after 5 years (August, 2017) of field treatments. High-throughput sequencing was applied to estimate the fungal diversity and composition.

Results and discussion

The soil fungal communities were dominated by Ascomycota (87.85% ± 1.26%), which primarily drove the fungal community composition. Decreased precipitation promoted strong shifts in fungal community composition under both N fertilizer levels. Increased precipitation significantly reduced Shannon-Wiener indices by 9.96%. The increasing relative abundances of fungal functional groups (lichenized saprotroph, animaland plant pathogens) resulted in a marked shift in fungal community composition from decreased precipitation to increased precipitation, which is attributed to the important role of the Ascomycota phylum in fungal communities. Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that C4 biomass was the predominant factor determining the Shannon-Wiener index for these fungi. Direct altered precipitation, indirect soil pH, and C4 biomass together controlled soil fungal community composition, with altered precipitation as the main driver.

Conclusions

The interactive effects of N fertilizer and altered precipitation on grassland plant density, biomass, and soil properties may play an essential role in determining fungal diversity and community composition. Precipitation is a primary limiting factor that influences fungal community composition. Effects of N fertilizer on soil fungal community composition are highly dependent on changes in precipitation.

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Acknowledgments

The study was carried out at Sunite Right Banner Desert Experiment and Research Station, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, The authors thank Xiangjun Yun, Shixian Sun and Lei Ji for helping set up the experiment and the soil respiration field measurements.

Funding

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 41601269 and 31770542), the Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia, China (2019MS03001), the National Natural Science Foundation of China and USA (Grant nos. 31761123001-1), and Central Public-Interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund (Grant nos. 1610332018006, 1610332015020 and 1610332016006).

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Author notes

  1. Hai Wang and Na Ta contributed equally to this paper.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Grassland Science, College of Ecology and Environmental Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot, 010019, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China

    Hai Wang & Zhijun Wei

  2. Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot, 010010, China

    Hai Wang, Na Ta, Ke Jin & Zhen Wang

  3. Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration, Ministry of Agriculture, Hohhot, 010010, China

    Zhen Wang

  4. College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, No. 35, Tsinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China

    Baoming Ji

  5. Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC), AAFC-AAC, Box 1030, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, S9H 3X2, Canada

    Michael P. Schellenberg

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  1. Hai Wang
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  2. Na Ta
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Correspondence to Zhen Wang.

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Wang, H., Ta, N., Jin, K. et al. Interactive effects of nitrogen fertilizer and altered precipitation on fungal communities in arid grasslands of northern China. J Soils Sediments 20, 1344–1356 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02512-2

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