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      Soil microbial and nutrient responses to 7 years of seasonally altered precipitation in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland.

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          Abstract

          Soil microbial communities in Chihuahuan Desert grasslands generally experience highly variable spatiotemporal rainfall patterns. Changes in precipitation regimes can affect belowground ecosystem processes such as decomposition and nutrient cycling by altering soil microbial community structure and function. The objective of this study was to determine if increased seasonal precipitation frequency and magnitude over a 7-year period would generate a persistent shift in microbial community characteristics and soil nutrient availability. We supplemented natural rainfall with large events (one/winter and three/summer) to simulate increased precipitation based on climate model predictions for this region. We observed a 2-year delay in microbial responses to supplemental precipitation treatments. In years 3-5, higher microbial biomass, arbuscular mycorrhizae abundance, and soil enzyme C and P acquisition activities were observed in the supplemental water plots even during extended drought periods. In years 5-7, available soil P was consistently lower in the watered plots compared to control plots. Shifts in soil P corresponded to higher fungal abundances, microbial C utilization activity, and soil pH. This study demonstrated that 25% shifts in seasonal rainfall can significantly influence soil microbial and nutrient properties, which in turn may have long-term effects on nutrient cycling and plant P uptake in this desert grassland.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Glob Chang Biol
          Global change biology
          1365-2486
          1354-1013
          May 2014
          : 20
          : 5
          Affiliations
          [1 ] Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80524 - 1499, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409 - 3131, USA.
          Article
          10.1111/gcb.12418
          24115607
          72fef4ba-0c98-41d5-a47c-9d6c265f71b7
          © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
          History

          Big Bend National Park,desert ecosystems,extreme climate events,precipitation manipulation,soil microbial communities

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