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Aims <p>This study aimed to determine how slope aspect modulates the effects of various fertilization treatments on soil microbial community in a degraded alpine grassland under restoration, and to identify the key microbial, enzymatic and environmental factors associated with these responses.</p> Methods <p>Plots were established on sunny and shady slopes on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and subjected to six fertilization treatments. Soil microbial communities were characterized using PLFA profiles and high-throughput amplicon sequencing, and linked to measurements of soil enzyme activities and environmental conditions.</p> Results <p>PLFA-derived functional‑group structure (lnRR) showed a significant interaction between slope and treatment, whereas sequencing-based community composition was structured by slope aspect with no significant treatment effect. Diammonium phosphate fertilizer promoted organic matter-degrading fungi on sunny slopes, whereas a <i>Trichoderma</i> biofertilizer enriched phosphatase-producing Acidobacteria on shady slopes. Enzyme activities were strongly associated with community shifts on shady slopes and likely mediated slope-specific phosphorus constraints on microbial communities, while on sunny slopes microbial communities were constrained by limited moisture and nutrient availability. Across both slope aspects, functional analyses revealed that bacterial taxa shifted towards stress-response functions, whereas fungi favored nutrient-utilization strategies. Microbial fertilizer treatments produced treatment-specific changes concentrated in particular bacterial and fungal groups, whereas inorganic fertilizers elicited broader shifts across multiple microbial groups.</p> Conclusions <p>Our results underscore the pivotal role of slope aspect heterogeneity in regulating microbial responses to fertilization, and provide a novel mechanistic basis for topographically informed fertilization strategies to optimize nutrient cycling and enhance restoration outcomes in alpine grassland ecosystems.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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Slope aspect modulates fertilization impacts on PLFA-based soil microbial community structure but not on diversity in a degraded alpine grassland under restoration

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月14日

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  • Qiang Zhang,
  • Yunfei Xing,
  • Xiaoli Wang,
  • Jianjun Shi,
  • Chunhui Zhang,
  • Huakun Zhou,
  • Honglin Li,
  • Xinquan Zhao,
  • Yushou Ma

摘要

Aims

This study aimed to determine how slope aspect modulates the effects of various fertilization treatments on soil microbial community in a degraded alpine grassland under restoration, and to identify the key microbial, enzymatic and environmental factors associated with these responses.

Methods

Plots were established on sunny and shady slopes on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and subjected to six fertilization treatments. Soil microbial communities were characterized using PLFA profiles and high-throughput amplicon sequencing, and linked to measurements of soil enzyme activities and environmental conditions.

Results

PLFA-derived functional‑group structure (lnRR) showed a significant interaction between slope and treatment, whereas sequencing-based community composition was structured by slope aspect with no significant treatment effect. Diammonium phosphate fertilizer promoted organic matter-degrading fungi on sunny slopes, whereas a Trichoderma biofertilizer enriched phosphatase-producing Acidobacteria on shady slopes. Enzyme activities were strongly associated with community shifts on shady slopes and likely mediated slope-specific phosphorus constraints on microbial communities, while on sunny slopes microbial communities were constrained by limited moisture and nutrient availability. Across both slope aspects, functional analyses revealed that bacterial taxa shifted towards stress-response functions, whereas fungi favored nutrient-utilization strategies. Microbial fertilizer treatments produced treatment-specific changes concentrated in particular bacterial and fungal groups, whereas inorganic fertilizers elicited broader shifts across multiple microbial groups.

Conclusions

Our results underscore the pivotal role of slope aspect heterogeneity in regulating microbial responses to fertilization, and provide a novel mechanistic basis for topographically informed fertilization strategies to optimize nutrient cycling and enhance restoration outcomes in alpine grassland ecosystems.

Graphical Abstract