Abstract
Manipulated precipitation patterns can profoundly influence the metabolism of soil microorganisms. However, the responses of soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient turnover to microbial metabolic limitation under changing precipitation conditions remain unclear in semi-arid ecosystems. This study measured the potential activities of enzymes associated with carbon (C: β-1,4-glucosidase (BG) and β-D-cellobiosidase (CBH)), nitrogen (N: β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) and L-leucine aminopeptidase (LAP)) and phosphorus (P: alkaline phosphatase (AP)) acquisition, to quantify soil microbial metabolic limitations using enzymatic stoichiometry, and then identify the implications for soil microbial metabolic limitations and carbon use efficiency (CUE) under decreased precipitation by 50％ (DP) and increased precipitation by 50％ (IP) in a temperate grassland. The results showed that soil C and P were the major elements limiting soil microbial metabolism in temperate grasslands. There was a strong positive dependence between microbial C and P limitations under manipulated precipitation. Microbial metabolism limitation was promoted by DP treatment but reversed by IP treatment. Moreover, CUE was inhibited by DP treatment but promoted by IP treatment. Soil microbial metabolism limitation was mainly regulated by soil moisture and soil C, N, and P stoichiometry, followed by available nutrients (i.e., NO– 3 , NH+ 4 , and dissolved organic C) and microbial biomass (i.e., MBC and MBN). Overall, these findings highlight the potential role of changing precipitation in regulating ecosystem C turnover by limiting microbial metabolism and CUE in temperate grassland ecosystems.
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