Phenolic compounds weaken the impact of drought on soil enzyme activity in global wetlands

作者：Tong Li, Leming Ge, Ruotong Zhao, Changhui Peng, Xiaolu Zhou, Peng Li, Zelin Liu, Hanxiong Song, Jiayi Tang, Cicheng Zhang, Quan Li, Meng Wang, Ziying Zou · 发表于：Frontiers in Microbiology · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/fmicb.2024.1372866 · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology、Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics、Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment

Soil enzymes play a central role in carbon and nutrient cycling, and their activities can be affected by drought-induced oxygen exposure. However, a systematic global estimate of enzyme sensitivity to drought in wetlands is still lacking. Through a meta-analysis of 55 studies comprising 761 paired observations, this study found that phosphorus-related enzyme activity increased by 38% as result of drought in wetlands, while the majority of other soil enzyme activities remained stable. The expansion of vascular plants under long-term drought significantly promoted the accumulation of phenolic compounds. Using a 2-week incubation experiment with phenol supplementation, we found that phosphorus-related enzyme could tolerate higher biotoxicity of phenolic compounds than other enzymes. Moreover, a long-term (35 years) drainage experiment in a northern peatland in China confirmed that the increased phenolic concentration in surface layer resulting from a shift in vegetation composition inhibited the increase in enzyme activities caused by rising oxygen availability, except for phosphorus-related enzyme. Overall, these results demonstrate the complex and resilient nature of wetland ecosystems, with soil enzymes showing a high degree of adaptation to drought conditions. These new insights could help evaluate the impact of drought on future wetland ecosystem services and provide a theoretical foundation for the remediation of degraded wetlands.