Contribution of Glomalin-Related Soil Protein to Soil Organic Carbon Following Grassland Degradation and Restoration: A Case from Alpine Meadow of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

作者：Zilong Cui, Jianhui Xin, Xiaoxuan Yang, Yile Dang, Chengqing Lin, Zhanming Ma, Kaini Wang, Zhaoqi Wang, Yongkun Zhang · 发表于：Land · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3390/land13122223 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Soil erosion and sediment transport、Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies

Glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSP) are an important microbial carbon source for soil organic carbon (SOC) and can also protect SOC by promoting the formation of soil aggregates. However, there is a lack of systematic research on how the contribution of GRSP to SOC changes during grassland degradation and restoration. This study analyzed the changes in SOC, total glomalin-related soil protein (GRSPt), easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein (GRSPe) contents, and the ratios of GRSPe/SOC and GRSPt/SOC at different aggregate fractions in the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers during the process of grassland degradation and restoration (from natural Sogong grass patches→degraded bare soil patches→transitional weed patches→naturally restored Sogong grass patches/artificially restored grass patches), to explore the contribution of GRSP to SOC at the aggregate scale during grassland succession. (1) With grassland degradation, the mean weight diameter (MWD) and the contents of SOC and GRSP in all aggregate fractions significantly decreased (p < 0.05); the natural restoration method was more effective in improving MWD than the artificial restoration method; for the SOC content in large aggregates and the GRSPt and GRSPe contents in different aggregate fractions, the artificial restoration method was more effective than the natural restoration method. (2) The contents of GRSPe and GRSPt in all aggregate fractions were significantly and linearly positively correlated with SO...