Grazing-N addition interactions drive soil carbon priming and balance via bacterial assimilation in a meadow steppe

Grassland carbon storage depends on microbial-mediated interactions between grazing and nitrogen (N) addition, which regulates the balance between soil organic carbon (SOC) retention and priming effects. However, uncertainties regarding these interactive mechanisms constrain projections of SOC vulnerability under global change.
We conducted a factorial field experiment involving grazing and N addition in a Leymus chinensis meadow in northeastern China. In the fifth year of the experiment, we collected soil to conduct a 70-day soil incubation combined with labile carbon (glucose) addition to examine the effects of the grazing and N addition treatments soil carbon priming and carbon retention.
Grazing consistently increased priming effects regardless of N addition. In contrast, N addition strongly reduced priming by 41.0% in ungrazed plots but had minimal increase effects (3.2%) under grazing. Mechanistically, bacterial glucose assimilation capacity primarily..., , # Grazing-N addition interactions drive soil carbon priming and balance via bacterial assimilation in a meadow steppe

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.w9ghx3g21](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.w9ghx3g21)

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset focuses on the soil priming effect and associated microbial dynamics under different grazing and nitrogen (N) addition treatments. It includes raw measurement data, derived ecological indices, and R code for data analysis, enabling the exploration of how grazing disturbance and N input regulate soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling and microbial activity.

### Files and variables

#### File: Wangcl_et_al_data.csv

**Description:** Derived summary data of soil properties, microbial traits, and ecosystem C balance. Integrates key indices from the raw data (e.g., priming effect percentage, microbial carbon use efficiency) and additional measurements (e.g., soil enzyme activity, biomass, pH).

##### Variables

* Summarizes treatment-level ...,