Data from: Do microorganism stoichiometric alterations affect carbon sequestration in paddy soil subjected to phosphorus input?

Ecological stoichiometry provides a powerful tool for integrating
microbial biomass stoichiometry with ecosystem processes, opening
far-reaching possibilities for linking microbial dynamics to soil carbon
(C) metabolism in response to agricultural nutrient management. Despite
its importance to crop yield, the role of phosphorus (P) with respect to
ecological stoichiometry and soil C sequestration in paddy fields remains
poorly understood, which limits our ability to predict nutrient-related
soil C cycling. Here, we collected soil samples from a paddy field
experiment after 7 years of superphosphate application along a gradient of
0, 30, 60, 90 (P-0 through P-90, respectively) kg P ha-1 y-1 in order to
evaluate the role of exogenous P on soil C sequestration through
regulating microbial stoichiometry. P fertilization increased soil total
organic C and labile organic C by 1-14% and 4-96%, respectively, while
rice yield is a function of the activities of soil β-1, 4-glucosidase
(BG), acid phosphatase (AP) and the level of available soil P through a
stepwise linear regression model. P input induced C limitation as
reflected by decreases in the ratios of C:P in soil and microbial biomass.
An ecoenzymatic ratio indicating microbial investment in C versus P
acquisition, i.e., ln(BG):ln(AP), changed the ecological function of
microbial C acquisition and was stoichiometrically related to P input.
This mechanism drove a shift in soil resource availability by increasing
bacterial community richness and diversity, and stimulated soil C
sequestration in the paddy field by enhancing C degradation-related
bacteria for the breakdown of plant-derived carbon sources. Therefore, the
decline in the C:P stoichiometric ratio of soil microorganism biomass
under P input was beneficial for soil C sequestration, which offered a
"win-win" relationship for the maximum balance point between C
sequestration and P availability for rice production in the face of
climate change.