Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling microbial populations and their resistance to global change depend on C:N:P stoichiometry

Maintaining the stability of ecosystem functions to global change calls for a better understanding the regulatory factors of functionally specialized microbial-groups and their population-response to disturbance. Here, we explored this issue by collecting soils from 54 managed ecosystems in China and building a predictive model of microcosm experiments. Soil carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) stoichiometry (35%~49%) imparted a greater individual effects on the abundances of microbial-groups associated with main carbon C, N, and P biogeochemical processes in comparison with geographical conditions (7%~10%). Soil total C and N contents were significantly positively correlated with the abundances of diazotrophs (nifH), nitrifiers (bacterial amoA), nitrate reducers (narG) and denitrifiers (nirS/K and nosZ genes). Soil C:N ratio not only exhibited a negative relationship with the abundances of P activators (phoD, phoC and pqqC genes), but also with cellulolytic decomposers (fungcbhIR and GH7...