Wetland degradation promotes soil P fraction transformation by altering P-cycling functional genes and metabolic pathways

Global wetlands have undergone varying degrees of degradation due to intense disturbances from global climatic and environmental changes, and human activities such as overgrazing and drainage. While wetland degradation is known to alter soil physicochemical properties and phosphorus (P) cycling, the mechanism governing its effects on soil P fraction transformation and P metabolism remains poorly understood. To address this, we investigated how different stages of wetland degradation—non-degraded (ND), slightly degraded (LD), moderately degraded (MD), and heavily degraded (HD)—affect soil P fractions in temperate wetlands. We analyzed soil properties, P-cycling microbial communities, functional genes, and metabolic products, employing the modified Hedley P fractionation method to elucidate clear trends in P fraction contents.