Impacts of targeted grazing, controlled burning, and strip seeding on soil microbial communities

Increased vegetation management efforts are crucial due to the magnitude of global land degradation. Most modern land management projects focus on either controlling undesirable plant species or attempting to reconstruct the historical plant community. While most strategies are generally expected to enhance native vegetation establishment and diversity, there may be unintended impacts on vital soil microbial communities. Soil microbial communities play a crucial role in biogeochemical processes like nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and the development of soil structure, all of which influence plant productivity, nutrient acquisition, and the regulation of plant diversity and composition. We sought to investigate the consequences of different combinations of vegetation management strategies used to restore a former cropland to a perennial grassland in Davis, California, USA. Specifically, we assessed soil microbial community diversity, composition and putative functional g..., Plant community sampling We evaluated the plant community during the late Spring, when above ground biomass production was near peak levels. We also conducted a follow up survey in the early summer to measure late flowering invasive annual species. Utilizing a 1 m x 1 m square frame, we ocularly estimated canopy cover of each plant species present, exposed surface plant litter and bare soil on a scale of 0-1;1-100%. Soil sampling For soil physicochemical analysis, we first sieved soil samples to 2 mm and air dried them overnight. We measured soil pH with 1:1 (weight/volume) soil to deionized water using a FiveEasy Plus pH meter (Mettler Toledo, Columbus, OH, USA). For total carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), we oven-dried the samples at 105 °C overnight, manually grinded the samples using a mortar, and then weighed them at 1 g for thermal combustion analysis (Vario MAX Cube, Elementar, Langenselbold, DE)., , # Impacts of targeted grazing, controlled burning, and strip seeding on soil microbial communities [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nk98sf82z](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nk98sf82z) ## Description of the data and file structure In an effort to assess whether isolated or combined vegetation management strategies enhance desired vegetation communities, we leveraged an ongoing restoration project transforming former cropland into perennial-dominated grassland in northern California, USA. We assessed soil microbial community diversity, composition and putative functional group abundance across different combinations of 1) targeted sheep grazing; 2) low and high frequency-controlled burning; and 3) native plant strip seeding. In November 2011, a mixture of seven native grasses was drill seeded in six different strip seed treatments in replicated 25 m × 44 m macroplots using a drill seeder at a bulk seeding rate of 2.02 g/m2 (20,000 g/ha; seeded area). Strip seed treatments were applied a..., ,全球土地退化形势严峻，因此加强植被管理工作至关重要。当前多数现代土地管理项目要么聚焦于防控有害植物物种，要么致力于重建历史植物群落。尽管大多数管理策略通常有望提升本土植被的定植率与多样性，但可能会对至关重要的土壤微生物群落（soil microbial communities）产生非预期影响。土壤微生物群落在养分循环、有机质分解以及土壤结构形成等生物地球化学过程（biogeochemical processes）中发挥着关键作用，而这些过程均会影响植物生产力、养分获取以及植物多样性与群落组成的调控。本研究旨在探究美国加利福尼亚州戴维斯市将废弃农田恢复为多年生草原的不同植被管理策略组合所产生的影响，具体评估了土壤微生物群落的多样性、组成及推定功能群…… 植物群落采样 我们于春季末开展植物群落调查，此时地上生物量产量接近峰值；同时在初夏开展跟踪调查，以统计晚花入侵一年生植物物种。我们采用1 m×1 m的方形样框，通过目视估测所有现存植物物种的盖度、地表裸露植物凋落物及裸土的占比，估算尺度为0~1（对应0%至100%）。 土壤采样 针对土壤理化分析，我们首先将土壤样品过2 mm筛，随后风干过夜。采用1:1（质量/体积）的土水比，使用FiveEasy Plus pH计（梅特勒托利多，美国俄亥俄州哥伦布市）测定土壤pH值。对于总碳（C）和氮（N）含量，我们将样品置于105 ℃烘箱中过夜烘干，使用研钵手动研磨后称取1 g样品进行热燃烧分析（Vario MAX Cube元素分析仪，德国朗根塞尔博尔德Elementar公司）。 # 针对性放牧、控制性火烧与条带播种对土壤微生物群落的影响 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nk98sf82z](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nk98sf82z) ## 数据与文件结构说明 为评估单一或组合植被管理策略是否能优化目标植物群落，我们依托美国北加州一处正在进行的修复项目开展研究，该项目将废弃农田改造为以多年生植物为主的草原。我们针对三种管理策略的不同组合，评估了土壤微生物群落的多样性、组成及推定功能群丰度：1）针对性绵羊放牧；2）低频率与高频率控制性火烧；3）本土植物条带播种。 2011年11月，我们采用条播机以2.02 g/m²（20000 g/ha；播种面积）的总播种量，在6个重复的25 m×44 m大样地中，针对7种本土草本植物的混合物开展了6种不同的条带播种处理。条带播种处理已应用……