Objective Soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization is a key process in the global carbon cycle. Understanding the influence of soil enzyme activity on SOC mineralization under different oxygen concentrations is conducive to analyzing the soil carbon cycle process and advancing carbon neutrality goals. This study provides a theoretical basis for clarifying carbon pool dynamics in check dams on the Loess Plateau and improving regional carbon cycle assessments. Methods The dam-land soils of a typical check dam on the Loess Plateau were collected as the research object. The SOC mineralization under different oxygen concentrations (0%, 7%, 14%, and 21%) was investigated through field sampling and laboratory simulation experiments. Results (1) During the first 15 days of incubation, both instantaneous and cumulative SOC mineralization showed an order of 21%>14%>7%>0%. However, from days 15~70 of incubation, SOC mineralization at 7% concentration exceeded that at 14%, and the cumulative mineralization was 21%>7%>14%>0%. (2) High oxygen concentrations (14%, 21%) significantly promoted the activities of carbon-cycling enzymes (β-glucosidase, cellulase) and nitrogen-cycling enzymes (leucine aminopeptidase), whereas β-xylosidase was more active in the early stage at low oxygen concentrations (0%, 7%). The activity of phosphorus-cycling-related enzymes (phosphatase) increased significantly only in the later stage at 7% oxygen concentration. (3) Enzyme stoichiometry indicated that SOC mineralization was greatly affected by carbon and nitrogen. (4) Random forest analysis showed that incubation time (21.90%), cellulase (17.41%), and β-xylosidase (21.60%) were the main limiting factors for SOC mineralization. Nitrogen-cycling enzymes indirectly regulated SOC mineralization by influencing microbial nitrogen acquisition, while phosphorus-cycling enzymes had a weak effect. (5) Direct effects of individual factors to SOC mineralization exceeded their interactive effects, with incubation time (27.35%) and cellulase (26.2%) contributing the most. Conclusion SOC mineralization in dam-land soils may exhibit a pattern of initial decline, followed by an increase and subsequent decrease with varying oxygen concentrations. The activities of carbon- and nitrogen-cycling-related enzymes are key drivers of mineralization differences, and the direct effects of individual factors on mineralization outweigh dual-factor interactive effects.
相关研究发现,沉积区地表30—200 cm SOC储量是地表以上0—30 cm SOC储量的五倍以上[5]。因此,探究影响深层SOC矿化因素对有机碳库研究尤为重要。同时土壤酶作为土壤中生物化学过程的主要驱动力,对有机碳的矿化存在一定程度的影响[6]。研究发现,糖苷酶(如α-葡萄糖苷酶、β-木糖苷酶和纤维二糖水解酶)可以将纤维素等糖原分解成可溶解的有机碳;亮氨酸氨基肽酶与β-N-乙酰氨基酸葡萄苷酶可以通过降解土壤中的蛋白质和几内质获取氮源;磷酸酶可以通过分解土壤中的有机磷产生无机磷[7]。此类水解酶为土壤生态系统的微生物代谢活动提供动力。Sinsabaugh等[8]发现碳氮磷相关水解酶的活性比例可以在一定程度上表示微生物获取能量和养分分配过程比例,引出化学计量比来表示土壤微生物的代谢活动对碳氮磷元素的响应;Moorhead等[9]则提出酶向量角度和向量长度的概念,具体量化水解酶对碳氮磷元素对微生物代谢的限制。氧气浓度作为限制微生物活性的主要因素之一可以通过影响有机物的分解速率,间接改变酶底物的可用性[10],氧气浓度的垂直变化引起淤地坝剖面垂直梯度酶活性发生变化,影响不同淤积深度土壤的矿化速率。所以研究不同氧气浓度下土壤酶活性对研究深层淤积SOC矿化情况具有重要意义。
LalR. Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security[J]. Science, 2004,304(5677):1623-1627.
[2]
WangN, JiaoJ Y, BaiL C, et al. Magnitude of soil erosion in small catchments with different land use patterns under an extreme rainstorm event over the Northern Loess Plateau, China[J]. Catena, 2020,195:104780.
XingX R, ZhangY, LiP, et al. Simulated effects of soil enzyme activity on soil organic carbon mineralization in dam land under dry and wet conditions[J]. Arid Zone Research, 2024,41(11):1969-1980.
WangZ, LiuY, YangM Y, et al. Characteristics and factors influencing organic carbon decomposition in sediment in check dams[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2022,33(10):2635-2643.
[7]
WangX, CammeraatE L H, CerliC, et al. Soil aggregation and the stabilization of organic carbon as affected by erosion and deposition[J]. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2014,72:55-65.
ZhaoY H, YinH K, HuX C, et al. Characteristics and driving forces of organic carbon mineralization in brown soil with long-term straw returning[J]. Environmental Science, 2024,45(4):2353-2362.
ZhangR Y, YuanD, QinS P, et al. Effects of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry on the priming of soil carbon mineralization[J]. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture, 2023,31(8):1311-1321.
[12]
SinsabaughR L, LauberC L, WeintraubM N, et al. Stoichiometry of soil enzyme activity at global scale[J]. Ecology Letters, 2008,11(11):1252-1264.
[13]
MoorheadD L, SinsabaughR L, HillB H, et al. Vector analysis of ecoenzyme activities reveal constraints on coupled C, N and P dynamics[J]. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2016,93:1-7.
[14]
NguyenT P, KoyamaM, NakasakiK. Effects of oxygen supply rate on organic matter decomposition and microbial communities during composting in a controlled lab-scale composting system[J]. Waste Management, 2022,153:275-282.
[15]
Saiya-CorkK R, SinsabaughR L, ZakD R. The effects of long term nitrogen deposition on extracellular enzyme activity in an Acer saccharum forest soil[J]. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2002,34(9):1309-1315.
[16]
NeffJ C, AsnerG P. Dissolved organic carbon in terrestrial ecosystems: synthesis and a model[J]. Ecosystems, 2001,4(1):29-48.
ChenM, HuA, HanL, et al. The N/C ratios of dissolved organic matter and their response to lake warming and nutrient enrichment[J]. Journal of Lake Sciences, 2025,37(1):97-111.
[19]
ChenY J, LeungP M, WoodJ L, et al. Metabolic flexibility allows bacterial habitat generalists to become dominant in a frequently disturbed ecosystem[J]. The ISME Journal, 2021,15(10):2986-3004.
[20]
TaoF, HuangY Y, HungateB A, et al. Microbial carbon use efficiency promotes global soil carbon storage[J]. Nature, 2023,618(7967):981-985.
[21]
LiY H, ShahbazM, ZhuZ K, et al. Oxygen availability determines key regulators in soil organic carbon mineralisation in paddy soils[J]. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2021,153:108106.
[22]
BayerE A, BelaichJ P, ShohamY, et al. The cellulosomes: multienzyme machines for degradation of plant cell wall polysaccharides[J]. Annual Review of Microbiology, 2004,58:521-554.
ZuoY P, ZhangX Y, ZengH, et al. Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil extracellular enzyme activity and its influence on potential mineralization rate of soil organic carbon in forests of Daxing′an mountain range[J]. Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Pekinensis, 2018,54(6):1311-1324.
[25]
RenC J, WangJ Y, BastidaF, et al. Microbial traits determine soil C emission in response to fresh carbon inputs in forests across biomes[J]. Global Change Biology, 2022,28(4):1516-1528.
[26]
ZhouS, WangJ Y, ChenL, et al. Microbial community structure and functional genes drive soil priming effect following afforestation[J]. Science of the Total Environment, 2022,825:153925.
LiQ, GaoH, FuS, et al. Anaerobic fungi of digestive tract and their interactions with other microorganisms[J]. Acta Veterinaria Et Zootechnica Sinica, 2025,56(7):3096-3106.
[29]
ZhuZ K, FangY Y, LiangY Q, et al. Stoichiometric regulation of priming effects and soil carbon balance by microbial life strategies[J]. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2022,169:108669.
[30]
WanW J, HeD L, LiX, et al. Adaptation of phoD-harboring bacteria to broader environmental gradients at high elevations than at low elevations in the Shennongjia primeval forest[J]. Geoderma, 2021,401:115210.
[31]
GuoL L, YuZ H, LiY S, et al. Stimulation of primed carbon under climate change corresponds with phosphorus mineralization in the rhizosphere of soybean[J]. Science of the Total Environment, 2023,899:165580.
[32]
XiaoD, HuangY, FengS Z, et al. Soil organic carbon mineralization with fresh organic substrate and inorganic carbon additions in a red soil is controlled by fungal diversity along a pH gradient[J]. Geoderma, 2018,321:79-89.
[33]
SinsabaughR L, HillB H, Follstad ShahJ J. Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry of microbial organic nutrient acquisition in soil and sediment[J]. Nature, 2009,462(7274):795-798.
ZhaoS, YanZ J, ZhangS, et al. Research progress on structure, function and molecular design of bacterial chitinase[J]. Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2022,49(7):1179-1191.
[36]
ChenY P, ChenG S, RobinsonD, et al. Large amounts of easily decomposable carbon stored in subtropical forest subsoil are associated with r-strategy-dominated soil microbes[J]. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2016,95:233-242.
[37]
ZhangM L, ZhangL Y, LiJ, et al. Nitrogen-shaped microbiotas with nutrient competition accelerate early-stage residue decomposition in agricultural soils[J]. Nature Communications, 2025,16:5793.
[38]
ZangH D, MehmoodI, KuzyakovY, et al. Not all soil carbon is created equal: labile and stable pools under nitrogen input[J]. Global Change Biology, 2024,30(7): e17405.