Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 28, 2026

A Lipid Extraction and Analysis Method for Characterizing Soil Microbes in Experiments with Many Samples
Published on: July 16, 2017
Soil Enzyme Activities and Microbial Nutrient Limitation Between Restored Vegetation and Primary Forest on the Loess
Juanjuan Cui1, Zixuan Wang1, Sishan Zou1
1School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
Abstract:
Vegetation restoration aims to recover ecosystem functions in degraded landscapes, yet differences in soil microbial functioning between restored vegetation and primary forests remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) and ecoenzymatic stoichiometry in plantation, secondary grassland, and primary forest on the Loess Plateau and evaluated the relative contributions of multiple environmental factors to their variations. The results showed that grassland exhibited higher EEAs than plantation and primary forest. Vector lengths (1.34-1.38) indicated greater microbial C limitation in plantation than in grassland and primary forest, whereas vector angles (40.60-43.21°) indicated predominantly greater N than P limitation across vegetation types. Soil organic carbon, slope gradient, and alkaline phosphatase were the main predictors of EEAs, microbial C limitation, and microbial N/P limitation, respectively. In addition, microbial biomass stoichiometric homeostasis varied among vegetation types, with comparatively weak homeostasis in plantation and strict homeostasis in grassland. Overall, grassland was characterized by high enzyme investment and relatively low microbial nutrient limitation, suggesting that natural secondary succession following cropland abandonment may support favorable soil microbial functioning on the Loess Plateau.
Related Concept Videos
Soil Microbial Ecology
The Soil Ecosystem
Microbial Wastewater Treatment
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Ecological Succession

