Degradation of soil microbiome and carbon dynamics in response to overgrazing in Austral wetland ecosystems
Wetlands (mallines) of Southern Patagonia are key ecosystems for biodiversity, forage production, and carbon (C) sequestration. However, overgrazing threatens their ecological integrity, causing varying levels of degra dation that alter soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. The impact...
| Autores principales: | , , , |
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| Formato: | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Elsevier
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24437 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S3050641725000412 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.temicr.2025.100041 |
| _version_ | 1855038942368235520 |
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| author | Toledo, Santiago Diaz, Boris Gaston Duarte Guardia, Sandra Peri, Pablo Luis |
| author_browse | Diaz, Boris Gaston Duarte Guardia, Sandra Peri, Pablo Luis Toledo, Santiago |
| author_facet | Toledo, Santiago Diaz, Boris Gaston Duarte Guardia, Sandra Peri, Pablo Luis |
| author_sort | Toledo, Santiago |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | Wetlands (mallines) of Southern Patagonia are key ecosystems for biodiversity, forage production, and carbon (C) sequestration. However, overgrazing threatens their ecological integrity, causing varying levels of degra dation that alter soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. The impacts of grazing-induced degradation on soil microbiome function and C dynamics remain poorly understood. This study evaluated soil microbial attributes and C dynamics across eighteen wetlands under light, moderate, and severe degradation along a regional climatic gradient. Measured soil physicochemical and biological properties, such as microbial biomass C
and N (MBC, MBN), basal respiration (SBR), microbial efficiency indices (qCO₂, qMC), and estimated both microbial and soil C stocks and CO₂ fluxes. Severe degradation reduced MBC and MBN by up to 46 % and 36 %, respectively, and SBR by 75 %, while increasing bulk density (0.57 to 0.92 g.cm− 3) and reducing nutrient levels (N: 80 %, P: 30 % and K: 35 %). Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and associated potential CO₂ removal were 2.5 to 3 times higher in lightly (8.63 and 31.68 kg.m− 2) degraded wetlands compared to moderate (4.52 and 16.59 kg.m− 2) and severe (2.75 and 10.08 kg.m− 2), respectively. Microbial efficiency declined with severe degradation, represented by low qCO₂ (0.13 µg.mg− 1) and high qMC values (1.35 %). Random Forest models identified bulk
density, vegetation cover, soil N, and litter as key drivers of microbial and C-related processes. Our findings reveal that degradation alters the functional capacity of soil microbial communities, consequently affecting carbon sequestration. Microbial variables are early bioindicators of soil functional integrity. Integrating micro bial and soil physicochemical parameters into monitoring frameworks can help detect early degradation and guide sustainable land-use strategies for wetland ecosystems. |
| format | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| id | INTA24437 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| publisherStr | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA244372025-11-04T11:22:14Z Degradation of soil microbiome and carbon dynamics in response to overgrazing in Austral wetland ecosystems Toledo, Santiago Diaz, Boris Gaston Duarte Guardia, Sandra Peri, Pablo Luis Wetlands Carbon Sequestration Soil Microbiomes Carbon Nitrogen Indicator Organisms Monitoring and Evaluation Degradation Overgrazing Tierras Húmedas Secuestro de Carbono Suelo Microbiomas Carbono Nitrógeno Organismos Indicadores Seguimiento y Evaluación Degradación Santa Cruz Sobrepastoreo Microbial Biomass Basal Respiration Soil Microbial Communities Biomasa Microbiana Respiración Basal Comunidades Microbianas del Suelo Sustainable land-use strategies Estrategias de uso sostenible de la tierra Región Patagónica Wetlands (mallines) of Southern Patagonia are key ecosystems for biodiversity, forage production, and carbon (C) sequestration. However, overgrazing threatens their ecological integrity, causing varying levels of degra dation that alter soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. The impacts of grazing-induced degradation on soil microbiome function and C dynamics remain poorly understood. This study evaluated soil microbial attributes and C dynamics across eighteen wetlands under light, moderate, and severe degradation along a regional climatic gradient. Measured soil physicochemical and biological properties, such as microbial biomass C and N (MBC, MBN), basal respiration (SBR), microbial efficiency indices (qCO₂, qMC), and estimated both microbial and soil C stocks and CO₂ fluxes. Severe degradation reduced MBC and MBN by up to 46 % and 36 %, respectively, and SBR by 75 %, while increasing bulk density (0.57 to 0.92 g.cm− 3) and reducing nutrient levels (N: 80 %, P: 30 % and K: 35 %). Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and associated potential CO₂ removal were 2.5 to 3 times higher in lightly (8.63 and 31.68 kg.m− 2) degraded wetlands compared to moderate (4.52 and 16.59 kg.m− 2) and severe (2.75 and 10.08 kg.m− 2), respectively. Microbial efficiency declined with severe degradation, represented by low qCO₂ (0.13 µg.mg− 1) and high qMC values (1.35 %). Random Forest models identified bulk density, vegetation cover, soil N, and litter as key drivers of microbial and C-related processes. Our findings reveal that degradation alters the functional capacity of soil microbial communities, consequently affecting carbon sequestration. Microbial variables are early bioindicators of soil functional integrity. Integrating micro bial and soil physicochemical parameters into monitoring frameworks can help detect early degradation and guide sustainable land-use strategies for wetland ecosystems. EEA Santa Cruz Fil: Toledo, Santiago. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. CIT Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Toledo, Santiago: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil Diaz, Boris Gaston. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil Diaz, Boris Gaston. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina. Fil: Duarte Guardia, Sandra. Universidad Científica del Sur. Escuela de Agroforestería. Lima; Perú. Fil: Duarte Guardia, Sandra. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. 2025-11-04T10:51:30Z 2025-11-04T10:51:30Z 2025-12 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24437 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S3050641725000412 Toledo, S., Diaz, B. G., Duarte-Guardia, S., & Peri, P. L. (2025). Degradation of soil microbiome and carbon dynamics in response to overgrazing in Austral wetland ecosystems. Total Environment Microbiology 1 (4): 100041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.temicr.2025.100041 3050-6417 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.temicr.2025.100041 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Elsevier Total Environment Microbiology 1 (4) : 100041. (December 2025) |
| spellingShingle | Wetlands Carbon Sequestration Soil Microbiomes Carbon Nitrogen Indicator Organisms Monitoring and Evaluation Degradation Overgrazing Tierras Húmedas Secuestro de Carbono Suelo Microbiomas Carbono Nitrógeno Organismos Indicadores Seguimiento y Evaluación Degradación Santa Cruz Sobrepastoreo Microbial Biomass Basal Respiration Soil Microbial Communities Biomasa Microbiana Respiración Basal Comunidades Microbianas del Suelo Sustainable land-use strategies Estrategias de uso sostenible de la tierra Región Patagónica Toledo, Santiago Diaz, Boris Gaston Duarte Guardia, Sandra Peri, Pablo Luis Degradation of soil microbiome and carbon dynamics in response to overgrazing in Austral wetland ecosystems |
| title | Degradation of soil microbiome and carbon dynamics in response to overgrazing in Austral wetland ecosystems |
| title_full | Degradation of soil microbiome and carbon dynamics in response to overgrazing in Austral wetland ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Degradation of soil microbiome and carbon dynamics in response to overgrazing in Austral wetland ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Degradation of soil microbiome and carbon dynamics in response to overgrazing in Austral wetland ecosystems |
| title_short | Degradation of soil microbiome and carbon dynamics in response to overgrazing in Austral wetland ecosystems |
| title_sort | degradation of soil microbiome and carbon dynamics in response to overgrazing in austral wetland ecosystems |
| topic | Wetlands Carbon Sequestration Soil Microbiomes Carbon Nitrogen Indicator Organisms Monitoring and Evaluation Degradation Overgrazing Tierras Húmedas Secuestro de Carbono Suelo Microbiomas Carbono Nitrógeno Organismos Indicadores Seguimiento y Evaluación Degradación Santa Cruz Sobrepastoreo Microbial Biomass Basal Respiration Soil Microbial Communities Biomasa Microbiana Respiración Basal Comunidades Microbianas del Suelo Sustainable land-use strategies Estrategias de uso sostenible de la tierra Región Patagónica |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24437 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S3050641725000412 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.temicr.2025.100041 |
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