Effects of grazing intensity on soil nematode community structure and function in different soil layers in a meadow steppe.

Aims: Grazing is a key driver of plant communities and soil functions in grassland ecosystems. Soil nematodes play a vital role in soil ecological functions. The aim of this study was to explore how grazing shapes soil nematode community in different soil layers. Methods: We investigated the composition, abundance, diversity, metabolic footprint, and food web metrics of soil nematodes over a gradient of grazing in the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers in a meadow steppe. The relationships between nematode community structure and biotic and abiotic factors were analyzed by principal component analysis and structural equation model analysis. Results: Light grazing increased the abundance of total soil nematodes by 18.5%. Intensive grazing decreased the carbon used in production and metabolic footprints of plant parasites, fungivores, and total soil nematodes in 0–10 cm soils. There was no difference in the carbon used in production and metabolic footprints of soil nematodes among different grazing intensities in the 10–20 cm soil layer. Soil moisture, aboveground biomass, belowground biomass and Shannon diversity of grass contributed more to changes in soil nematode composition in both soil layers. In the 0–10 cm soil layer, grazing directly and indirectly affected soil nematode diversity via soil moisture and aboveground biomass, while grazing directly affected soil nematode diversity in 10–20 cm soil layer. Conclusions: Our results indicate that increasing soil depth can weaken the effect of grazing intensities on soil nematode fauna. Grazing affected the soil nematode community structure via different paths in different soil layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]