Effect of nitrogen addition on soil net nitrogen mineralization in topsoil and subsoil regulated by soil microbial properties and mineral protection: Evidence from a long-term grassland experiment.

Soil net nitrogen mineralization (N), a microbial-mediated conversion of organic to inorganic N, is critical for grassland productivity and biogeochemical cycling. Enhanced atmospheric N deposition has been shown to substantially increase both plant and soil N content, leading to a major change in N. However, the mechanisms underlying microbial properties, particularly microbial functional genes, which drive the response of N to elevated N deposition are still being discussed.