{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T06:22:14Z","timestamp":1770272534337,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,23]],"date-time":"2024-01-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1705968000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Sustain. Food Syst."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Grazing management is a critical land-use requirement that facilitates the preservation of plant community composition, soil properties and environmental quality. Grazing density of livestock has a significant impact on soil health, and there is a need to study the interactions of grazing densities and topographical positions influencing soil biochemical and microbial properties. This study was conducted at Cottonwood Field Station in Philip, South Dakota to assess the influence of more than 7\u2009years of low, medium, and high grazing stocking densities (0.33, 0.41, 0.72 animal units\/ac, respectively) at summit and footslope landscape positions on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fractions, microbial community composition, and enzymatic activities in a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem. Medium grazing density showed a 16% increase in soil N at the footslope compared with summit. Low grazing density significantly reduced microbial biomass C (~269\u2009\u03bcg\u2009g<jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup> soil) and N (~26\u2009\u03bcg\u2009g<jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup> soil) at summit compared with other grazing densities and landscape positions, except, the summit at high grazing density. Medium grazing density significantly enhanced hot-water extractable N by 21\u201323% at footslope compared with low grazing density at the footslope and high grazing density at the summit. Low grazing density increased urease (3.64\u2009\u03bcg NH<jats:sub>4<\/jats:sub><jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> g<jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup> soil h<jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup>) at footslope than all other grazing densities and landscape positions. Low grazing density enhanced <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>-glucosidase by 75% than high grazing density; alkaline phosphatase was significantly greater by 60% at footslope than summit. High grazing density at the summit decreased total PLFA (mean 56.53\u2009nmol\u2009g<jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup> soil) due to lower AM fungi, G (+), G (\u2212) and actinomycetes biomass. Microbial stress indicators such as G (+)\/G (\u2212), saturated\/unsaturated, monosaturated\/polysaturated, GNeg stress revealed that high grazing density especially at summit position posed elevated physiological stressed conditions to the microbial community. Overall, long-term medium grazing density of 0.41 animal units\/ac may enhance soil N, microbial composition, microbial biomass C and N, hot-water extractable C and N fractions, and reduce stress conditions for microbial community at both footslope as well as summit landscape positions. Moreover, long-term overgrazing of pastures, particularly at summit slopes, appears to inhibit microbial populations and degrade overall soil health.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fsufs.2024.1254973","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,23]],"date-time":"2024-01-23T04:24:20Z","timestamp":1705983860000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Impacts of stocking densities on soil biochemical and microbial properties in a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem at two landscape positions"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Sangeeta","family":"Bansal","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Debankur","family":"Sanyal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Christopher","family":"Graham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jose L.","family":"Gonzalez Hernandez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hector","family":"Menendez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sandeep","family":"Kumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"471","DOI":"10.1016\/0038-0717(89)90117-X","article-title":"Ratios of microbial biomass carbon to total organic carbon in arable soils","volume":"21","author":"Anderson","year":"1989","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.2307\/4003403","article-title":"Influence of pasture management on soil biological quality","volume":"53","author":"Banerjee","year":"2000","journal-title":"J. Range Manag."},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1653","DOI":"10.1016\/S0038-0717(01)00086-4","article-title":"Soil microbial community patterns related to the history and intensity of grazing in sub-montane ecosystems","volume":"33","author":"Bardgett","year":"2001","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2258","DOI":"10.1890\/02-0274","article-title":"Herbivore-mediated linkages between aboveground and belowground communities","volume":"84","author":"Bardgett","year":"2003","journal-title":"Ecology"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1023","DOI":"10.1016\/S0038-0717(97)00030-8","article-title":"An inter-laboratory comparison of ten different ways of measuring soil microbial biomass C","volume":"29","author":"Beck","year":"1997","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"492","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1574-6941.2011.01075.x","article-title":"Assessment of the spatial distribution of soil microbial communities in patchy arid and semi-arid landscapes of the Negev Desert using combined PLFA and DGGE analyses","volume":"76","author":"Ben-David","year":"2011","journal-title":"FEMS Microbiol. Ecol."},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1785","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2004.04.035","article-title":"Microbial and biochemical soil quality indicators and their potential for differentiating areas under contrasting agricultural management regimes","volume":"36","author":"Bending","year":"2004","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"211","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pedobi.2012.03.004","article-title":"Effect of soil moisture and bovine urine on microbial stress","volume":"55","author":"Bertram","year":"2012","journal-title":"Pedobiologia"},{"key":"ref9","volume-title":"Methods of soil analysis, part 2: microbiological and biochemical properties","author":"Bottomley","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1201\/9780203904039","volume-title":"Enzymes in the environment: activity, ecology, and applications","author":"Burns","year":"2002"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"343","DOI":"10.1890\/1051-0761(2001)011[0343:GMACIG]2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Grassland management and conversion into grassland: effects on soil carbon","volume":"11","author":"Conant","year":"2001","journal-title":"Ecol. Appl."},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"731","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1442-9993.2009.01978.x","article-title":"Grazing and landscape controls on nitrogen availability across 330 south African savanna sites","volume":"34","author":"Craine","year":"2009","journal-title":"Austral Ecol."},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"749","DOI":"10.1002\/jpln.200521761","article-title":"Glycosidases in soils as affected by cropping systems","volume":"168","author":"Dodor","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci."},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.2111\/REM-D-09-00042.1","article-title":"Long-term production and profitability from grazing cattle in the northern mixed grass prairie","volume":"63","author":"Dunn","year":"2010","journal-title":"Rangel. Ecol. Manag."},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1016\/0038-0717(77)90070-0","article-title":"Phosphatases in soils","volume":"9","author":"Eivazi","year":"1977","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"601","DOI":"10.1016\/0038-0717(88)90141-1","article-title":"Glucosidases and galactosidases in soils","volume":"20","author":"Eivazi","year":"1988","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2249","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2009.06.009","article-title":"Searching for unifying principles in soil ecology","volume":"41","author":"Fierer","year":"2009","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1128\/aem.45.1.71-78.1983","article-title":"Polymeric beta-hydroxyalkanoates from environmental samples and Bacillus megaterium","volume":"45","author":"Findlay","year":"1983","journal-title":"Appl. Environ. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"495","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2486.2010.02219.x","article-title":"Topographic and ungulate regulation of soil C turnover in a temperate grassland ecosystem","volume":"17","author":"Frank","year":"2011","journal-title":"Glob. Chang. Biol."},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00384433","article-title":"The use of phospholipid fatty acid analysis to estimate bacterial and fungal biomass in soil","volume":"22","author":"Frosteg\u00e5rd","year":"1996","journal-title":"Biol. Fertil. Soils"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1621","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2010.11.021","article-title":"Use and misuse of PLFA measurements in soils","volume":"43","author":"Frosteg\u00e5rd","year":"2011","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1231","DOI":"10.1016\/S0038-0717(03)00186-X","article-title":"Hot-water extractable carbon in soils: a sensitive measurement for determining impacts of fertilisation, grazing and cultivation","volume":"35","author":"Ghani","year":"2003","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref23","first-page":"542","article-title":"Stocking rate and cow-calf production on sand sagebrush rangeland","volume-title":"J. Range Manag","author":"Gillen","year":"2002"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"279","DOI":"10.1034\/j.1600-0706.2000.900208.x","article-title":"Ecosystem response of pasture soil communities to fumigation-induced microbial diversity reductions: an examination of the biodiversity\u2013ecosystem function relationship","volume":"90","author":"Griffiths","year":"2000","journal-title":"Oikos"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"794","DOI":"10.1128\/aem.52.4.794-801.1986","article-title":"Phospholipid ester-linked fatty acid profile changes during nutrient deprivation of Vibrio cholerae: increases in the trans\/cis ratio and proportions of cyclopropyl fatty acids","volume":"52","author":"Guckert","year":"1986","journal-title":"Appl. Environ. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"201","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pedobi.2015.10.003","article-title":"Grazing, regional climate and soil biophysical impacts on microbial enzyme activity in grassland soil of western Canada","volume":"58","author":"Hewins","year":"2015","journal-title":"Pedobiologia"},{"key":"ref27","volume-title":"Range management","author":"Holechek","year":"1989"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00257924","article-title":"Short-term assay of soil urease activity using colorimetric determination of ammonium","volume":"6","author":"Kandeler","year":"1988","journal-title":"Biol. Fertil. Soils"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"335","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejsobi.2010.06.004","article-title":"Long-term management effects on organic C and N pools and activities of C-transforming enzymes in prairie soils","volume":"46","author":"Katsalirou","year":"2010","journal-title":"Eur. J. Soil Biol."},{"key":"ref30","first-page":"1103","article-title":"Phospholipid fatty acid\u2013a bioindicator of environment monitoring and assessment in soil ecosystem","author":"Kaur","year":"2005","journal-title":"Curr. Sci."},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1016\/S0038-0717(00)00115-2","article-title":"Carbon partitioning and below-ground translocation by Lolium perenne","volume":"33","author":"Kuzyakov","year":"2001","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"76","DOI":"10.1002\/jpln.200521711","article-title":"Cold and hot water\u2013extractable organic matter as indicators of litter decomposition in forest soils","volume":"169","author":"Landgraf","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci."},{"key":"ref33","first-page":"181","article-title":"Selected soil enzymes: examples of their potential roles in the ecosystem","volume":"7","author":"Makoi","year":"2008","journal-title":"Afr. J. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1006\/jare.1999.0577","article-title":"Processes of desertification by goats overgrazing in the Tamaulipan thornscrub (matorral) in North-Eastern Mexico","volume":"44","author":"Manzano","year":"2000","journal-title":"J. Arid Environ."},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"588","DOI":"10.2134\/agronj14.0415","article-title":"Tillage and cover cropping affect crop yields and soil carbon in the San Joaquin Valley, California","volume":"107","author":"Mitchell","year":"2015","journal-title":"Agron. J."},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1007\/s11104-010-0563-3","article-title":"Nature and nurture in the dynamics of C, N and P during litter decomposition in Canadian forests","volume":"339","author":"Moore","year":"2011","journal-title":"Plant Soil"},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"51","DOI":"10.1016\/j.still.2007.08.007","article-title":"Microbial indicators related to soil carbon in Mediterranean land use systems","volume":"97","author":"Moscatelli","year":"2007","journal-title":"Soil Tillage Res."},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1155\/2015\/752936","article-title":"Soil fertility in relation to landscape position and land use\/cover types: a case study of the Lake Kivu pilot learning site","volume":"2015","author":"Mwanjalolo Jackson-Gilbert","year":"2015","journal-title":"Adv. Agric."},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1890\/03-0837","article-title":"Effects of grazing on microbial functional groups involved in soil N dynamics","volume":"75","author":"Patra","year":"2005","journal-title":"Ecol. Monogr."},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100","DOI":"10.1016\/j.catena.2016.04.020","article-title":"Grazing intensity effects on soil quality: a spatial analysis of a Mediterranean grassland","volume":"146","author":"Paz-Kagan","year":"2016","journal-title":"Catena"},{"key":"ref41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"281","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geoderma.2011.02.011","article-title":"Soil enzyme and microbial activities in a grazing ecosystem of Patagonian Monte, Argentina","volume":"162","author":"Prieto","year":"2011","journal-title":"Geoderma"},{"key":"ref42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"871","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2389.2009.01165.x","article-title":"Temporal and shrub adaptation effect on soil microbial functional diversity in a desert system","volume":"60","author":"Saul-Tcherkas","year":"2009","journal-title":"Eur. J. Soil Sci."},{"key":"ref43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100","DOI":"10.1007\/s003740050594","article-title":"Long-term effects of farmyard manure and sewage sludge on some soil biochemical characteristics","volume":"30","author":"Saviozzi","year":"1999","journal-title":"Biol. Fertil. Soils"},{"key":"ref44","volume-title":"Grazing systems for Nebraska Sandhills rangeland","author":"Schacht","year":"2011"},{"key":"ref45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"836","DOI":"10.1111\/gcbb.12591","article-title":"Soil microbial community structure and enzymatic activity responses to nitrogen management and landscape positions in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)","volume":"11","author":"Sekaran","year":"2019","journal-title":"Glob. Change Biol. Bioenergy."},{"key":"ref46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-90359-4","article-title":"Soil organic carbon cycling in response to simulated soil moisture variation under field conditions","volume":"11","author":"Singh","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"397","DOI":"10.2111\/REM-D-09-00046.1","article-title":"Effects of grazing pressure on efficiency of grazing on north American Great Plains rangelands","volume":"63","author":"Smart","year":"2010","journal-title":"Rangel. Ecol. Manag."},{"key":"ref48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2683","DOI":"10.1016\/S0043-1354(00)00028-2","article-title":"Quantitative lipid biomarker detection of unculturable microbes and chlorine exposure in water distribution system biofilms","volume":"34","author":"Smith","year":"2000","journal-title":"Water Res."},{"key":"ref49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"63","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geoderma.2007.09.004","article-title":"Grazing effects on soil chemical and physical properties in a semiarid steppe of Inner Mongolia (PR China)","volume":"143","author":"Steffens","year":"2008","journal-title":"Geoderma"},{"key":"ref50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"244","DOI":"10.1659\/0276-4741(2005)025[0244:IOGLAD]2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Impact of grazing livestock and distance from water source on soil fertility in southern Mongolia","volume":"25","author":"Stumpp","year":"2005","journal-title":"Mt. Res. Dev."},{"key":"ref51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"301","DOI":"10.1016\/0038-0717(69)90012-1","article-title":"Use of p-nitrophenyl phosphate for assay of soil phosphatase activity","volume":"1","author":"Tabatabai","year":"1969","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.2136\/sssaj1970.03615995003400020016x","article-title":"Arylsulfatase activity of soils","volume":"34","author":"Tabatabai","year":"1970","journal-title":"Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J."},{"key":"ref53","volume-title":"Jackson County soil survey","year":"1987"},{"key":"ref54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"703","DOI":"10.1016\/0038-0717(87)90052-6","article-title":"An extraction method for measuring soil microbial biomass C","volume":"19","author":"Vance","year":"1987","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1207","DOI":"10.1111\/jam.12902","article-title":"Phospholipid fatty acid profiling of microbial communities\u2013a review of interpretations and recent applications","volume":"119","author":"Willers","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Appl. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1442-9993.2000.01030.x","article-title":"Grazing effects on plant cover, soil and microclimate in fragmented woodlands in South-Western Australia: implications for restoration","volume":"25","author":"Yates","year":"2000","journal-title":"Austral Ecol."},{"key":"ref57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geoderma.2017.12.019","article-title":"Labile soil organic matter in response to long-term cattle grazing on sloped rough fescue grassland in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Alberta","volume":"318","author":"Zhang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Geoderma"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fsufs.2024.1254973\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,23]],"date-time":"2024-01-23T04:24:26Z","timestamp":1705983866000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fsufs.2024.1254973\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,23]]},"references-count":57,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fsufs.2024.1254973"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fsufs.2024.1254973","relation":{},"ISSN":["2571-581X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2571-581X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,23]]},"article-number":"1254973"}}