Nitrogen and phosphorus addition did not affect neutral sugars in plant but decreased them in soil in an alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau

As crucial carbon (C) and energy sources for soil microorganisms, neutral sugars are essential component of the labile soil organic carbon (SOC) pool derived from plants and microorganisms and can directly affect the accumulation of SOC. However, the changes in labile SOC components with elevated soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs remain unclear. Taking advantage of a 10-year field N and P addition experiment in an alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau, we analyzed the compositions and concentrations of neutral sugar in plant versus soil, coupled with soil nutrient properties and plant biomass, we assessed factors affecting the preservation of neutral sugars in soil. We found that the concentrations of neutral sugar were lower in plant shoots than those in roots. The concentrations of neutral sugar and the GM/AX ratio (GM: galactose and mannose; AX: arabinose and xylose) in shoots and roots were insensitive to nutrient addition. The concentrations of neutral sugar in the topsoil were significantly lower than those in the subsoil, and both significantly decreased with N alone and P alone addition. The GM/AX ratio was significantly higher in the topsoil than that in the subsoil and both increased with nutrient addition (except for NP addition in the topsoil). Additionally, SOC was negatively correlated with soil neutral sugar concentrations but positively correlated with the GM/AX ratio. This result emphasizes the important role of microbial transformation of neutral sugars in regulating the relative magnitude of the labile SOC pool versus the stable SOC pool, which is consistent with the concept of “microbial carbon pump” (MCP). This study demonstrates differential compositions and concentrations, as well as responses of neutral sugars to N and P addition in plant versus soil, providing new information to understand the effect of nutrient addition on the SOC pool in the plant-soil system.