Soil microbes under livestock grazing and vole activity in grassland.
We conducted a 9-year experiment in temperate steppe to study how Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) affects the soil microbial community under different livestock grazing intensities. This experiment contained 12 field enclosures with three livestock grazing intensities (control, CK; light grazing, LG; moderate grazing, MG). In this study, we aimed to reveal the influence of vole activity on soil microorganisms under long-term grazing conditions. Specifically, we investigated how vole activities affect temporal stability on plant and soil communities. Furthermore, we tested whether and how the degree to which vole activities alter the plant and soil communities under the influence of concurrent livestock grazing. We asked (i) whether vole activities alone influence soil microbial diversity and composition; (ii) does grazing exacerbate the influence caused by vole activities; and (iii) which factors mediate these influences.