Influence of drying of the samples on the transformation of nitrogen and carbon compounds in mountain-meadow alpine soils

The drying of samples of mountain-meadow soils characterized by their permanently high moisture under natural conditions fundamentally changes the concentrations of the labile nitrogen and carbon compounds, as well as the patterns of their microbial transformation. When the soil samples are dried, a four- to fivefold increase in the content of the extractable organic nitrogen compounds, carbon compounds, and inorganic nitrogen compounds is observed, while the content of nitrogen and carbon of the microbial biomass decreases by two-three times. The rewetting of the dried soil launches the process of the replenishment of the nitrogen and carbon reserves in the microbial biomass. However, even after two weeks of incubation, their values were 1.5-2 times lower than the initial values typical of the natural soil. The restoration of the microbial community in the samples of the previously dried soils occurs in the absence of a deficiency of labile organic compounds and is accompanied by their active mineralization and the low uptake of ammonium nitrogen by the microorganisms.