The soil fungal community plays a crucial role in terrestrial decomposition and biogeochemical cycles. However, the responses of the soil fungal community to short-term nitrogen addition and its related dominant drivers still remain unclear. To address this gap, we conducted an experiment to explore how different levels of nitrogen addition (five levels: 0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 g N m⁻² y⁻¹) affected the soil fungal community in an alpine steppe at the source of Brahmaputra. Results showed that the reduced magnitudes of soil fungal species and phylogenetic α-diversity increased with the increasing nitrogen addition rate. Nitrogen addition significantly changed the community composition of species, and the dissimilarity of the soil fungal community increased with the increasing nitrogen addition rate, with a greater dissimilarity observed in the superficial soil (0–10 cm) compared to the subsurface soil (10–20 cm). Increases in the soil nitrogen availability were found to be the predominant factor in controlling the changes in the soil fungal community with the nitrogen addition gradient. Therefore, short-term nitrogen addition can still cause obvious changes in the soil fungal community in the alpine grassland at the source of Brahmaputra. We should not underestimate the potential influence of future nitrogen deposition on the soil fungal community in the high-altitude grassland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Adverse effects on the soil fungal community should be carefully considered when nitrogen fertilizer is used for ecosystem restoration of the alpine grassland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.

The livelihood sustainability of rural residents has attracted a great deal of attention across the globe, especially in remote mountain areas. In this study, we interviewed 696 householders who were randomly selected from ‘Changtang’ (also called ‘North Tibet’), Tibetan Autonomous Region, China. Under the sustainable livelihood index (SLI) framework, we evaluated the livelihood sustainability of herder households and examined the differences between low- and high-sustainability groups. Our findings revealed the following: (1) The livelihood sustainability of all herder households was generally low; low-sustainability households accounted for 87.07% of the samples. (2) Social, human, and physical capitals accounted for 81.6% of the variance in the SLI of herder households. Less physical capital was the main reason for a lower SLI. (3) Compared with high-SLI households, low-SLI families were characterized by having a higher dependency on natural resources, fewer fixed assets, weaker personal ability, and less participation in social organizations. Moreover, low-sustainability households were more vulnerable to medical expenses. Our study suggests that policymakers should pay closer attention to skills training, promote livelihood diversification, and strengthen social capital security. These actions are recommended for global poverty reduction and to promote the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Anti-Poverty Programmes (APPs) are closely linked to rural livelihoods, yet comparative evidence on how participants and non-participants differ in livelihood-capital composition and income-generation patterns remains limited in ecologically fragile pastoral regions. This study draws on a cross-sectional household survey conducted in Northern Tibet in July 2020, covering 696 households—including 225 APP participants and 471 non-participants. Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and the entropy weight method, we construct multidimensional livelihood-capital indices (human, social, natural, physical, and financial capital) and compare the two groups. We further apply Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions to examine factors associated with per capita net income. The results reveal substantial heterogeneity in livelihood capital and income across both groups. APP participants exhibit higher human-capital scores, largely driven by a higher share of skills training, whereas they show disadvantages in physical and financial capital relative to non-participants. Natural capital shows no statistically significant difference between the two groups under the local grassland contracting regime. Significant differences are observed and identified in certain dimensions of social capital. Regression results suggest that income is positively associated with skills training, contracted grassland endowment, and fixed assets, with skills training showing the strongest association. For participants, herd size and labour capacity are not statistically significant correlates of income; for non-participants, larger herds and greater labour capacity are associated with lower income. Taken together, the findings indicate that APP participation is associated with stronger capability-related capital (notably training) alongside persistent constraints in productive assets and financial capacity. Policy implications include improving the relevance and quality of training, strengthening cooperative governance and market linkages, and designing complementary packages that connect skills, inclusive finance, and productive asset accumulation. Given the cross-sectional design and administratively targeted certification of programme participation, the results should be interpreted as context-specific associations rather than strict causal effects.

The soil microbial functional community is a better predictor of ecosystem processes under global change. However, the responses of the soil microbial functional community structure to short-term nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions remain unclear. Here, we carried out an experiment exploring the effects of N and P additions on soil fungal and bacterial functional diversity and community composition in an alpine steppe on the Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that soil fungal functional α-diversity significantly decreased under N or P addition, whereas soil bacterial functional α-diversity did not change. Furthermore, soil bacterial functional group aerobic nitrite oxidation increased significantly under combined N and P additions, but soil bacterial and fungal community composition and β-diversity did not change. Further analysis illustrated that soil available nitrogen was the main factor leading to the changes in soil fungal functional α-diversity and soil bacterial functional groups under N and P additions. Therefore, we should give importance to the potential influence in view of future increasing N and P deposition on the soil microbial functional community in the alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau, which will be beneficial for the prediction of soil biogeochemical cycles and guiding ecosystem management.