Soil sampling was conducted before and after the rainfall simulation
on July 16, and at about 8:00 pm every day until July 21. Soil
layers (0–10 cm depth) at plots A, C, and E (labeled plots I, II, and
III in this paper) were randomly sampled, with their corresponding
controls shown in Fig. 2; sampling was conducted using a sterile
push probe with a diameter of 70 mm. Soil properties for each plot
in 2011 are summarized in Table 1. The sub-samples collected from
three separately arranged sites in each plot were selected as three
replicates. All the soil samples were sealed in labeled sterile airtight
Ziplock bags and immediately stored at −20 ◦C before use.
The samples were used in the measurements of soil properties and
microbial communities (i.e., microbial abundance and community
structure