Soil enzyme biomarkers of nutrient cycling in agricultural systems

Abstract

Soil enzyme activities provide sensitive indicators of nutrient cycling processes and ecosystem health. This research characterized enzyme biomarker patterns across land use types in central Mexico. Soil samples from 156 sites representing forest, agricultural, and urban land uses were collected at UNAM from June 2021 through November 2022. Β-glucosidase and phosphatase activities showed strongest correlations with soil organic matter (r=0.847). Forest soils exhibited 2.8-fold higher enzyme activities compared to urban soils. An integrated enzyme index discriminated land use types with 89.4% accuracy. These findings support enzyme-based monitoring frameworks for sustainable soil management.