Grazing intensity shifts plant–microbe competition for ammonium and nitrate in temperate grasslands

Abstract In temperate grasslands, competition between plants and soil microbes for inorganic nitrogen (N) is a critical process in regulating N retention, loss and overall ecosystem productivity. However, how grazing intensity alters this competition, particularly for specific N forms such as ammonium (NH 4 + ) and nitrate (NO 3 − ) remains poorly understood. We conducted a dual 15 N labelling experiment in a semi‐arid steppe in Inner Mongolia, China, where four grazing intensities (none, light,