Potential microbial enzyme activity in seasonal snowpack is high and reveals P limitation

Abstract Microbes in snow and ice ecosystems in polar regions contribute substantially to C, N, and P cycling, but few studies have explored microbial activity in seasonal snow. The purpose of this study was to explore the relative importance of snow microbial processing of C, N, and P compounds in atmospheric deposition and litter and detect elemental limitations of snow microbes in Rocky Mountain conifer forests. Enzyme activity in snow was orders of magnitude greater than activity reported for lentic and lotic waters in similar environments. Proportions of C/P‐ and C/N‐acquiring enzymes suggest that snow samples were P limited, or C and P co‐limited, while lentic and lotic waters were more N limited. As such, microbes in seasonal snow may change the composition of nutrients and carbon, but these processes are vulnerable to changes in atmospheric deposition and snow extent and duration, which could affect nutrient processing across large areas.