Soil fungi could be the main source of N₂O production potential in the Tibetan alpine grasslands. Warming and winter grazing may not affect the potential for soil N₂O production potential, but climate warming can alter biotic pathways responsible for N₂O production. These findings indicate that characterizing how fungal nitrification–denitrification contributes to N₂O production, as well as how it responds to environmental and land use changes, can advance our understanding of N cycling.