Broughton, L.C., K.L. Gross, and A. Hector
Presented at the ASM at Snowbird (2000-08-02 to 2017-12-05 )
Much attention has focused on the importance of plant species diversity in determining ecosystem function in terrestrial communities. Soil microbial communities play a critical role in many of these functions, yet the linkage to plant community diversity is not well understood. We examined the relationship between the soil microbial community and plant species diversity, plant functional group diversity, and plant community composition in a BIODEPTH experimental grassland at Silwood Park, England. Soils were sampled from a subset of plots that provided a range of plant species (0-11) and functional group (0, 1, 2, or 3) diversity. All plant mixture compositions had two replicates. Soil pH , gravimetric moisture and percent organic matter did not differ across the plant diversity gradient. All microbial community responses to the plant diversity gradient were driven by an accompanying plant biomass effect. Samples from undisturbed reference plots had higher microbial biomass C, but lower numbers of culturable bacteria than samples from the experimental plots, suggesting that the composition of the soil microbial community had shifted in response to the experimental manipulations of plant diversity. Plant community composition significantly affected plant biomass, soil pH, nitrification rate, microbial biomass C, and soil microbial community diversity as measured by BIOLOG and phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA).
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