Mechanisms linking plant community properties to soil aggregate stability in an experimental grassland plant diversity gradient
2013
Pérès, Guénola | Cluzeau, Daniel | Menasseri-Aubry, Safya | Soussana, Jean-Francoise | Bessler, H. | Engels, C. | Habekost, Mika | Gleixner, G. | Weigelt, Alexandra | Weisser, Wolfgang W. | Scheu, Stefan | Eisenhauer, Nicolas | Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO) ; Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS Ecologie et Environnement (INEE-CNRS) ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des sciences de l'environnement de Rennes (OSERen) ; Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) | Unité de recherche Biogéochimie des Ecosystèmes Forestiers (BEF) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) | Sol Agro et hydrosystème Spatialisation (SAS) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-AGROCAMPUS OUEST | Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) | Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin = Humboldt University of Berlin = Université Humboldt de Berlin (HU Berlin) | Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (MPI-BGC) ; Max-Planck-Gesellschaft | Special Botany and Functional Biodiversity ; Leipzig University / Universität Leipzig | Terrestrial Ecology Research Group ; Technische Universität Munchen - Technical University Munich - Université Technique de Munich (TUM) | Georg-August-University of Göttingen = Georg-August-Universität Göttingen | Institut of Zoology ; Darmstadt University of Technology [Darmstadt] | French ANR DISCOVER project [ANR-05-BDIV-010-01]; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [FOR 456]; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [Ei 862/1, Ei 862/2] | ANR-05-BDIV-0010,DISCOVER,Diversité biologique et fonctionnement des écosystèmes. Interpréter et évaluer des expériences clés en prairie grâce à la modélisation mécaniste(2005)
International audience
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]英语. Background and aims Soil aggregate stability depends on plant community properties, such as functional group composition, diversity and biomass production. However, little is known about the relative importance of these drivers and the role of soil organisms in mediating plant community effects. Methods We studied soil aggregate stability in an experimental grassland plant diversity gradient and considered several explanatory variables to mechanistically explain effects of plant diversity and plant functional group composition. Three soil aggregate stability measures (slaking, mechanical breakdown and microcracking) were considered in path analyses. Results Soil aggregate stability increased significantly from monocultures to plant species mixtures and in the presence of grasses, while it decreased in the presence of legumes, though effects differed somewhat between soil aggregate stability measures. Using path analysis plant community effects could be explained by variations in root biomass, soil microbial biomass, soil organic carbon concentrations (all positive relationships), and earthworm biomass (negative relationship with mechanical breakdown). Conclusions The present study identified important drivers of plant community effects on soil aggregate stability. The effects of root biomass, soil microbial biomass, and soil organic carbon concentrations were largely consistent across plant diversity levels suggesting that the mechanisms identified are of general relevance.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]