Soil community composition in dynamic stages of semi-natural calcareous grassland.

ABSTRACT: European dry thin-soil calcareous grasslands (alvars) are species-rich semi-natural habitats. Cessation of traditional management, such as mowing and grazing, leads to shrub and tree encroachment and the local extinction of characteristic alvar species. While soil microbes are known to play a critical role in driving vegetation and ecosystem dynamics, more information is needed about their composition and function in grasslands of different dynamic stages. Here we assess the composition of soil fungal, prokaryotic, and plant communities using soil environmental DNA from restored alvar grasslands in Estonia. The study areas included grasslands that had experienced different degrees of woody encroachment prior to restoration (woody plant removal and grazing), as well as unmanaged open grassl

SUBMITTER: Wipulasena AYAP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10581465 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature