Invertebrate Decline Has Minimal Effects on Oak-Associated Microbiomes.

ABSTRACT: Recently, biomass of invertebrates has declined substantially at many locations with the implications of this biodiversity loss for ecosystems yet unknown. Through multitrophic interactions, plant- and soil-associated microbiomes might be altered, causing a cascade of changes on diverse ecosystem processes. We simulated aboveground invertebrate decline in grassland ecosystems with two levels of invertebrate biomass (36% and 100% of current ambient conditions), plus a control with no invertebrates present. Each standardised grassland mesocosm additionally contained one clonal Quercus robur L. sapling to investigate the extent of invertebrate decline effects exceeding grasslands. We investigated oak biomass partitioning and mycorrhiza formation, oak leaf transcriptome and microbiome composit

SUBMITTER: Albracht C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11822092 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature