Contribution of above- and below-ground plant traits to the structure and function of grassland soil microbial communities.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Abiotic properties of soil are known to be major drivers of the microbial community within it. Our understanding of how soil microbial properties are related to the functional structure and diversity of plant communities, however, is limited and largely restricted to above-ground plant traits, with the role of below-ground traits being poorly understood. This study investigated the relative contributions of soil abiotic properties and plant traits, both above-ground and below-ground, to variations in microbial processes involved in grassland nitrogen turnover.

Methods

In mountain grasslands distributed across three European sites, a correlative approach was used to examine the role of a large range of plant functional traits and soil abiotic factors on mi

SUBMITTER: Legay N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4171078 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature