Long-term and realistic global change manipulations had low impact on diversity of soil biota in temperate heathland.

ABSTRACT: In a dry heathland ecosystem we manipulated temperature (warming), precipitation (drought) and atmospheric concentration of CO₂ in a full-factorial experiment in order to investigate changes in below-ground biodiversity as a result of future climate change. We investigated the responses in community diversity of nematodes, enchytraeids, collembolans and oribatid mites at two and eight years of manipulations. We used a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach analyzing the three manipulations, soil moisture and temperature, and seven soil biological and chemical variables. The analysis revealed a persistent and positive effect of elevated CO₂ on litter C:N ratio. After two years of treatment, the fungi to bacteria ratio was increased by warming, and the diversities

SUBMITTER: Holmstrup M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5264592 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature