Increased microbial growth, biomass, and turnover drive soil organic carbon accumulation at higher plant diversity.

ABSTRACT: Species-rich plant communities have been shown to be more productive and to exhibit increased long-term soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. Soil microorganisms are central to the conversion of plant organic matter into SOC, yet the relationship between plant diversity, soil microbial growth, turnover as well as carbon use efficiency (CUE) and SOC accumulation is unknown. As heterotrophic soil microbes are primarily carbon limited, it is important to understand how they respond to increased plant-derived carbon inputs at higher plant species richness (PSR). We used the long-term grassland biodiversity experiment in Jena, Germany, to examine how microbial physiology responds to changes in plant diversity and how this affects SOC content. The Jena Experiment considers different numbers of spec

SUBMITTER: Prommer J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7027739 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature