The influence of soil age on ecosystem structure and function across biomes.

ABSTRACT: The importance of soil age as an ecosystem driver across biomes remains largely unresolved. By combining a cross-biome global field survey, including data for 32 soil, plant, and microbial properties in 16 soil chronosequences, with a global meta-analysis, we show that soil age is a significant ecosystem driver, but only accounts for a relatively small proportion of the cross-biome variation in multiple ecosystem properties. Parent material, climate, vegetation and topography predict, collectively, 24 times more variation in ecosystem properties than soil age alone. Soil age is an important local-scale ecosystem driver; however, environmental context, rather than soil age, determines the rates and trajectories of ecosystem development in structure and function across biomes. Our work provi

SUBMITTER: Delgado-Baquerizo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7501311 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature