Biodiversity of key-stone phylotypes determines crop production in a 4-decade fertilization experiment.

ABSTRACT: Cropping systems have fertilized soils for decades with undetermined consequences for the productivity and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. One of the critical unknowns is the role of soil biodiversity in controlling crop production after decades of fertilization. This knowledge gap limits our capacity to assess how changes in soil biodiversity could alter crop production and soil health in changing environments. Here, we used multitrophic ecological networks to investigate the importance of soil biodiversity, in particular, the biodiversity of key-stone taxa in controlling soil functioning and wheat production in a 35-year field fertilization experiment. We found strong and positive associations between soil functional genes, crop production and the biodiversity of key-stone phyloty

SUBMITTER: Fan K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8027226 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature