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CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands
Communications biology, Vol.6(1), 1220
2023
Abstract
Covering approximately 40% of land surfaces, grasslands provide critical ecosystem services that rely on soil organisms. However, the global determinants of soil biodiversity and functioning remain underexplored. In this study, we investigate the drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity in grasslands across a wide range of climatic conditions on five continents. We apply standardized treatments of nutrient addition and herbivore reduction, allowing us to disentangle the regional and local drivers of soil organism activity. We use structural equation modeling to assess the direct and indirect effects of local and regional drivers on soil biological activities. Microbial and detritivore activities are positively correlated across global grasslands. These correlations are shaped more by global climatic factors than by local treatments, with annual precipitation and soil water content explaining the majority of the variation. Nutrient addition tends to reduce microbial activity by enhancing plant growth, while herbivore reduction typically increases microbial and detritivore activity through increased soil moisture. Our findings emphasize soil moisture as a key driver of soil biological activity, highlighting the potential impacts of climate change, altered grazing pressure, and eutrophication on nutrient cycling and decomposition within grassland ecosystems.A global grassland study reveals soil moisture, not local treatments, drives microbial and detritivore activity, highlighting the potential influence of climate change and human interventions on grassland ecosystems.
Details
- Title
- Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands
- Authors/Creators
- Julia Siebert - Leipzig UniversityMarie Sünnemann - Leipzig UniversityYann Hautier - Utrecht UniversityAnita C Risch - Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape ResearchJonathan D Bakker - University of WashingtonLori Biederman - Iowa State UniversityDana M BlumenthalElizabeth T Borer - Ecologie & EvolutionMiguel N Bugalho - University of LisbonArthur A. D Broadbent - University of ManchesterMaria C Caldeira - University of LisbonElsa Cleland - University of California San DiegoKendi F Davies - University of Colorado BoulderAnu Eskelinen - Leipzig UniversityNicole Hagenah - University of PretoriaJohannes M. H Knops - Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool UniversityAndrew S MacDougall - University of GuelphRebecca L McCulley - University of KentuckyJoslin L Moore - Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental ResearchJodi N Price - Charles Sturt UniversitySally A PowerEric W Seabloom - University of MinnesotaRachel Standish - Murdoch University, School of Environmental and Conservation SciencesCarly J Stevens - Lancaster UniversityStephan Zimmermann - Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape ResearchNico Eisenhauer - Leipzig University
- Publication Details
- Communications biology, Vol.6(1), 1220
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Identifiers
- 991005619764307891
- Copyright
- © 2023 The Author(s)
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Harry Butler Institute
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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