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Soil substrate utilization pattern and relation of functional evenness of plant groups and soil microbial community in five low mountain NATURA 2000

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Abstract

Background and aims

Species rich, semi-natural grassland systems provide several ecosystem functions. The goal was to assess how aboveground composition and evenness affects soil substrate utilization pattern and soil microbial functional evenness.

Methods

At five German NATURA 2000 grassland sites, the interactions of plant functional groups (graminoids, forbs and legumes) and belowground microbial functional evenness were investigated in relation to soil properties and sampling date. Functional evenness of soil microorganisms was measured with high spatial resolution by community level physiological profiling (CLPP) using multi-SIR (substrate-induced respiration) at three sampling dates during the vegetation period. Evenness indices were used to compare plant functional group diversity and soil microbial functional diversity.

Results

All sites differed in the consistently high soil microbial functional evenness, which was strongly predicted by soil pH, but not by plant functional groups or aboveground plant dry matter production. However, soil microbial functional evenness was particularly decreased by an increasing legume proportion and showed seasonal changes, probably driven by shifts in resource availability and soil water content.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that changes in soil chemical properties or in a single key plant functional group may have stronger effects on soil microbial functional evenness than changes in plant functional group evenness.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the European Commission for financing of the PROGRASS project (LIFE07 ENV/D/0000222) within the framework of the LIFE + programme. The authors are grateful to Dr. E. Rommelfanger for essential comments on the statistical analyses and to the technical assistants of the cooperating departments for their skilled support.

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Author notes

  1. André Sradnick

    Present address: Leibniz-Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), Theodor-Echtermeyer-Weg 1, 14979, Großbeeren, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Grassland Science and Renewable Plant Resources, University of Kassel, Steinstrasse 19, 37213, Witzenhausen, Germany

    Meike Andruschkewitsch, Frank Hensgen & Michael Wachendorf

  2. Department of Soil Biology and Plant Nutrition, University of Kassel, Nordbanhhofstrasse 1a, 37213, Witzenhausen, Germany

    Christine Wachendorf, André Sradnick & Rainer Georg Joergensen

Authors
  1. Meike Andruschkewitsch
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  2. Christine Wachendorf
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  3. André Sradnick
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  4. Frank Hensgen
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  5. Rainer Georg Joergensen
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  6. Michael Wachendorf
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Correspondence to Meike Andruschkewitsch.

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Andruschkewitsch, M., Wachendorf, C., Sradnick, A. et al. Soil substrate utilization pattern and relation of functional evenness of plant groups and soil microbial community in five low mountain NATURA 2000. Plant Soil 383, 275–289 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2167-9

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