Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands
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 ac...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-12-01
|
| Series: | Communications Biology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05607-2 |
| _version_ | 1797414240155336704 |
|---|---|
| author | Julia Siebert Marie Sünnemann Yann Hautier Anita C. Risch Jonathan D. Bakker Lori Biederman Dana M. Blumenthal Elizabeth T. Borer Miguel N. Bugalho Arthur A. D. Broadbent Maria C. Caldeira Elsa Cleland Kendi F. Davies Anu Eskelinen Nicole Hagenah Johannes M. H. Knops Andrew S. MacDougall Rebecca L. McCulley Joslin L. Moore Sally A. Power Jodi N. Price Eric W. Seabloom Rachel Standish Carly J. Stevens Stephan Zimmermann Nico Eisenhauer |
| author_facet | Julia Siebert Marie Sünnemann Yann Hautier Anita C. Risch Jonathan D. Bakker Lori Biederman Dana M. Blumenthal Elizabeth T. Borer Miguel N. Bugalho Arthur A. D. Broadbent Maria C. Caldeira Elsa Cleland Kendi F. Davies Anu Eskelinen Nicole Hagenah Johannes M. H. Knops Andrew S. MacDougall Rebecca L. McCulley Joslin L. Moore Sally A. Power Jodi N. Price Eric W. Seabloom Rachel Standish Carly J. Stevens Stephan Zimmermann Nico Eisenhauer |
| author_sort | Julia Siebert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:30:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6455b27a2a08449193ce7160c87a7e90 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2399-3642 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:30:13Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-6455b27a2a08449193ce7160c87a7e902023-12-03T12:33:19ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422023-12-016111010.1038/s42003-023-05607-2Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslandsJulia Siebert0Marie Sünnemann1Yann Hautier2Anita C. Risch3Jonathan D. Bakker4Lori Biederman5Dana M. Blumenthal6Elizabeth T. Borer7Miguel N. Bugalho8Arthur A. D. Broadbent9Maria C. Caldeira10Elsa Cleland11Kendi F. Davies12Anu Eskelinen13Nicole Hagenah14Johannes M. H. Knops15Andrew S. MacDougall16Rebecca L. McCulley17Joslin L. Moore18Sally A. Power19Jodi N. Price20Eric W. Seabloom21Rachel Standish22Carly J. Stevens23Stephan Zimmermann24Nico Eisenhauer25German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Community Ecology, Zuercherstrasse 111School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of WashingtonDepartment of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State UniversityUSDA-ARS Rangeland Resources & Systems Research UnitDepartment of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; University of MinnesotaCentre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves”, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da AjudaDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford RoadForest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of LisbonEcology, Behavior and Evolution Section, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr. #0116, La JollaDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of ColoradoInstitute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstrasse 4Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of PretoriaHealth & Environmental Sciences Department, Xi’an Jiatong-Liverpool UniversityDepartment of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, GuelphDepartment of Plant & Soil Sciences, University of KentuckyArthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown StreetHawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt UniversityDepartment of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; University of MinnesotaHarry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South StreetLancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster UniversitySwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Zuercherstrasse 111German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4Abstract 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.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05607-2 |
| spellingShingle | Julia Siebert Marie Sünnemann Yann Hautier Anita C. Risch Jonathan D. Bakker Lori Biederman Dana M. Blumenthal Elizabeth T. Borer Miguel N. Bugalho Arthur A. D. Broadbent Maria C. Caldeira Elsa Cleland Kendi F. Davies Anu Eskelinen Nicole Hagenah Johannes M. H. Knops Andrew S. MacDougall Rebecca L. McCulley Joslin L. Moore Sally A. Power Jodi N. Price Eric W. Seabloom Rachel Standish Carly J. Stevens Stephan Zimmermann Nico Eisenhauer Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands Communications Biology |
| title | Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands |
| title_full | Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands |
| title_fullStr | Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands |
| title_short | Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands |
| title_sort | drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05607-2 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT juliasiebert driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT mariesunnemann driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT yannhautier driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT anitacrisch driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT jonathandbakker driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT loribiederman driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT danamblumenthal driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT elizabethtborer driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT miguelnbugalho driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT arthuradbroadbent driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT mariaccaldeira driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT elsacleland driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT kendifdavies driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT anueskelinen driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT nicolehagenah driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT johannesmhknops driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT andrewsmacdougall driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT rebeccalmcculley driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT joslinlmoore driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT sallyapower driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT jodinprice driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT ericwseabloom driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT rachelstandish driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT carlyjstevens driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT stephanzimmermann driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands AT nicoeisenhauer driversofsoilmicrobialanddetritivoreactivityacrossglobalgrasslands |