Changes in belowground biodiversity during ecosystem development
We do not know how and why belowground biodiversity may change as soils develop over centuries to millennia, hampering our ability to predict the myriad of ecosystem processes regulated by belowground organisms under changing environments. We conducted a global survey of 16 soil chronosequences spanning a wide range of ecosystem types and found that in less productive ecosystems, increases in belowground biodiversity followed increases in plant cover, but in more productive ecosystems, acidification during soil development was often associated with declines in belowground biodiversity. The biodiversity of multiple soil organisms exhibited similar patterns over time, but in contrast to expectations, changes in plant diversity were not associated with corresponding changes in belowground biodiversity.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2019 |
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Title | Changes in belowground biodiversity during ecosystem development |
DOI | 10.1073/pnas.1818400116 |
Authors | Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Richard D. Bardgett, Peter M. Vitousek, Fernando T. Maestre, Mark A. Williams, David J. Eldridge, Hans Lambers, Sigrid Neuhauser, Antonio Gallardo, Laura García-Velázquez, Osvaldo E. Sala, Sebastián R. Abades, Fernando D. Alfaro, Asmeret A. Berhe, Matthew A. Bowker, Courtney M. Currier, Nick A. Cutler, Stephen C. Hart, Patrick E. Hayes, Zeng-Yei Hseu, Martin Kirchmair, Cecilia A. Pérez, Sasha C. Reed, Victor M. Peña-Ramírez, Fernanda Santos, Christina Siebe, Benjamin W. Sullivan, Luis Weber-Grullon, Noah Fierer |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Index ID | 70202919 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | Southwest Biological Science Center |