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https://hdl.handle.net/2440/106807
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Type: | Journal article |
Title: | Circular linkages between soil biodiversity, fertility and plant productivity are limited to topsoil at the continental scale |
Author: | Delgado-Baquerizo, M. Powell, J. Hamonts, K. Reith, F. Mele, P. Brown, M. Dennis, P. Ferrari, B. Fitzgerald, A. Young, A. Singh, B. Bissett, A. |
Citation: | New Phytologist, 2017; 215(3):1186-1196 |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Issue Date: | 2017 |
ISSN: | 0028-646X 1469-8137 |
Statement of Responsibility: | Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Jeff R. Powell, Kelly Hamonts, Frank Reith, Pauline Mele, Mark V. Brown, Paul G. Dennis, Belinda C. Ferrari, Anna Fitzgerald, Andrew Young, Brajesh K. Singh, and Andrew Bissett |
Abstract: | The current theoretical framework suggests that tripartite positive feedback relationships between soil biodiversity, fertility and plant productivity are universal. However, empirical evidence for these relationships at the continental scale and across different soil depths is lacking. We investigate the continental-scale relationships between the diversity of microbial and invertebrate-based soil food webs, fertility and above-ground plant productivity at 289 sites and two soil depths, that is 0-10 and 20-30 cm, across Australia. Soil biodiversity, fertility and plant productivity are strongly positively related in surface soils. Conversely, in the deeper soil layer, the relationships between soil biodiversity, fertility and plant productivity weaken considerably, probably as a result of a reduction in biodiversity and fertility with depth. Further modeling suggested that strong positive associations among soil biodiversity-fertility and fertility-plant productivity are limited to the upper soil layer (0-10 cm), after accounting for key factors, such as distance from the equator, altitude, climate and physicochemical soil properties. These findings highlight the importance of surface soil biodiversity for soil fertility, and suggest that any loss of surface soil could potentially break the links between soil biodiversity-fertility and/or fertility-plant productivity, which can negatively impact nutrient cycling and food production, upon which future generations depend. |
Keywords: | Bacteria; ecosystem functionality; eukaryotes; plant productivity; soil biodiversity; terrestrial ecosystems |
Rights: | © 2017 The Authors New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust |
DOI: | 10.1111/nph.14634 |
Grant ID: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP130104841 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP170104634 |
Published version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.14634 |
Appears in Collections: | Aurora harvest 3 Earth and Environmental Sciences publications |
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