The positive effect of plant diversity on soil carbon depends on climate

• Autores: Spohn, Marie; Bagchi, Sumanta; Biederman, Lori A.; Borer, Elizabeth T.; Bråthen, Kari Anne; Bugalho, Miguel N.; Caldeira, Maria C.; Catford, Jane A.; Collins, Scott L.; Eisenhauer, Nico; Peri, Pablo Luis; Yahdjian, Laura
• Año de publicación: 2023
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Nature Communications 14 : 6624. (2023)
• Materia: Grasslands; Carbon Cycle; Soil Organic Carbon; Climate Change; Biodiversity; Nitrogen; Ecosystem Management; Praderas; Ciclo del Carbono; Carbono Orgánico del Suelo; Cambio Climático; Biodiversidad; Nitrógeno; Gestión de Ecosistemas; Plant Diversity; Grassland Ecology; Diversidad de Plantas; Ecología de Pastizales
• Institución: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria

Little is currently known about how climate modulates the relationship between plant diversity and soil organic carbon and the mechanisms involved. Yet, this knowledge is of crucial importance in times of climate change and biodiversity loss. Here, we show that plant diversity is positively correlated with soil carbon content and soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio across 84 grasslands on six continents that span wide climate gradients. The relationships between plant diversity and soil carbon as well as plant diversity and soil organic matter quality (carbon-to-nitrogen ratio) are particularly strong in warm and arid climates. While plant biomass is positively correlated with soil carbon, plant biomass is not significantly correlated with plant diversity. Our results indicate that plant diversity influences soil carbon storage not via the quantity of organic matter (plant biomass) inputs to soil, but through the quality of organic matter. The study implies that ecosystem management that restores plant diversity likely enhances soil carbon sequestration, particularly in warm and arid climates.
EEA Santa Cruz
Fil: Spohn, Marie. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Department of Soil and Environment; Suecia
Fil: Bagchi, Sumanta. Indian Institute of Science; India.
Fil: Biederman, Lori A. Iowa State University. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology; Estados Unidos
Fil: Borer, Elizabeth T. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; Estados Unidos
Fil: Bråthen, Kari Anne. Arctic University of Norway. Department of Arctic and Marine Biology; Noruega
Fil: Bugalho, Miguel N. University of Lisbon. Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves” (CEABN-InBIO). School of Agriculture; Portugal.
Fil: Caldeira, Maria C. University of Lisbon. Forest Research Centre. Associate Laboratory TERRA. School of Agriculture; Portugal.
Fil: Catford, Jane A. King’s College London. Department of Geography; Reino Unido
Fil: Catford, Jane A. University of Melbourne. School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences; Australia.
Fil: Collins, Scott L. University of New Mexico. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos
Fil: Eisenhauer, Nico. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv). Halle-Jena-Leipzig; Alemania
Fil: Eisenhauer, Nico. Leipzig University. Institute of Biology; Alemania
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.
Fil: Yahdjian, Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA); Argentina.
Fil: Yahdjian, Laura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina.