The influence of biotic interactions on soil biodiversity

Abstract

Belowground communities usually support a much greater diversity of organisms than do corresponding aboveground ones, and while the factors that regulate their diversity are far less well understood, a growing number of recent studies have presented data relevant to understanding how these factors operate. This review considers how biotic factors influence community diversity within major groups of soil organisms across a broad spectrum of spatial scales, and addresses the mechanisms involved. At the most local scale, soil biodiversity may potentially be affected by interactions within trophic levels or by direct trophic interactions. Within the soil, larger bodied invertebrates can also influence diversity of smaller sized organisms by promoting dispersal and through modification of the soil habitat. At larger scales, individual plant species effects, vegetation composition, plant species diversity, mixing of plant litter types, and aboveground trophic interactions, all impact on soil biodiversity. Further, at the landscape scale, soil diversity also responds to vegetation change and succession. This review also considers how a conceptual understanding of the biotic drivers of soil biodiversity may assist our knowledge of key topics in community and ecosystem ecology, such as aboveground-belowground interactions, and the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. It is concluded that an improved understanding of what drives the diversity of life in the soil, incorporated within appropriate conceptual frameworks, should significantly aid our understanding of the structure and functioning of terrestrial communities.

Plant community and soil conditions individually affect soil microbial community assembly in experimental mesocosms

“…Similar to previous work (Wardle, 2006; Prober et al., 2014; e.g., Fierer & Jackson, 2006), microbial diversity did not respond to experimental plant treatments. The lack of soil effect here, which contradicts findings elsewhere (Fierer & Jackson, 2006), may be due to the relatively small experimental effects on pH relative to intersite variation.…”

“…Alpha diversity of soil bacteria has been associated with edaphic conditions, most notably pH (Fierer & Jackson, 2006), but not plant diversity or composition (Fierer & Jackson, 2006; Prober et al., 2014; Wardle, 2006). The evidence for other predicted diversity relationships is more mixed, for example, elevational gradients have been observed (Bryant et al., 2008) and not observed (Fierer et al., 2011).…”

Plant functional diversity enhances associations of soil fungal diversity with vegetation and soil in the restoration of semiarid sandy grassland

“…Different plants differ in provision of photosynthetic carbon for soil fungal growth, which allows plant communities to shape soil fungal communities, thus affecting soil fungal diversity (Wardle 2006; Dickie 2007). Increasing plant richness increases soil fungal richness in grassland (LeBlanc et al.…”

Effect of nitrogen fertilizer on nitrogen pools and soil communities under grazed pastures

“…Email: parfittr@landcareresearch.co.nz substrates that lead to a high diversity of soil biota (Bardgett et al 1999;Wardle 2006;Parfitt et al 2010). Although pasture production and quality improve with N fertilizer, below-ground diversity may decrease as the quantity and quality of litter entering the soil food web changes (Donnison et al 2000).…”