Plant functional composition influences rates of soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation

Summary The mechanisms controlling soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) accumulation are crucial for explaining why soils are major terrestrial C sinks. Such mechanisms have been mainly addressed by imposing short‐term, step‐changes in CO 2 , temperature and N fertilization rates on either monocultures or low‐diversity plant assemblages. No studies have addressed the long‐term effects of plant functional diversity (i.e. plant functional composition) on rates of soil C accumulation in N‐limited grasslands where fixation is the main source of N for plants. Here we measure net soil C and N accumulation to 1 m soil‐depth during a 12‐year‐long grassland biodiversity experiment established on agriculturally degraded…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• UO
  University of Minnesota