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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Present address: Applied Research for Arable Farming and Field Production of Vegetables, PO Box 430, 8200 AK Lelystad, The Netherlands. E-mail: G.W.Korthals@ppo.dlo.nl
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Linking above- and below-ground biodiversity: abundance and trophic complexity in soil as a response to experimental plant communities on abandoned arable land
Article first published online: 20 DEC 2001
DOI: 10.1046/j.0269-8463.2001.00551.x
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How to Cite
Korthals, G. W., Smilauer, P., Van Dijk, C. and Van Der Putten, W. H. (2001), Linking above- and below-ground biodiversity: abundance and trophic complexity in soil as a response to experimental plant communities on abandoned arable land. Functional Ecology, 15: 506–514. doi: 10.1046/j.0269-8463.2001.00551.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 20 DEC 2001
- Article first published online: 20 DEC 2001
- Abstract
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Keywords:
- Nematodes;
- old-field succession;
- restoration;
- set-aside;
- soil food web
Summary
- 1This study investigates the effects of experimental plant communities on different trophic levels in the soil food web of abandoned arable land.
- 2In April 1996, a biodiversity experiment commenced using a continuation of agricultural crop rotation (CCR), spontaneous succession with naturally colonizing plant species (NC) and late-successional plant species sown in low-diversity (LD, four plant species) and high-diversity (HD, 15 plant species) communities. The nematode community was used as an indicator of the influence of the experimental plant communities on different trophic levels in the soil food web.
- 3The nematode abundance in the experimental plant communities differed from that of the continued crop rotation, but there were hardly any differences between the natural, the low-diversity and the high-diversity plant communities.
- 4The abundant plant-feeding nematodes and the somewhat less abundant bacterivorous nematodes were stimulated most by the sowing treatments. Fungivorous nematodes were stimulated less, while the numbers of omnivorous and carnivorous nematodes did not change significantly.
- 5The diversity of the nematode community did not change over 2 years.
- 6It is concluded that experimental plant communities have either small short-term effects or a delayed impact on the soil food web compared with the effect they have on above-ground invertebrate community development.