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Carbon dynamics in a model grassland with functionally different soil communities

  1. M. A. BRADFORD1,2,*,
  2. G. M. TORDOFF3,
  3. H. I. J. BLACK4,
  4. R. COOK5,
  5. T. EGGERS6,
  6. M. H. GARNETT7,
  7. S. J. GRAYSTON8,
  8. K. A. HUTCHESON2,
  9. P. INESON9,
  10. J. E. NEWINGTON2,
  11. N. OSTLE4,
  12. D. SLEEP5,
  13. A. STOTT4,
  14. T. HEFIN JONES3

Article first published online: 19 MAY 2007

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2007.01268.x

Issue

Functional Ecology

Functional Ecology

Volume 21, Issue 4, pages 690–697, August 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

BRADFORD, M. A., TORDOFF, G. M., BLACK, H. I. J., COOK, R., EGGERS, T., GARNETT, M. H., GRAYSTON, S. J., HUTCHESON, K. A., INESON, P., NEWINGTON, J. E., OSTLE, N., SLEEP, D., STOTT, A. and JONES, T. H. (2007), Carbon dynamics in a model grassland with functionally different soil communities. Functional Ecology, 21: 690–697. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2007.01268.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA,

  2. 2

    Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK,

  3. 3

    Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3TL, UK,

  4. 4

    Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK,

  5. 5

    Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER), Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EB, UK,

  6. 6

    Institute for Ecology, University of Osnabrück, Barbarastrasse 11, 49069 Osnabrück, Germany,

  7. 7

    NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 0QF, UK,

  8. 8

    Department of Forest Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada, and

  9. 9

    Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5YW, UK

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: markb@uga.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 19 MAY 2007
  2. Article first published online: 19 MAY 2007
  3. Received 5 June 2006; revised 15 August 2006; revised 26 February 2007; accepted 1 March 2007 Editor: David Whitehead

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Keywords:

  • 13C;
  • carbon dynamics;
  • decomposition;
  • functional diversity;
  • rhizodeposition;
  • soil fauna

Summary

  • 1
    Impacts of environmental changes on carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems are typically correlated with shifts in the composition, biomass and activity of soil faunal communities. Given the role of soil fauna in decomposition, shifts in soil faunal communities may further modify the carbon dynamics of a perturbed system.
  • 2
    To test this possibility, we manipulated soil community composition in model grassland ecosystems and used a 13CO2-tracer to follow the assimilation, retention and pathways of recent, photosynthetically fixed carbon. The community treatments formed a nested hierarchy of functional complexity: (1) microbiota only; (2) microbiota and mesofauna; (3) microbiota, mesofauna and macrofauna.
  • 3
    These treatments significantly affected the rate of decline in 13C-label respiration rate and the amount of 13C-label retained by the communities: while the rate of decline in 13C-label respiration rate was greatest in the microbiota treatment, the treatment with both micro- and mesofauna retained less 13C-label than either the more functionally complex or simple treatments. The presence of macrofauna altered the utilization of 13C-label by Collembola and Enchytraeidae: they decreased the mass of 13C-label utilized by Collembola and increased that utilized by Enchytraeidae.
  • 4
    Our results suggest that soil community composition may play a key role in regulating the dynamics of recent, photosynthetically fixed carbon.
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