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Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments
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Plant-topsoil relationships underlying subalpine grassland patchiness.

Cecilia M Armas-Herrera1, David Badía-Villas2, Juan Luis Mora3

  • 1Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca, Universidad de Zaragoza, Carretera de Cuarte s/n, 22071 Huesca, Spain.

The Science of the Total Environment
|December 12, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Nardus grasslands expand in the Spanish Pyrenees due to reduced grazing. Soil properties, like acidity and structure, differ between Nardus and eroded chalk grasslands, influencing plant composition. Management should maintain grazing to control Nardus spread.

Keywords:
Chalk grasslandsGrazed landscapesNardus mat-grasslandsPlant successionSoil erosionSoil properties

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Soil Science
  • Plant Community Ecology

Background:

  • Pasture degradation in the Spanish Central Pyrenees is linked to reduced stocking rates and altered livestock management.
  • This has led to the expansion of Nardus grasslands, which negatively impact grazing and biodiversity conservation.
  • Understanding the relationship between soil properties and plant composition is crucial for managing these subalpine grasslands.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the relationship between topsoil properties and grassland plant composition.
  • To compare erosion-disturbed (chalk grasslands) and undisturbed (Nardus mat-grasslands) soils in a subalpine area.
  • To investigate the role of soil-plant feedback mechanisms in maintaining grassland community differences.

Main Methods:

  • Six paired sampling points were selected for side-by-side comparison of Nardus and chalk grassland communities.
  • Plant cover of each species was estimated through inventories.
  • Physical-chemical topsoil properties were analyzed at two depths (0-5 cm and 5-10 cm).
  • Multivariate analysis was used to analyze the collected data.

Main Results:

  • Nardus mat-grasslands were found on stable, acidic, calcium-poor soils with high organic matter.
  • Chalk grasslands occurred on recently eroded slopes with shallower, stonier, less-structured soils, higher pH, and lower organic matter and calcium.
  • Plant composition varied significantly, with Nardus sites hosting typical mat-grassland species and eroded sites featuring earlier-successional species.

Conclusions:

  • Soil stabilization and acidification maintain Nardus grasslands, while erosion and basification characterize chalk grasslands.
  • Plant coexistence in this subalpine mosaic is non-equilibrium, driven by soil disturbance and succession.
  • Grazing management is essential to prevent Nardus grassland expansion by maintaining a disturbance regime.