Drought and nitrogen addition: How they jointly shape interactions among plant, arthropod, and soil nematode functional groups in temperate grasslands

Feixue Yu, Inner Mongolia University, discusses her article: Nitrogen addition weakens drought-driven coupling between plant, arthropod, and soil nematode functional groups The concurrent increase in drought and atmospheric nitrogen deposition has profoundly impacted multitrophic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in grasslands. Nitrogen enrichment is frequently assumed to alleviate drought stress by stimulating plant growth, but this…

The rhizosphere: A hub for enhancing soil carbon storage

Qitong Wang and Huajun Yin, Chengdu Institute of Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discuss their article: Rhizosphere as a hotspot for microbial necromass deposition into the soil carbon pool When it comes to soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, the rhizosphere – a zone of soil around plant roots – plays a pivotal yet…

How is litter decomposition affected by climate change in Mediterranean forests? Soil fauna has the key

Lead author Pablo Homet discusses recently published article: Soil fauna modulates the effect of experimental drought on litter decomposition in forests invaded by an exotic pathogen. Find out more about how litter mesofauna plays an important role in litter decomposition in a Mediterranean forest. Decomposition processes of dead organic matter are fundamental for life cycling.…

Celebrating Soil: A collection of the latest research

This post is from Journal of Ecology Executive Editor Richard Bardgett. The UN FAO report on the “State of Knowledge on Soil Biodiversity: Status, Challenges, and Potentialities” was released today, the day before World Soil Day. The report represents a truly global effort by soil scientists and ecologists worldwide and presents the best available knowledge on…