title: Plant diversity predicts beta but not alpha diversity of soil microbes across grasslands worldwide.
abstract: Aboveground-belowground interactions exert critical controls on the composition and function of terrestrial ecosystems, yet the fundamental relationships between plant diversity and soil microbial diversity remain elusive. Theory predicts predominantly positive associations but tests within single sites have shown variable relationships, and associations between plant and microbial diversity across broad spatial scales remain largely unexplored. We compared the diversity of plant, bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities in one hundred and forty-five 1 m(2) plots across 25 temperate grassland sites from four continents. Across sites, the plant alpha diversity patterns were poorly related to those observed for any soil microbial group. However, plant beta diversity (compositional dissimilarity between sites) was significantly correlated with the beta diversity of bacterial and fungal communities, even after controlling for environmental factors. Thus, across a global range of temperate grasslands, plant diversity can predict patterns in the composition of soil microbial communities, but not patterns in alpha diversity.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia.
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Prober
authors.forename: Jonathan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Leff
authors.forename: Scott T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: Elizabeth T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Borer
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Firn
authors.forename: W Stanley
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Harpole
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: Eric W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Seabloom
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bakker
authors.forename: Elsa E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Cleland
authors.forename: Nicole M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: DeCrappeo
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: DeLorenze
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hagenah
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hautier
authors.forename: Kirsten S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Hofmockel
authors.forename: Kevin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Kirkman
authors.forename: Johannes M H
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Knops
authors.forename: Kimberly J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: La Pierre
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: MacDougall
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: McCulley
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Anita C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Risch
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schuetz
authors.forename: Carly J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Ryan J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Noah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fierer
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000145:classification; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics; D044822:Biodiversity; D058448:Biota; D005658:Fungi / Q000235:genetics; D065948:Grassland; D016014:Linear Models; D010944:Plants; D012988:Soil Microbiology
keywords: Aboveground-belowground interactions; archaea; bacteria; fungi; grasslands; microbial biogeography; soil biodiversity