Using a meta-analysis approach to understand complexity in soil biodiversity and phosphorus acquisition in plants

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Mezeli, M. M., Page, S., George, T. S., Neilson, R., Mead, A., Blackwell, M. S. A. and Haygarth, P. M. 2020. Using a meta-analysis approach to understand complexity in soil biodiversity and phosphorus acquisition in plants. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 142, p. 107695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107695

AuthorsMezeli, M. M., Page, S., George, T. S., Neilson, R., Mead, A., Blackwell, M. S. A. and Haygarth, P. M.
Abstract

Current soil phosphorus (P) management is neither environmentally nor economically sustainable. Soil biodi-versity has been offered as a solution to unsustainable land management and to promote ecosystem service provision. We know soil biology is instrumental in plant access to soil P, but specific effects of biological complexity, (used here to describe the number of links between different organisms), under different P levels on plant productivity are not well understood. We conducted a meta-analysis on relevant literature, which reported the response of terrestrial plants of economic and anthropogenic importance to P conditions, and controlled for biological treatments across different land-uses (arable, grassland and woodland). We hypothesised that: 1) in arable systems increased biological complexity will enhance plant productivity; 2) in perennial systems such as grassland and woodlands, increasing biological complexity will have no effect; 3) increasing the fertility of the system by addition of P fertiliser will reduce any benefits of biological complexity. We found that soil organisms are not always beneficial to plant shoot biomass, but that the effects of - and interaction among - bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, mycorrhizae, collembola and earthworms differ in their impact on plant biomass (positive or negative) dependent on the presence of other community members, P-level status and time. These findings bring into question existing frameworks that link below-ground biodiversity with above-ground plant produc-tivity. We recommend further experimental work be conducted, which controls for land-use, P status, and soil biological composition and complexity. Such work should be followed by future systematic reviews, which could pragmatically inform more tailored biological management for plant P requirements, land-use and ecosystem service provision. To enable further meta-analyses of this type we recommend habitual inclusion of sufficient experimental detail and data, as a prerequisite for publication and a useful way to utilise increased online publication space

KeywordsCommunity composition; Ecosystem services; Phosphorus; Plants; Rhizosphere; Trophic interactions
Year of Publication2020
JournalSoil Biology and Biochemistry
Journal citation142, p. 107695
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107695
Open accessPublished as non-open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeNE/M009106/1
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online20 Dec 2019
Publication process dates
Accepted13 Dec 2019
PublisherElsevier
ISSN0038-0717

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