#NewPaper In Ecological Indicators we present our mesocosm experiment on soil fertility and soil biotic communities impacting slow- and fast-growing grassland species planted together @ForNaLab @FbwUGent @ILVOvlaanderen @niooknaw @WURplant @FWOVlaanderen bit.ly/33EVhuB👇
The slow-growing target species did well in phosphorus-poor mesocosms but performed poorly above the soil phosphorus threshold. This threshold in our artificial communities was comparable to the threshold in remnant Nardus grasslands. #prettygrasslands love #poorsoils
In phosphorus-rich mesocosms total biomass increased and created light limitation which caused the small subordinate species to perform poorly or even go extinct. #TheWinnerTakesItAll
Surprisingly, the addition of soil biota from Nardus grasslands did not help the slow-growing species. Centaurea jacea and Plantago lanceolata appeared to benefit most from soil biota inoculation, even in phosphorus-poor mesocosms 🙃 room for further exploration!
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who made this project possible: in particular many @fornalab and @Hogeschool_Gent colleagues and students 🙌
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