@article{BirkhoferDiekoetterBochetal.2011,
  author    = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Diekoetter, Tim and Boch, Steffen and Fischer, Markus and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Socher, Stephanie and Wolters, Volkmar},
  title     = {Soil fauna feeding activity in temperate grassland soils increases with legume and grass species richness},
  series = {Soil biology \& biochemistry},
  volume    = {43},
  journal   = {Soil biology \& biochemistry},
  number    = {10},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0038-0717},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.07.008},
  pages     = {2200 -- 2207},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Edaphic fauna contributes to important ecosystem functions in grassland soils such as decomposition and nutrient mineralization. Since this functional role is likely to be altered by global change and associated shifts in plant communities, a thorough understanding of large scale drivers on below-ground processes independent of regional differences in soil type or climate is essential. We investigated the relationship between abiotic (soil properties, management practices) and biotic (plant functional group composition, vegetation characteristics, soil fauna abundance) predictors and feeding activity of soil fauna after accounting for sample year and study region. Our study was carried out over a period of two consecutive years in 92 agricultural grasslands in three regions of Germany, spanning a latitudinal gradient of more than 500 km. A structural equation model suggests that feeding activity of soil fauna as measured by the bait-lamina test was positively related to legume and grass species richness in both years. Most probably, a diverse vegetation promotes feeding activity of soil fauna via alterations of both microclimate and resource availability. Feeding activity of soil fauna also increased with earthworm biomass via a pathway over Collembola abundance. The effect of earthworms on the feeding activity in soil may be attributed to their important role as ecosystem engineers. As no additional effects of agricultural management such as fertilization, livestock density or number of cuts on bait consumption were observed, our results suggest that the positive effect of legume and grass species richness on the feeding activity in soil fauna is a general one that will not be overruled by regional differences in management or environmental conditions. We thus suggest that agri-environment schemes aiming at the protection of belowground activity and associated ecosystem functions in temperate grasslands may generally focus on maintaining plant diversity, especially with regard to the potential effects of climate change on future vegetation structure.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SollySchoeningBochetal.2014,
  author    = {Solly, Emily F. and Sch{\"o}ning, Ingo and Boch, Steffen and Kandeler, Ellen and Marhan, Sven and Michalzik, Beate and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Zscheischler, Jakob and Trumbore, Susan E. and Schrumpf, Marion},
  title     = {Factors controlling decomposition rates of fine root litter in temperate forests and grasslands},
  series = {Plant and soil},
  volume    = {382},
  journal   = {Plant and soil},
  number    = {1-2},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Dordrecht},
  issn      = {0032-079X},
  doi       = {10.1007/s11104-014-2151-4},
  pages     = {203 -- 218},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Fine root decomposition contributes significantly to element cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, studies on root decomposition rates and on the factors that potentially influence them are fewer than those on leaf litter decomposition. To study the effects of region and land use intensity on fine root decomposition, we established a large scale study in three German regions with different climate regimes and soil properties. Methods In 150 forest and 150 grassland sites we deployed litterbags (100 mu m mesh size) with standardized litter consisting of fine roots from European beech in forests and from a lowland mesophilous hay meadow in grasslands. In the central study region, we compared decomposition rates of this standardized litter with root litter collected on-site to separate the effect of litter quality from environmental factors. Standardized herbaceous roots in grassland soils decomposed on average significantly faster (24 +/- 6 \% mass loss after 12 months, mean +/- SD) than beech roots in forest soils (12 +/- 4 \%; p < 0.001). Fine root decomposition varied among the three study regions. Land use intensity, in particular N addition, decreased fine root decomposition in grasslands. The initial lignin:N ratio explained 15 \% of the variance in grasslands and 11 \% in forests. Soil moisture, soil temperature, and C:N ratios of soils together explained 34 \% of the variance of the fine root mass loss in grasslands, and 24 \% in forests. Grasslands, which have higher fine root biomass and root turnover compared to forests, also have higher rates of root decomposition. Our results further show that at the regional scale fine root decomposition is influenced by environmental variables such as soil moisture, soil temperature and soil nutrient content. Additional variation is explained by root litter quality.},
  language  = {en}
}