Trophic group specific responses of alpine nematode communities to 18 years of N addition and codominant plant removal

Shepherd, R.M., L.M. Brigham, C.P. Bueno de Mesquita, K.M. Gattoni, E.M. Gendron, P.G. Hahn, S.K. Schmidt, J.G. Smith, K.N. Suding, and D.L. Porazinska. 2023. Trophic group specific responses of alpine nematode communities to 18 years of N addition and codominant plant removal. Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06281-3.

Reseachers Steve Schmidt (left) and Laurel Brigham (right) take measurements in a plot where nitrogen has been added and the grass Deschampsia cespitosa has been removed. Image credit: Jane Smith

Abstract

Human-driven nitrogen (N) deposition can alter soil biogeochemistry and plant communities, both critical to soil biota. However, understanding the relative impact of the relationship between nutrient resources and plants on soil communities has been hindered by a lack of experimental manipulations of both factors. We hypothesized that soil nematode communities would be structured predominantly by N addition via overall increased abundance, decreased diversity, and compositional shifts to dominance of r-selected bacterial-feeding nematodes. In contrast, we expected plant effects to be less evident and restricted to nematodes directly associated with plants.