Plant-Soil Feedback / Microbial Ecology: disentangling negative and positive soil feedback effects

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Plant diversity can promote several ecosystem functions, but the underlying role of plant–soil organism interactions in the promotion of these ecosystem services remains poorly investigated. The aim of the present proposal is to investigate the role of soil microorganisms in affecting plant growth responses along a plant diversity gradient. Firstly, we will investigate how specific soil microbial communities of pathogens, symbiotic mutualists and decomposers are structured across plant communities (composed of 1 to 60 species) using molecular, biochemical, morphological and functional identification of soil bacteria, fungi and nematodes. Secondly, feedback effects of plant community-specific soil communities on the productivity, structure and dynamics of plant monocultures and mixtures will be studied. The measurements and experiments will complement those of subprojects 2 and 4, and the results will be complementary to studies of plant–plant interactions, all together enhancing our understanding on the role of plant–soil organism interactions in modifying plant species abundance distributions and dynamics, as well as the stability of primary productivity over time.