Elevated CO₂ and warming shift the functional composition of soil nematode communities in a semiarid grassland

Authors

Kevin E. Mueller, ARS
Dana M. Blumenthal, USDA-ARSFollow
Yolima Carrillo, Western Sydney University
Simone Cesarz, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Marcel Ciobanu, Branch of the National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences
Jes Hines, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Susann Pabst, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Elise Pendall, Western Sydney UniversityFollow
Cecilia Milano de Tomasel, Colorado State University
Diana H. Wall, Colorado State UniversityFollow
Nico Eisenhauer, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2016

Citation

Soil Biology & Biochemistry 103 (2016) 46-51

Comments

U.S. Government Work

Abstract

Climate change can alter soil communities and functions, but the consequences are uncertain for most ecosystems. We assessed the impacts of climate change on soil nematodes in a semiarid grassland using a 7-year, factorial manipulation of temperature and [CO₂]. Elevated CO₂ and warming decreased the abundance of plant-feeding nematodes and nematodes with intermediate to high values on the colonizer-persister scale (cp3-5), including predators and omnivores. Thus, under futuristic climate conditions, nematode communities were even more dominated by r-strategists (cp1-2) that feed on bacteria and fungi. These results indicate that climate change could alter soil functioning in semiarid grasslands. For example, the lower abundance of plant-feeding nematodes could facilitate positive effects of elevated CO₂ and warming on plant productivity. The effects of elevated CO₂ and warming on nematode functional composition were typically less than additive, highlighting the need for multi-factor studies.