Abstract
Human activities that disrupt soil properties are fundamentally changing ecosystems. Soil degradation decreases microbial abundance and activity, leading to changes in nutrient availability, soil organic matter, and plant growth and establishment. Land use and land cover change are widespread and increasing in semiarid regions of the southwestern US, which results in reductions of native plant and microbial abundance and community diversity. Here we studied the effects of soil degradation and amendments (biochar and woodchips) on microbial activity, soil carbon and nitrogen availability, and plant growth of ten semi-arid plants species native to the southwestern US. Results show that woodchip amendments result in poor overall plant growth, while biochar amended soils promoted plant growth when soil quality was reduced. Additionally, amendments had a strong influence on microbial activity, while the presence and species identity of plants did not. Biochar amended soils led to increases in the potential activities of enzymes involved in the degradation of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus rich substrates. Woodchips, caused an increase of potential activity in enzymes involved in the degradation of sugar and proteins. These results show that microbes and plants respond differently to soil treatments and suggest that microbial responses may function as earlier indicators of the success of re-vegetation attempts.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Woodchip amendments resulted in poor overall plant growth.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee1
- Treatment
- woodchip amendmentse0
- Outcome
- plant growthe0
- Direction
- poore0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“woodchip amendments result in poor overall plant growth”
e1“ten semi-arid plants species native”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar promoted plant growth when soil quality was reduced.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee1
- Treatment
- biochar amended soilse0
- Outcome
- plant growthe0
- Direction
- promotede0
- Qualifier
- when soil quality was reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“biochar amended soils promoted plant growth when soil quality was reduced”
e1“ten semi-arid plants species native”
Claim · model-written summary
Amendments strongly influenced microbial activity.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaet0
- Treatment
- amendmentse0
- Outcome
- microbial activitye0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“amendments had a strong influence on microbial activity”
t0“ten semi-arid plants species native”
Claim · model-written summary
Plant presence and species identity did not influence microbial activity.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaet0
- Outcome
- microbial activitye0
- Direction
- did note0
Not reportedOrgan / stage
Verbatim
e0“Additionally, amendments had a strong influence on microbial activity, while the presence and species identity of plants did not.”
t0“ten semi-arid plants species native”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased potential activities of enzymes degrading carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus rich substrates.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaet0
- Treatment
- Biochar amended soilse0
- Outcome
- potential activities of enzymes involved in the degradation of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus rich substratese0
- Direction
- increasese0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Biochar amended soils led to increases in the potential activities of enzymes involved in the degradation of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus rich substrates.”
t0“ten semi-arid plants species native”
Claim · model-written summary
Woodchips increased potential activities of enzymes degrading sugar and proteins.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaet0
- Treatment
- Woodchipse0
- Outcome
- potential activity in enzymes involved in the degradation of sugar and proteinse0
- Direction
- increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Woodchips, caused an increase of potential activity in enzymes involved in the degradation of sugar and proteins.”
t0“ten semi-arid plants species native”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest microbial responses may be early indicators of revegetation success.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaet0
- Outcome
- microbial responses may function as earlier indicators of the success of re-vegetation attemptse0
Verbatim
e0“microbial responses may function as earlier indicators of the success of re-vegetation attempts.”
t0“ten semi-arid plants species native”
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See all 9 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.