Competition drives the response of soil microbial diversity to increased grazing by vertebrate herbivores

• Published in: Ecology (Durham) Vol. 98; no. 7; pp. 1922 - 1931
• Main Authors: Eldridge, David J., Delgado‐Baquerizo, Manuel, Travers, Samantha K., Val, James, Oliver, Ian, Hamonts, Kelly, Singh, Brajesh K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2017
• Subjects: Animals; bacteria; competitive exclusion; Ecosystem; Fungi; grazing; herbivore activity; Herbivory; livestock; Soil; soil function; Soil Microbiology; Vertebrates - physiology; woodland; competitive exclusion; soil function; bacteria; grazing; fungi; woodland; livestock; herbivore activity

Scientists have largely neglected the effects of grazing on soil microbial communities despite their importance as drivers of ecosystem functions and services. We hypothesized that changes in soil properties resulting from grazing regulate the diversity of soil microbes by releasing/suppressing subo...