Plant species diversity affects infiltration capacity in an experimental grassland through changes in soil properties

Abstract

Background and aims Soil hydraulic properties drive water distribution and availability in soil. There exists limited knowledge of how plant species diversity might influence soil hydraulic properties. Methods We quantified the change in infiltration capacity affected by soil structural variables (soil bulk density, porosity and organic carbon content) along a gradient of soil texture, plant species richness (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 60) and functional group composition (grasses, legumes, small herbs, tall herbs). We conducted two infiltration measurement campaigns (May and October 2012) using a hood infiltrometer. Results Plant species richness significantly increased infiltration capacity in the studied grasslands. Both soil porosity (or inversely bulk density) and organic carbon played an important role in mediating the plant species richness effect. Soil texture did not correlate with infiltration capacity. In spring 2012, earthworm biomass increased infiltration capacity, but this effect could not be attributed to changes in soil structural variables. Conclusions We experimentally identified important ecological drivers of infiltration capacity, suggesting complex interactions between plant species richness, earthworms, and soil structural variables, while showing little impact of soil texture. Changes in plant species richness may thus have significant effects on soil hydraulic properties with potential consequences for surface run-off and soil erosion

Plant species richness and functional groups have different effects on soil water content in a decade‐long grassland experiment

“…Besides direct effects on water fluxes (evaporation and transpiration), plant community composition, including species richness and functional group assembly, influences soil functions such as soil microbial biomass and activity (Drenovsky, Vo, Graham, & Scow, ; Eisenhauer et al, ; Lange et al, ; Zak, Holmes, White, Peacock, & Tilman, ), soil fauna (Eisenhauer et al, ), and soil organic matter dynamics (Lange, Eisenhauer, et al, ; Steinbeiss et al, ), all of which affect soil properties related to soil water percolation, such as soil aggregation (Gould et al, ; Pérès et al, ), soil pore volume, and water infiltration capacity (Fischer et al, ). The close relationship between the biogeochemical and water cycles can incur further indirect effects of biodiversity on the availability of other resources that are mediated by soil water (Allan et al, ; Loreau & Hector, ; Tilman et al, ).…”

Effect of long‐term application of manure and nitrogen fertilizer on infiltration for a wheat–maize rotation system

“…The cross‐correlation between OM and BD in one regression model suggested that these two factors may interactively influence infiltration capacity. Such behaviour was noted by Fischer et al () who suggested that BD could not completely replace the effects of OM or soil organic carbon content on hydraulic properties. This opinion differed from that of Bloemen () who indicated that BD could effectively substitute for OM when BD and OM were correlated.…”

“…OM has been considered as an important soil property that could had a positive effect on soil environment, such as structural stability, water retention, available water capacity, cation exchange capacity, soil biological activities, biodiversity, soil respiration, pH buffer, BD, and aggregation stability (Chirinda, Olesen, Porter, & Schjnning, ; Degens, Schipper, Sparling, & Vojvodic‐Vukovic, ; Tejada, Moreno, Hernandez, & Garcia, ). Together with soil porosity, organic carbon (a main component of OM) plays an important role in mediating the effects of plant species richness on infiltration (Fischer et al, ). Franzluebbers () advocated that the stratification ratio of soil organic carbon (i.e., SOC at 0‐ to 3‐cm depth divided by that at 6‐ to 12‐cm depth) was a good predictor of infiltration rate.…”

“…In Pedotransfer functions for estimating saturated hydraulic conductivity, BD is a key predictor related to pore space and water movement (Arrington et al, ). Because of the inverse relationship between BD and porosity, sometimes, BD is represented by porosity for predicting infiltration capacity (Fischer et al, ; Ma & Zhang, ). In this study, all the porosity related indices, that is, TP, soil CP, and soil NCP, were excluded due to lack of sensitivity in the building process of the optimal PLSR model for soil infiltration capacity, whereas BD was included.…”

High Survival of Lasius niger during Summer Flooding in a European Grassland

“…There are various possible mechanisms explaining how plant diversity could affect the survival of ants. Firstly, plant species richness increases soil porosity [18], which may reflect on the availability of oxygen in the soil and hence promote survival of ants in waterlogged soils [19]. Second, in temperate grasslands, plant cover and vegetation height increase with plant species richness [20].…”