Herbivory and nutrients shape grassland soil seed banks

Anu Eskelinen (), Maria-Theresa Jessen, Hector A. Bahamonde, Jonathan D. Bakker, Elizabeth T. Borer, Maria C. Caldeira, W. Stanley Harpole, Meiyu Jia, Luciola S. Lannes, Carla Nogueira, Harry Olde Venterink, Pablo L. Peri, Anita J. Porath-Krause, Eric W. Seabloom, Katie Schroeder, Pedro M. Tognetti, Simone-Louise E. Yasui, Risto Virtanen and Lauren L. Sullivan
Additional contact information
Anu Eskelinen: University of Oulu
Maria-Theresa Jessen: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Hector A. Bahamonde: National University of La Plata
Jonathan D. Bakker: University of Washington, Box 354115
Elizabeth T. Borer: Evolution and Behavior, 140 Gortner Laboratory
Maria C. Caldeira: University of Lisbon
W. Stanley Harpole: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Meiyu Jia: University of Washington, Box 354115
Luciola S. Lannes: São Paulo State University-UNESP
Carla Nogueira: University of Lisbon
Harry Olde Venterink: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Pablo L. Peri: Southern Patagonia National University (UNPA)
Anita J. Porath-Krause: Evolution and Behavior, 140 Gortner Laboratory
Eric W. Seabloom: Evolution and Behavior, 140 Gortner Laboratory
Katie Schroeder: Evolution and Behavior, 140 Gortner Laboratory
Pedro M. Tognetti: CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía
Simone-Louise E. Yasui: Queensland University of Technology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Risto Virtanen: University of Oulu
Lauren L. Sullivan: University of Missouri

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment and shifts in herbivory can lead to dramatic changes in the composition and diversity of aboveground plant communities. In turn, this can alter seed banks in the soil, which are cryptic reservoirs of plant diversity. Here, we use data from seven Nutrient Network grassland sites on four continents, encompassing a range of climatic and environmental conditions, to test the joint effects of fertilization and aboveground mammalian herbivory on seed banks and on the similarity between aboveground plant communities and seed banks. We find that fertilization decreases plant species richness and diversity in seed banks, and homogenizes composition between aboveground and seed bank communities. Fertilization increases seed bank abundance especially in the presence of herbivores, while this effect is smaller in the absence of herbivores. Our findings highlight that nutrient enrichment can weaken a diversity maintaining mechanism in grasslands, and that herbivory needs to be considered when assessing nutrient enrichment effects on seed bank abundance.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39677-x

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