The aims of this Defra funded project were to:
- confirm association of high fungal-to-bacterial ratios with species-rich grasslands;
- quantify the impact of key plant species in the development of fungal dominated soils;
- identify mechanisms that influence plant species on fungal-to-bacterial ratios and soil biota influences on vegetation;
- evaluate other potential indicators for targeting grassland enhancement and creation.
Project details
| Start date | 2004-04-01 |
|---|---|
| End date | 2013-11-01 |
Project outputs
This project produced the following outputs:
| Output | Type |
|---|---|
| Publication of peer-reviewed papers | Peer-reviewed paper |
| Publication of peer-reviewed papers | Peer-reviewed paper |
| Findings to be presented at BES/AAB/BGS/NE conference. | Workshop/conference/event |
| Technical Information Notes: revise existing notes and/or write new ones. | Defra publication |
Closing statement
A key finding to emerge from this study is the importance of soil type as a factor influencing the restoration of plant species diversity and the role of plant-soil interactions in this process. There was a consistent association between high fungal to bacterial biomass, low input management and species diversity