Authors: Ruth Joy Mitchell Adian M Keith Jackie M Potts Jasmine Ross Eileen Reid Lorna A Dawson
Publish Date: 2011/09/20
Volume: 352, Issue: 1-2, Pages: 65-84
Abstract
A replicate pot experiment with five sapling tree species Betula pendula Betula pubescens Sorbus aucuparia Quercus petraea and Pinus sylvestris and a notree treatment with and without Calluna vulgaris was established After 21 months samples were taken for phospholipid fatty acid PLFA analysis CLPP and soil microfauna assessmentThere was an interactive effect of tree species and Calluna on the SMC CLPP and nematode densities Calluna addition changed the SMC composition increase in fungal PLFAs and the CLPP lower utilisation of most carbon sources but greater utilisation of phenolic acids A multivariate test for homogeneity of dispersion showed that while Calluna addition resulted in the presence of an altered microbial composition it did not result in there being less variability among the samples with Calluna than among the samples without Calluna Sapling trees with Calluna present grew less well than trees without Calluna Structural equation modelling showed that it is possible that Calluna had an indirect effect on the SMC via belowground tree biomass as well as a direct effect
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