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Plant diversity builds soil carbon via microbes

Higher plant species richness raises soil organic carbon by boosting microbial growth, biomass, and fungal necromass, not carbon-use efficiency.

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How much did SOC rise from monocultures to 60-species plots?

29%.

How much did microbial biomass increase from 1 to 60 species?

58%.

How did microbial growth compare with respiration as richness rose?

Growth roughly doubled; respiration rose only 1.5-fold.

Did microbial carbon-use efficiency change with plant richness?

No significant CUE response.

Which necromass pool increased with plant richness?

Fungal necromass; bacterial necromass did not.

In the SEM, what was SOC associated with?

Microbial biomass (positive effect), not a direct richness-to-SOC path.

Where was the biodiversity experiment located?

Jena, Germany (the Jena Experiment grassland).

What plant-richness range did plots span?

1–60 species and 1–4 functional groups.

When were soils sampled?

September 2015 from 85 plots.

How was microbial necromass quantified?

Acid hydrolysis plus amino-sugar chromatography.

Why does plant richness matter for soil microbes?

Higher diversity can raise plant-derived carbon inputs to carbon-limited heterotrophs.