Long‐term change in vegetation and soil microbial communities during the phased restoration of traditional meadow grassland

摘要: 1. Restoration of high plant species diversity to sites where it has been reduced by intensive grassland management requires identification appropriate regimes. Understanding the combinatorial effects on above-ground vegetation and below-ground microbial communities will inform prescriptions how best increase diversity, restore rare types achieve agri-environmental objectives. 2. Changes in soil community structure are described from second phase a 1990-2004 field trial that investigated interacting fertilizer farmyard manure (FYM) treatments imposed after 1998, context previous hay-cut date seed-addition treatments. 3. Hay-cut was main factor influencing composition 1, whereas FYM dominant 4. Poa trivialis Lolium perenne increased abundance with application, particularly combination mineral fertilizer, 2002 2001 foot mouth epidemic. The lowest Ellenberg fertility scores were associated absence but addition seed. 5. highest 2 seed an effect had probably persisted Progressive development target traditional meadow occurred through 6. Fungal:bacterial (F:B) ratios, measure changes relative fungi bacteria community, generally 1996 2004, fertilizer. Here F:B ratios (including legumes) typical traditionally managed mesotrophic northern England. 7. Synthesis applications. These results demonstrate biodiversity goals for upland meadows need plan beyond 5-10-year agreement period agri-environment schemes. Combination treatments, which is vital, alongside FYM, grazing regimes, needed restoration. However, even 14 years most effective treatment combinations still not restored diversity. demonstrated change communities, linked growth legumes, might be important facilitate future increases