Soil macroinvertebrates influence microbial communities

The goal of this study is to elucidate how soil macroinvertebrates affect soil microbial community composition and function within the root zone of a managed grass system. We conducted a two-year field mesocosm study in which soil macroinvertebrate communities were manipulated through size-based exclusion and tracked changes in microbial community composition, diversity, biomass and activity to quantify macroinvertebrate-driven effects on microbial communities and their functions within the rhizosphere. The presence of soil macroinvertebrates created distinct microbial communities and altered both microbial biomass and function. Our results suggest that macroinvertebrate activity can be an important control on microbially-mediated processes in the rhizosphere such as nitrogen mineralization and soil organic matter formation.