Maasheggen - Soil microbial communities

We aimed to investigate how the management of agricultural fields influences the composition, diversity, and structure of soil microbial communities underneath adjacent hedgerows. The study was conducted in the Maasheggen UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, focusing on three dominant land use types: conservation grasslands, production grasslands, and croplands. Prokaryotic and fungal communities were assessed via amplicon sequencing, and additional soil parameters were measured. Differences in microbial composition, diversity, and structure, as well as soil characteristics, were evaluated across land use types and within both field and adjacent hedgerow soils.