Understanding Resilience in Agroecosystems: Landscapes in Transition

Sustainable food production systems in an increasingly unstable climate demand: a) baseline knowledge of key soil functions under different land uses and b) the ability to quantify those functions in terms of the ecosystem services they provide. This baseline knowledge can then be used to more broadly predict resilience under changing climate and land use. As part of this collaborative research project we examined patterns of aboveground and belowground vegetation, as well as soil microbial communities across edges from managed agricultural fields to perennial grassland edges. A total of 180 sampling points were established across 6 transects located at two sites. Plant community composition and soil properties showed edge related patterns in distribution, with distinct communities at the edge, cropland and grassland. Plant richness increased with proximity to the edge between perennial grassland and annual cropland, with the lowest richness values occurring in the cropland. Plant influences on the microbial communities are seemingly mediated by soil properties and microbial interactions. However, some fungal communities may be influenced by specific plant associations. Land management practices that influence plant biomass and richness influence soil microbial communities, both directly through changes in plant communities and through alteration of soil properties.