Temporal intensity of grazing alters predator-prey relationships in the soil microbiome

Grasslands are reservoirs of soil biodiversity worldwide. Native grasslands are affected by invasive plant species, which are documented to be detrimental to the ecosystem. To manage invasive plants, the use of grazing by livestock is implemented. While most articles about the impact of grazing are focused on bacteria and/or fungal communities, we studied the bacterial, fungal, and protist community. We determined how temporal grazing affected these communities and soil properties. To unravel the effect of grazing intensity, we assessed soil bacterial, fungal, and protist communities under four levels of a one-time grazing intensity that was previously grazed under a different grazing intensity levels: no grazing (0 days), low grazing (27 days), moderate grazing (54 days), and heavy grazing (74 days).