New paper out on belowground drivers of grassland recovery from drought!
In a new publication in Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Marie-Louise Schärer and co-authors shed light into the belowground processes that boost grassland growth and recovery after drought. They reveal that mobile soil organic carbon accumulates during drought - through persisting plant exudation and / or reduced microbial degradation - and stimulates microbial mineralization as soon as the soil is rewetted. This mineralization increases plant nutrient availability, of which specifically the boost in nitrate fuels productivity and improves plant nutrient uptake capacity after drought.