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Plant-soil feedback and local adaptation along soil fertility gradients

Project description

Digging deep to uncover plant–soil feedback variations

Plants influence the soils where they grow. While plant–soil feedback (PSF) plays an important role in plant community assembly and functioning, little is known about how PSF varies between different habitats and soil types. The EU-funded PlantSoilGradients project will research the variation in the strength and direction of PSF along soil fertility gradients in temperate grassland ecosystems at local to large spatial scales. Combining different disciplines – from plant ecology, soil science and population biology to evolutionary and microbial ecology – the project will build a mechanistic framework to predict PSF in different environmental contexts. The findings will assist in addressing global changes to biodiversity.

Objective

In a process known as plant-soil feedback, plants can modify soil microbial communities in ways that differentially affect the performance of subsequent generations of plants. Recent studies suggest that plant-soil feedbacks may play an important role in plant community assembly and functioning, affecting plant species co-existence, primary productivity, succession and plant invasions. However, we still lack a basic understanding of how plant-soil feedbacks vary between different habitats and soil types. Moreover, plant-soil feedbacks may not only affect community and ecosystem-level processes but may also contribute to evolutionary dynamics within species and affect genetic diversity. The overarching aim of this project is to assess variation in the strength and direction of plant-soil feedbacks along soil fertility gradients in temperate grassland ecosystems at local through to large spatial scales. The proposal includes high-quality training and knowledge exchange between three countries. By combining concepts and experimental approaches from different disciplines, such as plant ecology, soil science, population biology and evolutionary and microbial ecology, we will build a mechanistic framework to predict plant-soil feedbacks in different environmental contexts and to assess their contribution to the maintenance of genetic diversity within grassland plant species. Collectively, improved knowledge of plant-soil feedbacks along soil gradients will enhance our capacity to identify those ecosystems most vulnerable to human impacts, such as invasions and land use change, and will enhance conservation and restoration of natural habitats. This proposal contributes to addressing one of the most pertinent societal challenges – maintenance of biodiversity in the face of global change – and includes a range of activities to engage with different audiences and stakeholders on the topic of soil biodiversity.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018

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Coordinator

TARTU ULIKOOL
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 154 193,28
Address
ULIKOOLI 18
51005 TARTU
Estonia

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Region
Eesti Eesti Lõuna-Eesti
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 154 193,28
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