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Soil Homogenization: Plant Species Diversity, Ecosystem Properties And Soil Freezing Effects During Tallgrass Prairie Restoration, Holly J. Stover

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Tillage can increase soil uniformity in former agricultural sites. Within plant communities, niche-based species sorting may occur among distinct soil patches (microsites), increasing diversity, and the interfaces between microsites (microedges) also may provide unique microsites. However, the influence of soil homogenization and microedges on ecosystem processes and plant responses to stress have not been examined. My thesis assessed if adding microsites containing sand, woodchips, pits or mounds increased plant species diversity, productivity, decomposition and nitrogen retention (¹⁵N tracer) and buffered plant responses to soil freezing in a tallgrass prairie restoration on former cropland. Homogenization decreased diversity in flat …