University of New Hampshire Scholars\u27 Repository
Abstract
This project was designed to better understand the roles of soil biota in 1 mediating native species-NIS interactions and 2 facilitating the recovery of degraded ecosystems. The associated Research Needs were listed as follows 1. To quantify the functional diversity of soil biota and the role of key taxa in maintaining desired functional ecosystem attributes 2. To identify processes by which desired soil properties and associated soil biotic communities are degraded by NIS invasion and test potential mechanisms to restore them 3. To examine the role of disturbance in determining the functional attributes of the soil community 4. To test how the soil community and nutrient cycling may be adversely impacted by regional and global change stressors 5. To elucidate the role of soil in mediating interactions between native species and NIS 6. To provide innovative approaches to the study of soil ecology and their implications for management
