Drought responses of root biomass provide an indicator of soil microbial drought resistance in grass monocultures

Plant species may exert a strong influence on soil biological properties, but the linkages between plant and soil responses to severe drought remain unclear. We conducted an outdoor mesocosm experiment with five upland grass species and one Mediterranean drought-resistant grass cultivar to investigate the effects of root biomass and rhizosphere conditions on the drought responses of soil microbial biomass in the topsoil. In particular, we...