The GAIN-GRASS project seeks in particular to understand why in some tropical savannas, primary productivity can be as high as in tropical rain forests, although savannas are extremely constrained by many factors. Such high productivity may be partly due to the capacity of perennial grasses (Poaceae) to inhibit nitrification (by a process called Biological Nitrification Inhibition) thus limiting possible losses of nitrate, leading to more nitrogen (N)-conservative ecosystem. So far, it is however not known how common such a capacity is among tropical grasses across the globe. For the first time, a worldwide sampling of savanna soils has been done, which can make it possible to compare the soil microbial diversity in these ecosystems in relation to plant, soil, and environmental drivers (soil characteristics, climate, fire, and herbivory intensity). The aim of the sequencing project is to analyze the microbial diversity (bacteria, archaea, fungi diversity) and to answer the main questions of the GAIN-GRASS project.
Related team publications: