The Belowground Plot Experiment at Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS) in eastern Kansas was initiated in 1986, with the specific objective of understanding the relationships between above- and belowground processes, and the effects of fire, grazing and nutrient additions on these processes. In order to achieve this objective, researchers at KPBS have periodically sampled several components of the belowground ecosystem including root and rhizome biomass and nutrients, fine root production and turnover, litter decomposition, soil C and N pools (stable, mineralizable, and microbial biomass), soil and soil solution chemistry, mycorrhizal spore densities, macroinvertebrates, microinvertebrates, and nematodes. Here we present a synthesis and review of published data from the Belowground Plot Experiment, along with some recent previously unreported data.
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