Effect of coffee farming on soil biota

What happens in the soil when forests are replaced by monocultures? Find out in the Early View paper “Habitat-specific positive and negative effects of soil biota on seedling growth in a fragmented tropical montane landscape” by Camila Pizano and co-workers. Below is the author’s summary of the study:

In this study we showed evidence that when montane tropical forests are replaced by monocultures of coffee and pasture grasses, plant-soil interactions change. Plant-soil interactions have been found to mediate the coexistence between plant species, and maintain biodiversity across a wide array of habitat types. However, we still have a poor understanding on how these interactions vary across neighboring habitat types dominated by different plant species. Furthermore, there are few studies on plant-soil interactions that have been done in both the greenhouse and the field.n this study we showed evidence from the greenhouse and the field that when montane tropical forests are replaced by monocultures of coffee and pasture grasses, plant-soil interactions change. Pastures accumulate soil organisms that are detrimental to pasture grasses and slow growing shade-tolerant tree species but are beneficial for fast growing, pioneer forest tree species. Forests accumulate soil organisms detrimental for pioneer species, but beneficial for slow growing, shade-tolerant forest tree species. And coffee plantations contain soil organisms that enhace the growth of pasture grass and pioneer forest tree species, but decrease the growth of shade-tolerant forest trees. These results suggest that the soil biota present in agricultural lands benefits primary sucession of montane tropical forests, but hinder the establishment of late sucessional forest species. Soil organisms in pastures also hinder the growth of pasture species that are important for cattle production.