Belowground plant inputs exert higher metabolic activities and carbon use efficiency of soil nematodes than aboveground inputs

Soil nematodes are key components of soil food web and, through their metabolic activities, play a crucial role in carbon (C) cycling. Aboveground and belowground plant C inputs can directly, or indirectly via microbes, modify nematode abundance community composition. differ chemical composition, amounts, frequency, so we hypothesized that the two input pathways affect communities differently. To assess relative contributions aboveground versus to composition activity, subjected grassland soils four over consecutive years: no input, only (+A), (+B), both (+A + B). Nematode footprints, as estimates used growth/reproduction lost by respiration, use efficiency (C used/(C lost)) were calculated. We predicted with inputs, which more directly linked biota, contain labile blend molecules, would support richer complex communities, also favor bacterial-driven decomposition channel. Accordingly, showed B supported higher numbers than A soils, bacterial channel was dominant while fungal dominated soils. Compared +B system increased structure footprints (the upper functional guilds) rather enrichment opportunistic nematodes). Moreover, observed that, compared had growth respiration rates bacterivores, omnivores-predators, total nematodes. Finally, found values for omnivores-predators thus conclude plant-derived resources, changing ratio between fungivores induce faster turnover rate, activity within web, ultimately spurring efficient inputs.