Aims We examined how restoration affects the structure and function of grasslands belowground by relating changes in the morphology and architecture of root systems of dominant plants to the structure of soil food webs. Methods We measured changes in root traits of dominant plants ( Bouteloua gracilis and Pascopyrum smithii ) and related them to the diversity and feeding structure of soil nematodes across a restoration chronosequence in a mixed-grass prairie in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada. Results Root architecture and morphology of dominant grasses changed with restoration, and soil food webs in recently restored prairies centred around resources provided by roots. In contrast, food webs in a native prairie centred around the decomposition of soil organic matter and plant litter. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that changes in root traits following restoration can cascade through soil foodwebs, altering the function of restored prairies. Our study also highlights that the diversity and structure of soil nematodes can reflect changes in root traits of dominant plants. However, traits that generalize the whole root system may be insufficient to explain the causal relationship between root feeding nematodes and their resources.

中文翻译：

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根系特征能否预测恢复的北方大草原中土壤线虫的群落？

目的 我们通过将优势植物根系的形态和结构的变化与土壤食物网的结构联系起来，研究了恢复如何影响地下草地的结构和功能。方法我们测量了优势植物（Bouteloua gracilis 和 Pascopyrum smithii）根系性状的变化，并将它们与加拿大萨斯喀彻温省草原国家公园的混合草草原恢复时间序列中土壤线虫的多样性和摄食结构相关联。结果 优势草的根系结构和形态随着恢复而变化，最近恢复的草原中的土壤食物网以根提供的资源为中心。相比之下，原生草原中的食物网以土壤有机质和植物凋落物的分解为中心。结论 我们的研究表明，恢复后根系性状的变化可以通过土壤食物网级联，改变恢复草原的功能。我们的研究还强调，土壤线虫的多样性和结构可以反映优势植物根系性状的变化。然而，概括整个根系的特征可能不足以解释食根线虫与其资源之间的因果关系。