Hamilton and Frank performed a 13C pulse-chase experiment on a common grazing tolerant grass, Poa pratensis, of Yellowstone National Park, to follow carbon flow into the soil rhizosphere and microbial biomass and the associated effects on soil N availability and plant N dynamics. Results showed that clipping of laboratory-grown plants led to increased root exudation of carbon and incorporation of exudate by rhizosphere microbes. This increase in microbe activity, in turn, led to more available nitrogen and an associated increase in nitrogen uptake, shoot nitrogen, and photosynthesis. The authors suggest that these laboratory-observed linkages provide a general positive feedback mechanism by which herbivory promotes plant regrowth as well as energy and nutrient flows in grazed landscapes.
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