Fine - scale root community structure and below-ground responses to grazing show independence from above - ground patterns

Root biomass distribution and below-ground processes are the main drivers of plant community structure and dynamics in arid rangelands. However, despite their relevance, below-ground plant responses to disturbance regimes remain poorly understood. This knowledge is a pressing issue since most of our ideas derive from extrapolating above-ground ecological theory and data. Here, we asked how domestic grazing management changes (intensification and abandonment) impact on both below-ground species co-occurrence at microsite level (point-richness) in relation to above-ground patterns and below-ground biomass distribution of dominant graminoid species across different soil layers.