DIMIVEA - Microbial and Plant Diversity in Multi-Species Agroecosystems - Modelling Relationships

DIMIVEA aimed to model community biodiversity dynamics to better simulate the provision of ecosystem services. The project sought to go beyond current simplified models by integrating biological diversity into explicit and dynamic simulators. By focusing on the characteristics of plant and microbial communities in mixed plant covers, DIMIVEA aspires to provide a conceptual framework to extend model potential, allowing a more reliable estimation of ecological processes supporting ecosystem services in agroecosystems.

By focusing on the characteristics of plant and microbial communities in mixed vegetation cover, the consortium aims to provide a conceptual framework to extend the potential of models for reliable estimation of ecological processes supporting ecosystem services provided by these covers. Advancing towards the creation of explicit, dynamic, and integrated simulators of microbial and plant diversity, DIMIVEA represents a new paradigm that acknowledges the interconnected aspects of biological diversity in agroecosystem modelling studies.

Results

DIMIVEA, focused on understanding interactions between plant and microbial diversity in multi-species ecosystems, established conceptual bases by progressively integrating plant diversity dynamics into simulation models. These include a new integrated prototype aiming to simulate interactions among C-N flows, climate, and agricultural practices, while introducing plant diversity into C-N flow models. The prototyping approach sought to develop a dynamic conceptual framework linking biological diversity and biogeochemical fluxes, considering biomass, biogeochemical structure, and interactions with soil microorganisms.

The developed simulator offers a more accurate representation of C-N coupled cycles in agroecosystems, moving beyond usual simplified schemes by integrating explicit and dynamic biodiversity representation. Initially focused on carbon sequestration and biomass production, the project used coupled models ModVege (plant) and SYMPHONY (microbial).

Identified gaps in root representation, phenological dynamics, C/N ratio, and other processes will require parameter calibration to improve model accuracy. The dynamics of the C-N ratio and allocation within plants also play a crucial role to be explored.

Scientific perspectives

The results and questions that emerged following the DIMIVEA project motivated the implementation of the exploratory MODIMIV project ("Modeling relationships between microbial and plant diversity in multi-species agroecosystems")

Participants

INRAE units involved

• UREP - Écosystème Prairial
• UMR IAM - Interactions Arbres–Microorganismes
• UMR Agroécologie

Partners

• CREA - Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment (Italie)
• LIEC - Laboratoire interdisciplinaire des environnements continentaux - CNRS / Université de Lorraine