Soil bacterial functional diversity mirrors the loss of plant diversity by the expansion of a native tall-grass in high mountain grasslands

Background and Aims In highland ecosystems, global change processes are intense and foster vegetation shifts that may have an impact on soil functioning. Soil bacterial communities may be particularly sensitive to these changing scenarios. The aim of this research is to determine whether the loss of floristic diversity caused by the unusual dominance of a native component -the perennial grass Brachypodium rupestre (L.) Beauv., which is expanding aggressively in natural grasslands of the Western Pyrenees-, parallels a decrease of the soil bacterial functional diversity and their potential for nutrient transformations.