Multiple anthropogenic pressures eliminate the effects of soil microbial diversity on ecosystem functions in experimental microcosms

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 4260
• Main Authors: Yang, Gaowen, Ryo, Masahiro, Roy, Julien, Lammel, Daniel R., Ballhausen, Max-Bernhard, Jing, Xin, Zhu, Xuefeng, Rillig, Matthias C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 23.07.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 49/22; 49/23; 631/158/670; 704/158/2165; Anthropogenic factors; Biodiversity; Ecosystem management; Ecosystems; Fungi; Humanities and Social Sciences; Microcosms; Microorganisms; multidisciplinary; Relative abundance; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Soil microorganisms; Soil properties; Soils; Wildlife conservation
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31936-7

Biodiversity is crucial for the provision of ecosystem functions. However, ecosystems are now exposed to a rapidly growing number of anthropogenic pressures, and it remains unknown whether biodiversity can still promote ecosystem functions under multifaceted pressures. Here we investigated the effects of soil microbial diversity on soil functions and properties when faced with an increasing number of simultaneous global change factors in experimental microcosms. Higher soil microbial diversity had a positive effect on soil functions and properties when no or few (i.e., 1–4) global change factors were applied, but this positive effect was eliminated by the co-occurrence of numerous global change factors. This was attributable to the reduction of soil fungal abundance and the relative abundance of an ecological cluster of coexisting soil bacterial and fungal taxa. Our study indicates that reducing the number of anthropogenic pressures should be a goal in ecosystem management, in addition to biodiversity conservation. It is unclear whether the positive effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning are maintained under multifaceted anthropogenic disturbance. In this experiment, the authors show that multiple simultaneous stressors can negate the positive effect of microbial diversity on soil functions.