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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 2, 2026

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

Soil biodiversity and soil community composition determine ecosystem multifunctionality.

Cameron Wagg¹, S Franz Bender, Franco Widmer

¹Plant Soil Interactions and Molecular Ecology, Institute for Sustainability Sciences, Agroscope, CH 8046 Zürich, Switzerland.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|March 19, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Soil biodiversity loss impairs crucial ecosystem functions like nutrient cycling and plant diversity. Protecting soil communities is vital for ecosystem health and sustainability.

Keywords:

ecology global change microbiome soil degradation symbiosis

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Last Updated: May 2, 2026

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Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Published on: July 24, 2018

Area of Science:

Ecology
Soil Science
Environmental Science

Background:

Global biodiversity loss is a concern, impacting ecosystem services.
Most research focuses on above-ground biodiversity, neglecting hidden soil biodiversity.
Soil biodiversity is declining due to land use intensification, necessitating further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of soil biodiversity loss on ecosystem functions.
To determine if simplified soil communities affect overall ecosystem performance.
To understand the relationship between soil community composition and ecosystem functioning.

Main Methods:

Established model grassland communities with varying soil communities (composition and diversity).
Assessed the impact of these soil communities on eight key ecosystem functions.
Analyzed the relationship between soil biodiversity indicators and ecosystem multifunctionality.

Main Results:

Soil biodiversity loss and simplification significantly impaired multiple ecosystem functions.
Key affected functions include plant diversity, decomposition, nutrient retention, and cycling.
Ecosystem multifunctionality showed a strong positive linear correlation with soil biodiversity indicators.

Conclusions:

Soil community composition is a critical regulator of ecosystem functioning.
Changes in soil communities and biodiversity loss threaten ecosystem multifunctionality.
Maintaining soil biodiversity is essential for ecosystem sustainability.