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Soil multitrophic network complexity enhances the link between biodiversity and multifunctionality in agricultural
Shuo Jiao1,2, Yahai Lu2, Gehong Wei1
1State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Global Change Biology
|October 5, 2021
Summary
Soil biodiversity significantly enhances ecosystem functions like crop yield and nutrient cycling in agricultural fields. Soil network complexity, involving smaller organisms, is key to these biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships.
Area of Science:
- Soil ecology
- Agricultural science
- Ecosystem services
Background:
- Belowground biodiversity is crucial for ecosystem functions and services.
- Understanding biodiversity-ecosystem function (BEF) relationships is vital, especially in managed agricultural systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the determinants of BEF relationships in agricultural ecosystems.
- To explore the links between soil biodiversity and multiple ecosystem functions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of soil biodiversity across multiple organism groups in 228 agricultural fields.
- Assessment of ecosystem functions including crop yield, nutrient provisioning, element cycling, and pathogen control.
- Examination of how organism traits (size, trophic level) and network complexity influence BEF relationships.
Main Results:
- Significant positive relationships were found between soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
- BEF relationships varied based on organism type, with smaller organisms (archaea, bacteria, fungi) showing stronger links than larger ones (invertebrates).
- Soil network complexity, indicated by co-occurrence patterns, enhanced the connection between soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
Conclusions:
- Soil biodiversity positively impacts agricultural ecosystem functions.
- Soil network complexity is a critical factor for enhancing ecosystem productivity and sustainability.
- Future strategies for land-use intensification should consider soil multitrophic network complexity.
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