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Nutrient enrichment causes soil acidification, which reduces soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions. This acidification impacts soil food webs, affecting nutrient cycling and overall ecosystem health.

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Area of Science:

  • Soil ecology
  • Global change biology
  • Ecosystem science

Background:

  • Nutrient enrichment disrupts aboveground biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
  • Nutrient enrichment also reduces soil biodiversity and weakens belowground biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships, but mechanisms are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of nutrient enrichment on soil properties, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions.
  • To identify the primary mechanisms linking nutrient enrichment to altered soil biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality.

Main Methods:

  • A 13-year field experiment involving nutrient additions (nitrogen and phosphorus).
  • Analysis of soil properties (pH, nutrient, and carbon availability).
  • Assessment of soil microbial (bacteria, fungi) and nematode diversity.
  • Measurement of ecosystem functions related to carbon and nutrient cycling.

Main Results:

  • Nutrient enrichment significantly reduced soil pH, inducing soil acidification.
  • Soil acidification, not nutrient or carbon availability, was the primary driver negatively impacting the soil diversity-ecosystem multifunctionality relationship.
  • Additions of nitrogen and phosphorus reduced bacterial, fungal, and nematode diversity.
  • Nutrient enrichment negatively affected ecosystem functions related to carbon and nutrient cycling.
  • Reduced microbial diversity had cascading negative effects on microbivorous nematode diversity.

Conclusions:

  • Soil acidification is a key mechanism through which nutrient enrichment impairs soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
  • Nutrient-induced acidification cascades through soil food webs, impacting higher trophic levels and ecosystem functioning.
  • Understanding nutrient-induced acidification is crucial for predicting and mitigating the impacts of global change on soil ecosystems.