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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2025

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

Published on: March 21, 2025

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Geologically younger ecosystems are more dependent on soil biodiversity for supporting function.

Jiao Feng1,2, Yu-Rong Liu3,4,5, David Eldridge6

  • 1National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.

Nature Communications
|May 16, 2024
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Soil biodiversity is crucial for ecosystem functions in younger soils. As soils age, plant cover and microbial biomass reduce this dependence, highlighting biodiversity

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Area of Science:

  • Soil ecology
  • Ecosystem science
  • Biogeochemistry

Background:

  • Soil biodiversity provides essential metabolic functions for organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling.
  • Soil development over geological timescales may alter the reliance of ecosystem functions on biodiversity.
  • Factors like plant cover, soil carbon, and microbial biomass accumulate with soil age.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between soil biodiversity and ecosystem function across diverse ecosystems with varying soil ages.
  • To determine how soil age influences the dependence of soil functions on soil biodiversity.
  • To identify factors that mediate the biodiversity-function relationship over time.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of within-site soil biodiversity and function relationships.
  • Global survey of 87 ecosystems spanning centuries to millennia of soil age.
  • Statistical correlation of biodiversity-function relationships with soil age and environmental variables.

Main Results:

  • A negative correlation was found between soil age and the strength of the soil biodiversity-function relationship.
  • Geologically younger ecosystems show a stronger dependence of function on biodiversity compared to older ecosystems.
  • Increased plant cover, soil carbon, and microbial biomass, especially in wetter conditions, reduce the critical need for biodiversity to maintain functions.

Conclusions:

  • Soil biodiversity plays a more critical role in ecosystem functioning in younger, less developed soils.
  • Environmental factors like plant cover and microbial biomass can compensate for reduced biodiversity's impact on function in older soils.
  • The importance of soil biodiversity for ecosystem function is particularly pronounced in drier, geologically younger ecosystems with low microbial biomass.