Soil microfauna mediate multifunctionality under multilevel warming in a primary forest

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Soil Science
• Climate Change Research

Background:

• Soil microfauna are vital for nutrient cycling (phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon).
• Climate warming impacts soil microfauna diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality.
• The precise relationship between warming levels and these soil processes is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how different levels of climate warming affect soil microfauna diversity and multifunctionality in a subtropical forest.
• To identify potential critical temperature thresholds for these responses.

Main Methods:

• A 3-year experiment using infrared heating systems to create five warming treatments (ambient, +0.8°C, +1.5°C, +3.0°C, +4.2°C).
• Monitoring soil surface temperature and assessing soil microfauna (nematodes, protists) diversity and soil multifunctionality in the 0-10 cm layer.

Main Results:

• Low warming (+0.8-1.5°C) significantly increased soil multifunctionality and the diversity of nematodes and protists.
• High warming (+4.2°C) significantly decreased these variables.
• A warming of +3.0°C showed no significant change, suggesting a critical threshold around this level.

Conclusions:

• Soil microfauna diversity and multifunctionality exhibit a non-linear response to warming, with low levels being beneficial and high levels detrimental.
• A warming threshold of approximately 3°C is identified for subtropical forests, crucial for developing climate change mitigation strategies.
• Understanding these microfauna-driven responses is key to predicting and managing ecosystem functions under global warming.