Consumers stabilize grassland ecosystem functions by destabilizing belowground communities under abiotic stress

Consumers play a critical role in mediating plant and ecosystem responses to abiotic stress, yet their influence on belowground processes under changing environmental conditions remains underexplored. Insect consumers are vital components of grassland ecosystems that can shape ecosystem function and stability by mitigating how plant and microbial communities respond to abiotic stress, like drought. This study investigates how small-bodied consumers influence the magnitude and stability of grassland belowground functions across gradients of abiotic stress. We conducted a fully factorial field experiment manipulating consumer presence and induced drought over a growing season. Our results reveal that the presence of consumers stabilizes bacterial biomass and microbial activity across variable soil moisture conditions. Interestingly, this consumer-induced increase in ecosystem stability was driven by a destabilization of microbial communities, as indicated by increased variability in bacterial community composition and abundance. Consumer presence also shifted soil bacterial community composition and richness, while fungal communities were less affected. Combined, our results highlight another important dimension of ecosystem stability: community responsiveness and rapid adaptability. Additionally, our findings underscore the critical role of consumers in maintaining belowground ecosystem stability and highlight the need to consider trophic interactions when predicting the impacts of global change on grassland ecosystems.