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Soil Protist Diversity and Biotic Interactions Shape Ecosystem Functions Under Climate Change.
Hongwei Liu1,2, Catarina S C Martins2, Guiyao Zhou3
1Grass-Microbe Applied and Innovation Lab, College of Agro-Grassland Science, Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing, China.
Global Change Biology
|January 12, 2026
Summary
Soil protists boost ecosystem functions like carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling. These crucial microbes enhance ecosystem resilience, particularly under drought stress, acting as key integrators in soil ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Soil ecology
- Microbial ecology
- Ecosystem science
Background:
- Soil protists are vital for ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) via predation and decomposition.
- The role of protist diversity and its interactions with other microbes and plants under drought stress is poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of protist diversity, microbial interactions, plant richness, and drought on EMF.
- To elucidate the specific contributions of protist diversity to ecosystem functions.
Main Methods:
- Factorial microcosm experiment manipulating microbial diversity, plant species richness, and drought stress.
- Analysis of soil samples using structural equation modeling (SEM) and multiple regression.
Main Results:
- Protist diversity positively correlated with EMF, carbon sequestration, soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, and nutrient cycling.
- Protist communities showed phylum-specific relationships with ecosystem functions.
- Under drought, protists acted as keystone taxa, enhancing network connectivity and ecosystem resilience.
Conclusions:
- Protists are multitrophic integrators in soil ecosystems.
- Protist diversity is crucial for maintaining EMF and ecosystem resilience, especially under environmental change.
- Protists play a key role in buffering soil ecosystems against global environmental change, particularly drought.
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