Soil Acidification Reshapes Microbial Trophic Interactions, with Implications for Plant Responses and Ecosystem...

Area of Science:

• Soil Science
• Microbiology
• Ecology

Background:

• Soil acidification is a major abiotic stress in agriculture, impacting plant performance and nutrient availability.
• Long-term tea plantations exemplify chronic soil acidification, influencing microbial communities.
• Research on soil acidification has primarily focused on bacteria and fungi, neglecting protists.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize knowledge on microbial communities in acidified soils.
• To highlight the importance of protist-mediated trophic interactions in linking abiotic stress to plant-soil processes.
• To propose a conceptual framework integrating environmental filtering and trophic perspectives for acidified soils.

Main Methods:

• Literature synthesis of microbial responses to soil acidification.
• Review of protist roles in soil ecosystems.
• Analysis of trophic interactions in acidified environments.

Main Results:

• Soil acidification filters microbial communities and can reshape trophic interactions.
• Protist-mediated interactions may influence nutrient cycling, pathogen suppression, and plant responses.
• Tea plantations offer model systems to study abiotic constraints and biotic interactions.

Conclusions:

• Protist-mediated trophic regulation is a critical but underexplored aspect of acidified soils.
• Further experimental validation is needed to link protist roles to ecosystem functioning in tea plantations.
• Understanding these interactions is crucial for predicting plant-microbiome dynamics under environmental change.