Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103783
Debao Li , Yan Li , Haibian Xu , Jianping Wu
Biodiversity plays a crucial role in regulating ecosystem functions. However, the contribution of β-diversity to ecosystem functioning remains less well understood than that of α-diversity, especially in the context of global change. Here, we evaluated the impact of nitrogen addition and understory removal on the association between soil microbial β-diversity and soil respiration in a subtropical planted forest using a five-year factorial experiment. Four treatments were compared: a control, canopy nitrogen addition (2.5 g N m−2 year−1), understory removal, and nitrogen addition combined with understory removal. We found that both understory removal and nitrogen addition significantly altered the soil temperature, moisture, nutrient availability, and pH, leading to strong environmental filtering. This strengthened the role of deterministic processes (i.e., homogeneous selection) in bacterial community assembly. The dominance of homogeneous selection in community assembly reduced bacterial β-diversity. By contrast, nitrogen addition and understory removal did not impact soil fungal community assembly or β-diversity. In addition, soil bacterial β-diversity correlated positively with respiration, unlike fungal β-diversity, which showed no link. Our findings suggest that local-scale disturbances can disrupt bacterial-driven ecosystem processes in forest plantation. Furthermore, the presence of understory vegetation can at least partially mitigate the effects of nitrogen deposition on soil bacterial β-diversity and soil respiration. Therefore, the preservation of understory vegetation may sustain soil functional diversity in plantations experiencing high rates of nitrogen deposition.
生物多样性在调节生态系统功能中起着至关重要的作用。然而，与α-多样性相比，β-多样性对生态系统功能的贡献仍然较少，特别是在全球变化的背景下。通过5年因子试验，研究了氮添加和林下植被去除对亚热带人工林土壤微生物β多样性与土壤呼吸关系的影响。对照、冠层加氮（2.5 g N m−2年−1年）、去除林下植被、加氮+去除林下植被4种处理进行了比较。研究发现，林下植被去除和氮素添加均显著改变了土壤温度、湿度、养分有效性和pH值，导致了强烈的环境过滤作用。这加强了确定性过程（即同质选择）在细菌群落组装中的作用。群落组装中同质选择的优势降低了细菌β多样性。氮素添加和林下植被去除对土壤真菌群落组合和β多样性没有影响。土壤细菌β多样性与呼吸作用呈显著正相关，而真菌β多样性与呼吸作用无显著正相关。我们的研究结果表明，局部尺度的干扰可以破坏森林人工林中细菌驱动的生态系统过程。此外，林下植被的存在至少可以部分缓解氮沉降对土壤细菌β多样性和土壤呼吸的影响。因此，在高氮沉降速率的人工林中，保护林下植被可以维持土壤功能的多样性。
{"title":"Linking microbial community assembly to β-diversity and soil respiration under canopy nitrogen addition and understory removal in a subtropical forest","authors":"Debao Li , Yan Li , Haibian Xu , Jianping Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103783","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103783","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biodiversity plays a crucial role in regulating ecosystem functions. However, the contribution of β-diversity to ecosystem functioning remains less well understood than that of α-diversity, especially in the context of global change. Here, we evaluated the impact of nitrogen addition and understory removal on the association between soil microbial β-diversity and soil respiration in a subtropical planted forest using a five-year factorial experiment. Four treatments were compared: a control, canopy nitrogen addition (2.5 g N m<sup>−2</sup> year<sup>−1</sup>), understory removal, and nitrogen addition combined with understory removal. We found that both understory removal and nitrogen addition significantly altered the soil temperature, moisture, nutrient availability, and pH, leading to strong environmental filtering. This strengthened the role of deterministic processes (i.e., homogeneous selection) in bacterial community assembly. The dominance of homogeneous selection in community assembly reduced bacterial β-diversity. By contrast, nitrogen addition and understory removal did not impact soil fungal community assembly or β-diversity. In addition, soil bacterial β-diversity correlated positively with respiration, unlike fungal β-diversity, which showed no link. Our findings suggest that local-scale disturbances can disrupt bacterial-driven ecosystem processes in forest plantation. Furthermore, the presence of understory vegetation can at least partially mitigate the effects of nitrogen deposition on soil bacterial β-diversity and soil respiration. Therefore, the preservation of understory vegetation may sustain soil functional diversity in plantations experiencing high rates of nitrogen deposition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103783"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145424537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103781
Yuexiong Wang , Zhenchang Wang , Jinjing Liu , Rangjian Qiu , Cheng Hong , Minghao Tian , Kexin Chen , Xiaoman Qiang
Soil texture heterogeneity together with agronomic practices like drip irrigation, furrow-bed seeding, and straw mulching often introduces abrupt changes in soil physical properties, causing uneven soil salinity (Sa) and nitrogen (N) distribution in the root-zone. While rhizosphere bacterial and plant responses to Sa or N heterogeneity have been widely investigated, N supply modes may alter root responses to heterogeneous Sa stress and simultaneously influence bacterial communities. To elucidate the coupled impacts of heterogeneous Sa and N on plant growth and rhizosphere bacteria as well as their relationships, two Sa distribution patterns (Sa1: 1/5 g kg−1 NaCl on the low-/high-salinity sides; Sa2: 3/3 g kg−1 NaCl) and three N supply modes (N1: 270/0 mg kg−1 N; N2: 0/270 mg kg−1 N; N3: 135/135 mg kg−1 N) were implemented. Herein, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and co-occurrence network analysis revealed bacterial community characteristics and network topological features under different treatments. We found that compared to uniform Sa distribution, uneven distribution of Sa significantly increased root biomass and surface area on the low-salinity side, thereby facilitating compensatory uptake of water and nutrients and ultimately increasing tomato total biomass and N content. Besides, N supply modes altered plant root responses to Sa heterogeneity, with N2 and N3 tomatoes exhibiting greater total N content and biomass in plants than N1 under the Sa1 distribution. Compared to the Sa2N3 treatment, the Sa1N2 treatment increased the Chao1 index and enriched beneficial core rhizobacteria such as Acidobacteriota, enhancing potential cooperation among rare taxa. The above shifts were primarily driven by heterogeneous Sa, which altered soil water content, soil NO3-N content, EC1:5, and root distribution, thereby restructuring bacterial community composition and co-occurrence network patterns. The SEM model further indicated that variations in bacterial diversity (Chao1 index) reshaped functional profiles, thereby regulating N availability. Additionally, the Chao1 index exhibited significant positive relationships with tomato total biomass, particularly Chao1 index on the low-salinity side. This study highlights the importance of bacterial diversity of rare taxa as predictors for reflecting the coupling effect of heterogeneous salinity and nitrogen on plant growth, thereby deepening our understanding of the contribution of bacteria in plant responses to salinity-nitrogen heterogeneity.
土壤质地的异质性，加上滴灌、沟床播种和秸秆覆盖等农艺措施，往往会导致土壤物理性质的突变，导致根区土壤盐分（Sa）和氮(N)分布不均匀。虽然根际细菌和植物对Sa或N异质性的响应已被广泛研究，但N供应模式可能会改变根对异质Sa胁迫的响应，同时影响细菌群落。为了阐明非均质Sa和N对植物生长和根际细菌的耦合影响及其相互关系，采用2种Sa分布模式（低/高盐侧Sa1: 1/5 g kg - 1 NaCl； Sa2: 3/3 g kg - 1 NaCl）和3种N供应模式（N1: 270/0 mg kg - 1 N; N2: 0/270 mg kg - 1 N; N3: 135/135 mg kg - 1 N）进行研究。通过16S rRNA基因扩增子测序和共现网络分析，揭示了不同处理下细菌群落特征和网络拓扑结构特征。研究发现，与均匀分布的Sa相比，不均匀分布的Sa显著增加了低盐侧根系生物量和表面积，从而促进了水分和养分的补偿性吸收，最终提高了番茄总生物量和氮含量。此外，氮供应模式改变了植株根系对Sa异质性的响应，在Sa1分布下，N2和N3番茄的植株总氮含量和生物量均高于N1。与Sa2N3处理相比，Sa1N2处理提高了Chao1指数，丰富了有益的核心根瘤菌，如酸性菌群，增强了稀有类群之间的合作潜力。上述变化主要由非均质Sa驱动，改变了土壤含水量、土壤NO3-N含量、EC1:5和根系分布，从而重构了细菌群落组成和共生网络格局。SEM模型进一步表明，细菌多样性（Chao1指数）的变化重塑了功能谱，从而调节氮的有效性。此外，Chao1指数与番茄总生物量呈极显著正相关，特别是低盐侧的Chao1指数。本研究强调了稀有分类群细菌多样性作为反映非均质盐氮对植物生长耦合效应的预测因子的重要性，从而加深了我们对细菌在植物对盐氮非均质响应中的贡献的认识。
{"title":"Heterogeneous salinity and nitrogen in the root-zone influences soil water status, rhizosphere bacteria distributions and promotes tomato growth","authors":"Yuexiong Wang , Zhenchang Wang , Jinjing Liu , Rangjian Qiu , Cheng Hong , Minghao Tian , Kexin Chen , Xiaoman Qiang","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103781","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103781","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil texture heterogeneity together with agronomic practices like drip irrigation, furrow-bed seeding, and straw mulching often introduces abrupt changes in soil physical properties, causing uneven soil salinity (Sa) and nitrogen (N) distribution in the root-zone. While rhizosphere bacterial and plant responses to Sa or N heterogeneity have been widely investigated, N supply modes may alter root responses to heterogeneous Sa stress and simultaneously influence bacterial communities. To elucidate the coupled impacts of heterogeneous Sa and N on plant growth and rhizosphere bacteria as well as their relationships, two Sa distribution patterns (Sa1: 1/5 g kg<sup>−1</sup> NaCl on the low-/high-salinity sides; Sa2: 3/3 g kg<sup>−1</sup> NaCl) and three N supply modes (N1: 270/0 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> N; N2: 0/270 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> N; N3: 135/135 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> N) were implemented. Herein, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and co-occurrence network analysis revealed bacterial community characteristics and network topological features under different treatments. We found that compared to uniform Sa distribution, uneven distribution of Sa significantly increased root biomass and surface area on the low-salinity side, thereby facilitating compensatory uptake of water and nutrients and ultimately increasing tomato total biomass and N content. Besides, N supply modes altered plant root responses to Sa heterogeneity, with N2 and N3 tomatoes exhibiting greater total N content and biomass in plants than N1 under the Sa1 distribution. Compared to the Sa2N3 treatment, the Sa1N2 treatment increased the Chao1 index and enriched beneficial core rhizobacteria such as <em>Acidobacteriota</em>, enhancing potential cooperation among rare taxa. The above shifts were primarily driven by heterogeneous Sa, which altered soil water content, soil NO<sub>3</sub>-N content, EC<sub>1:5,</sub> and root distribution, thereby restructuring bacterial community composition and co-occurrence network patterns. The SEM model further indicated that variations in bacterial diversity (Chao1 index) reshaped functional profiles, thereby regulating N availability. Additionally, the Chao1 index exhibited significant positive relationships with tomato total biomass, particularly Chao1 index on the low-salinity side. This study highlights the importance of bacterial diversity of rare taxa as predictors for reflecting the coupling effect of heterogeneous salinity and nitrogen on plant growth, thereby deepening our understanding of the contribution of bacteria in plant responses to salinity-nitrogen heterogeneity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103781"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145424536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-31DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103782
Joliese Teunissen , Anne Kupczok , Dirk F. van Apeldoorn , Stefan Geisen
The current crop system needs to become more sustainable to halt the severe environmental impacts associated with intensive monocultures. Alternative agricultural methods, like intercropping, could increase sustainability by better utilizing the biological functions of the plant-soil ecosystem, particularly through plant-associated bacteria. Soil bacteria are key players in supplying many ecosystem functions and thus contribute to plant performance. The effect of intercropping on soil bacteria is a crucial but understudied part of integrating intercropping into the global agricultural system. Here we characterized the effect of intercropping on soil bacterial communities, by comparing intra-versus interspecific crop interactions within one organic strip-intercropping field. We determined the alpha diversity and community composition of soil bacteria across 8 crop species and 16 crop combinations. We found that bacterial alpha diversity was not affected by crop species or crop combination. In contrast, bacterial community composition was influenced by crop species, with certain crops such as parsnip, potato and celeriac shaping their associated bacterial community in both intra- and interspecific crop interactions. Minute differences (<3 %) in soil moisture between crop species determined the strongest patterns observed here. Our findings highlight that crop diversification in the context of strip-intercropping does not always modulate soil bacterial communities under field conditions.
{"title":"Strip-intercropping of eight crop species shows limited within-field variation of soil bacterial communities","authors":"Joliese Teunissen , Anne Kupczok , Dirk F. van Apeldoorn , Stefan Geisen","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103782","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103782","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current crop system needs to become more sustainable to halt the severe environmental impacts associated with intensive monocultures. Alternative agricultural methods, like intercropping, could increase sustainability by better utilizing the biological functions of the plant-soil ecosystem, particularly through plant-associated bacteria. Soil bacteria are key players in supplying many ecosystem functions and thus contribute to plant performance. The effect of intercropping on soil bacteria is a crucial but understudied part of integrating intercropping into the global agricultural system. Here we characterized the effect of intercropping on soil bacterial communities, by comparing intra-versus interspecific crop interactions within one organic strip-intercropping field. We determined the alpha diversity and community composition of soil bacteria across 8 crop species and 16 crop combinations. We found that bacterial alpha diversity was not affected by crop species or crop combination. In contrast, bacterial community composition was influenced by crop species, with certain crops such as parsnip, potato and celeriac shaping their associated bacterial community in both intra- and interspecific crop interactions. Minute differences (<3 %) in soil moisture between crop species determined the strongest patterns observed here. Our findings highlight that crop diversification in the context of strip-intercropping does not always modulate soil bacterial communities under field conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103782"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145424535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-30DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103778
Jing Lu , Yongfen Long , Bin Hou , Xuetao Guo , Yu Zhang , Hongjuan Bai , Yating Jia
The ecological risks posed by soil microplastics contamination have become a growing global concern. Although the effect of microplastics on topsoil physicochemical properties and microbial composition have attracted attention, variations in enzyme activities and microbial succession across different soil depths remain unexplored. In this study, a two-month incubation experiment was conducted to assess the effects of low-density polyethylene microplastics (LDPE-MP) at varying concentrations (0.5 % and 2.0 %) on enzyme activities and microbial communities across vertical soil profiles. The results indicated that LDPE-MP improved the activities of urease and fluorescein diacetate esterase (FDAse) while inhibiting alkaline phosphatase (AKP), with these effects showing limited concentration-dependent patterns within the tested range. Furthermore, LDPE-MP decreased the species richness and α-diversity of bacterial community, primarily impacting non-dominant taxa rather than keystone species. This selective perturbation weakened microbial network interactions, diminishing community complexity and ecological stability. Notably, LDPE-MP stimulated the proliferation of cooperative metabolic genera (including denitrifying bacteria, carbon catabolism bacteria, and MP degradation bacteria), but competitively inhibited the growth of nitrogen-fixing and assimilation bacteria and phosphate conversion bacteria. These alterations might potentially alter nitrogen/carbon cycle and soil fertility. Interestingly, these effects are more pronounced in the topsoil than subsurface soil, indicating that their adverse impacts at the subsurface soil layer are mitigated. In addition, synergistic relationships were observed between MP-associated bacteria and taxa producing FDAse/urease, explaining enhanced MP physicochemical alterations in topsoil. The study underscored how microplastics exposure impact the soil bacterial communities and soil functions by restructuring the microbial interaction network across soil depths.
{"title":"Effects of low-density polyethylene microplastics on soil functions and microbial communities across soil depths","authors":"Jing Lu , Yongfen Long , Bin Hou , Xuetao Guo , Yu Zhang , Hongjuan Bai , Yating Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103778","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103778","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ecological risks posed by soil microplastics contamination have become a growing global concern. Although the effect of microplastics on topsoil physicochemical properties and microbial composition have attracted attention, variations in enzyme activities and microbial succession across different soil depths remain unexplored. In this study, a two-month incubation experiment was conducted to assess the effects of low-density polyethylene microplastics (LDPE-MP) at varying concentrations (0.5 % and 2.0 %) on enzyme activities and microbial communities across vertical soil profiles. The results indicated that LDPE-MP improved the activities of urease and fluorescein diacetate esterase (FDAse) while inhibiting alkaline phosphatase (AKP), with these effects showing limited concentration-dependent patterns within the tested range. Furthermore, LDPE-MP decreased the species richness and α-diversity of bacterial community, primarily impacting non-dominant taxa rather than keystone species. This selective perturbation weakened microbial network interactions, diminishing community complexity and ecological stability. Notably, LDPE-MP stimulated the proliferation of cooperative metabolic genera (including denitrifying bacteria, carbon catabolism bacteria, and MP degradation bacteria), but competitively inhibited the growth of nitrogen-fixing and assimilation bacteria and phosphate conversion bacteria. These alterations might potentially alter nitrogen/carbon cycle and soil fertility. Interestingly, these effects are more pronounced in the topsoil than subsurface soil, indicating that their adverse impacts at the subsurface soil layer are mitigated. In addition, synergistic relationships were observed between MP-associated bacteria and taxa producing FDAse/urease, explaining enhanced MP physicochemical alterations in topsoil. The study underscored how microplastics exposure impact the soil bacterial communities and soil functions by restructuring the microbial interaction network across soil depths.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103778"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145424533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-27DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103780
Wangwang Xu , Zijian Zhao , JingXia Gao , Qianqian Ma , Fengbao Zhang , Hongbing Li , Hua Xie
The adverse effects of long-term monoculture increasingly threaten the sustainable development of the capsicum industry, leading to soil degradation and yield decline. Although monoculture systems exhibit favorable economic benefits in the early years, these advantages gradually diminish and transform into negative impacts with prolonged cultivation. However, during this transition, the changes in soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities, as well as their potential coupling mechanisms, remain unclear. In this study, soils from capsicum monocultures of 1, 2, 7, and 11 years (Y1, Y2, Y7, and Y11) were used to examine the effects of monoculture duration on soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities. Results showed that with increasing years of monoculture, soil pH in Y2, Y7, and Y11 decreased by 0.03–0.33 units compared with Y1, whereas electrical conductivity (EC), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), and saturated hydraulic conductivity (SHC) increased by 48.49–87.48 %, 163.24–342.54 %, 43.25–71.57 %, and 80.0–240.0 %, respectively. In contrast, total nitrogen (TN) and soil organic matter (SOM) increased by 24.50 % and 44.44 %, respectively, in short-term monoculture (Y2) compared with Y1, but both gradually declined with increasing monoculture duration. Nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) and soil aggregate stability (WAS) remained relatively stable in the short term but declined markedly in the long term, with reductions of 69.30 % and 55.92 % in Y11 compared with Y1. In terms of microbial communities, short-term monoculture increased copiotrophic taxa (e.g., Proteobacteria, Mortierellomycota), whereas long-term monoculture reduced oligotrophic taxa (e.g., Acidobacteriota, Rokubacteria) and key nitrogen-cycling bacteria (e.g., Nitrospira). Simultaneously, long-term monoculture decreased the average degree, network density, and proportion of positive correlations in bacterial and fungal networks, thereby reducing community structural stability. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further indicated that pH, WAS, and NO3−-N were the key factors influencing bacterial communities. These findings reveal that while short-term monoculture promotes nutrient release, long-term monoculture leads to nutrient imbalance, reduced aggregate stability, and disrupted microbial community structures, ultimately weakening carbon and nitrogen cycling functions and severely constraining the sustainable development of the capsicum industry.
{"title":"The temporal dynamics of soil properties and microbial community structure under capsicum monoculture","authors":"Wangwang Xu , Zijian Zhao , JingXia Gao , Qianqian Ma , Fengbao Zhang , Hongbing Li , Hua Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103780","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103780","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The adverse effects of long-term monoculture increasingly threaten the sustainable development of the capsicum industry, leading to soil degradation and yield decline. Although monoculture systems exhibit favorable economic benefits in the early years, these advantages gradually diminish and transform into negative impacts with prolonged cultivation. However, during this transition, the changes in soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities, as well as their potential coupling mechanisms, remain unclear. In this study, soils from capsicum monocultures of 1, 2, 7, and 11 years (Y1, Y2, Y7, and Y11) were used to examine the effects of monoculture duration on soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities. Results showed that with increasing years of monoculture, soil pH in Y2, Y7, and Y11 decreased by 0.03–0.33 units compared with Y1, whereas electrical conductivity (EC), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), and saturated hydraulic conductivity (SHC) increased by 48.49–87.48 %, 163.24–342.54 %, 43.25–71.57 %, and 80.0–240.0 %, respectively. In contrast, total nitrogen (TN) and soil organic matter (SOM) increased by 24.50 % and 44.44 %, respectively, in short-term monoculture (Y2) compared with Y1, but both gradually declined with increasing monoculture duration. Nitrate nitrogen (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>-N) and soil aggregate stability (WAS) remained relatively stable in the short term but declined markedly in the long term, with reductions of 69.30 % and 55.92 % in Y11 compared with Y1. In terms of microbial communities, short-term monoculture increased copiotrophic taxa (e.g., <em>Proteobacteria</em>, <em>Mortierellomycota</em>), whereas long-term monoculture reduced oligotrophic taxa (e.g., <em>Acidobacteriota</em>, <em>Rokubacteria</em>) and key nitrogen-cycling bacteria (e.g., <em>Nitrospira</em>). Simultaneously, long-term monoculture decreased the average degree, network density, and proportion of positive correlations in bacterial and fungal networks, thereby reducing community structural stability. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further indicated that pH, WAS, and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>-N were the key factors influencing bacterial communities. These findings reveal that while short-term monoculture promotes nutrient release, long-term monoculture leads to nutrient imbalance, reduced aggregate stability, and disrupted microbial community structures, ultimately weakening carbon and nitrogen cycling functions and severely constraining the sustainable development of the capsicum industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103780"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145424534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-25DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103779
Xu Han , Tingting Xia , Kaiping Shen , Bangli Wu , Yuejun He
The interactions of plants and soil mediated by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi usually cause changes in soil biotic and abiotic conditions, further shifting subsequent plant performance during the plant-soil feedback (PSF). AM fungal propagules can initiate colonization to establish symbiosis that modulates host growth and soil nutrient availability. However, how AM fungi affect symbiotic performance and soil nutrients via fungal propagules to drive PSF remains unclear. In the present study, a PSF experiment was conducted, in which two grasses and two forbs were planted into pots with or without AM fungus Funneliformis mosseae to create conditioned soil substrates. Subsequently, these plants were planted separately into the conditioned soil substrates in feedback phase. The results showed that AM propagule legacy of the soil conditioning phase was positively related to mycorrhizal colonization, soil hyphal length and spores of the feedback phase. Mycorrhizal colonization and hyphal length were greater in forbs than in grasses in the feedback phase. AM fungus significantly promoted plant biomass production. Simultaneously, AM fungus enhanced positive feedback for forbs and negative feedback for grasses, but the mycorrhizal promotion on biomass production differently decreased in conspecific and heterospecific soils over time. Moreover, AM fungus altered soil nutrient legacy in the PSF. The structural equation model further presented that AM fungal performance was primarily determined by previous AM propagules, while the AM fungal performance and subsequent soil nutrients exerted direct and indirect promotions on the PSF of biomass production. We concluded that AM fungus promotes PSF of biomass production by modulating soil nutrients, with persistent contributions to biomass production in conspecific and heterospecific plants decreasing over time. This study highlights the persistent contribution of AM fungi in driving PSF process, which contributes to understanding the dynamic mechanisms of plant-mycorrhizae-soil interactions in the natural community.
{"title":"How arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus alters plant-soil feedback affecting biomass production in conspecific and heterospecific plants","authors":"Xu Han , Tingting Xia , Kaiping Shen , Bangli Wu , Yuejun He","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103779","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The interactions of plants and soil mediated by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi usually cause changes in soil biotic and abiotic conditions, further shifting subsequent plant performance during the plant-soil feedback (PSF). AM fungal propagules can initiate colonization to establish symbiosis that modulates host growth and soil nutrient availability. However, how AM fungi affect symbiotic performance and soil nutrients via fungal propagules to drive PSF remains unclear. In the present study, a PSF experiment was conducted, in which two grasses and two forbs were planted into pots with or without AM fungus <em>Funneliformis mosseae</em> to create conditioned soil substrates. Subsequently, these plants were planted separately into the conditioned soil substrates in feedback phase. The results showed that AM propagule legacy of the soil conditioning phase was positively related to mycorrhizal colonization, soil hyphal length and spores of the feedback phase. Mycorrhizal colonization and hyphal length were greater in forbs than in grasses in the feedback phase. AM fungus significantly promoted plant biomass production. Simultaneously, AM fungus enhanced positive feedback for forbs and negative feedback for grasses, but the mycorrhizal promotion on biomass production differently decreased in conspecific and heterospecific soils over time. Moreover, AM fungus altered soil nutrient legacy in the PSF. The structural equation model further presented that AM fungal performance was primarily determined by previous AM propagules, while the AM fungal performance and subsequent soil nutrients exerted direct and indirect promotions on the PSF of biomass production. We concluded that AM fungus promotes PSF of biomass production by modulating soil nutrients, with persistent contributions to biomass production in conspecific and heterospecific plants decreasing over time. This study highlights the persistent contribution of AM fungi in driving PSF process, which contributes to understanding the dynamic mechanisms of plant-mycorrhizae-soil interactions in the natural community.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103779"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145358163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-22DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103777
Andrés A. Salazar-Fillippo , Rudy van Diggelen , Jozef Stary , Ladislav Miko , Jan Frouz
Mining severely impacts ecosystems, yet our understanding of how biotic communities and environmental conditions co-develop during post-disturbance recovery remains limited. This knowledge is crucial for assessing restoration efforts in post-mining sites, which also offer ideal conditions to study how the ecosystem assembles during succession. This is particularly relevant for soil communities that are often overlooked but play a pivotal role in ecological processes. Here we use trait-based approaches to describe the response of soil community adaptations to the changing environment. We used a chronosequence of unreclaimed post-mining sites in the northwest borders of the Czech Republic, spanning four age ranges: 1–10 years, 11–20 years, 21–30 years, and 31–41 years since brown coal extraction. We focused on oribatid mites and assessed community-level trait syndromes using three complementary approaches: functional diversity metrics, RLQ, and fourth corner. We found five traits responding to the environmental gradient: mean body length, concealability, reproductive mode, sensillus shape, and sclerotization. These traits shaped oribatid mite communities in response to specific environmental parameters, revealing distinct groups of pioneers, mid-, and late-colonizers with varying ecological adaptations. Our results indicate that environmental constraints affecting traits separately may homogenise oribatid mite communities into ecomorphological groups during different successional stages. This approach highlights a strong and integral association of oribatid mites with ecosystem development following major disturbance. These outcomes show how soil communities can describe successional trajectories in post-mining sites and may thus support the assessment of restoration projects through complementary biomonitoring.
{"title":"Changes in trait assemblages of oribatid mite communities during natural succession on post-mining sites","authors":"Andrés A. Salazar-Fillippo , Rudy van Diggelen , Jozef Stary , Ladislav Miko , Jan Frouz","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103777","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103777","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mining severely impacts ecosystems, yet our understanding of how biotic communities and environmental conditions co-develop during post-disturbance recovery remains limited. This knowledge is crucial for assessing restoration efforts in post-mining sites, which also offer ideal conditions to study how the ecosystem assembles during succession. This is particularly relevant for soil communities that are often overlooked but play a pivotal role in ecological processes. Here we use trait-based approaches to describe the response of soil community adaptations to the changing environment. We used a chronosequence of unreclaimed post-mining sites in the northwest borders of the Czech Republic, spanning four age ranges: 1–10 years, 11–20 years, 21–30 years, and 31–41 years since brown coal extraction. We focused on oribatid mites and assessed community-level trait syndromes using three complementary approaches: functional diversity metrics, RLQ, and fourth corner. We found five traits responding to the environmental gradient: mean body length, concealability, reproductive mode, sensillus shape, and sclerotization. These traits shaped oribatid mite communities in response to specific environmental parameters, revealing distinct groups of pioneers, mid-, and late-colonizers with varying ecological adaptations. Our results indicate that environmental constraints affecting traits separately may homogenise oribatid mite communities into ecomorphological groups during different successional stages. This approach highlights a strong and integral association of oribatid mites with ecosystem development following major disturbance. These outcomes show how soil communities can describe successional trajectories in post-mining sites and may thus support the assessment of restoration projects through complementary biomonitoring.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103777"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145358164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-15DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103776
Yao Zhu , Sisi Tang , Wei Xue , Jinhao Ma , Jiafa Luo , Lei Hu , Xiao Ren , Yuying Wang , Pengfei Wu
Global warming significantly impacts soil fauna in terrestrial ecosystems, yet the differential responses of various groups, such as surface-dwelling microarthropods, soil-dwelling microarthropods, and soil nematodes, remain poorly understood. To address this, a long-term warming experiment using open-top chambers (OTCs) was conducted in alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Ten years after OTC installation, surface-dwelling, soil-dwelling microarthropods and soil nematodes, plant communities, and soil properties were investigated in September in the normal precipitation year 2019 and in the wet year 2020. The results were that: (1) shifts in taxonomic composition were more pronounced in surface-dwelling microarthropods and soil nematodes than in soil-dwelling microarthropods; (2) warming increased nematode taxonomic richness and Shannon diversity but reduced nematode abundance and surface-dwelling arthropod richness in the normal year, while only nematode abundance increased in the wet year; (3) warming altered nematode trophic structure by decreasing the relative abundance of bacterivores and increasing that of plant-parasites; (4) soil moisture and temperature were the primary drivers of soil faunal community changes, with ammonium nitrogen also being an important factor for soil nematodes. Our results demonstrate that the soil nematodes exhibited the strongest response to warming, followed by surface-dwelling and soil-dwelling microarthropods, and the warming effects on soil fauna abundance and diversity were dependent on precipitation. These taxon-specific sensitivities highlight their utility as bioindicators for monitoring alpine ecosystems.
{"title":"Responses of microarthropods and nematodes to long-term warming in alpine meadows are precipitation-dependent effects","authors":"Yao Zhu , Sisi Tang , Wei Xue , Jinhao Ma , Jiafa Luo , Lei Hu , Xiao Ren , Yuying Wang , Pengfei Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103776","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103776","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global warming significantly impacts soil fauna in terrestrial ecosystems, yet the differential responses of various groups, such as surface-dwelling microarthropods, soil-dwelling microarthropods, and soil nematodes, remain poorly understood. To address this, a long-term warming experiment using open-top chambers (OTCs) was conducted in alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Ten years after OTC installation, surface-dwelling, soil-dwelling microarthropods and soil nematodes, plant communities, and soil properties were investigated in September in the normal precipitation year 2019 and in the wet year 2020. The results were that: (1) shifts in taxonomic composition were more pronounced in surface-dwelling microarthropods and soil nematodes than in soil-dwelling microarthropods; (2) warming increased nematode taxonomic richness and Shannon diversity but reduced nematode abundance and surface-dwelling arthropod richness in the normal year, while only nematode abundance increased in the wet year; (3) warming altered nematode trophic structure by decreasing the relative abundance of bacterivores and increasing that of plant-parasites; (4) soil moisture and temperature were the primary drivers of soil faunal community changes, with ammonium nitrogen also being an important factor for soil nematodes. Our results demonstrate that the soil nematodes exhibited the strongest response to warming, followed by surface-dwelling and soil-dwelling microarthropods, and the warming effects on soil fauna abundance and diversity were dependent on precipitation. These taxon-specific sensitivities highlight their utility as bioindicators for monitoring alpine ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103776"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145333460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-26DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103774
Jiali Lian , Jing Chen , Cui Han , Ying Zhao , Xueqin Yang , Jianping Li
Soil microbial communities and extracellular enzyme activity in arid ecosystems are highly sensitive to precipitation changes, yet their metabolic responses remain poorly understood. Through a field precipitation experiment in the Ningxia's desert steppe, we found that increased precipitation significantly enhanced C-, N-, and P-acquiring enzyme activities, with extracellular enzyme stoichiometry revealing microbial P limitation. Soil microbial communities were dominated by the phyla Actinobacteriota, Chloroflexi, and Proteobacteria (bacteria) and Ascomycota (fungi) under altered precipitation. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that biotic factors (community structure/diversity) exerted stronger control over metabolic limitations than abiotic factors, with P limitation surpassing C limitation. These findings highlight P availability as a critical constraint on microbial function in arid grasslands. Our study provides actionable insights for grassland restoration, suggesting targeted P fertilization could mitigate microbial nutrient limitations and enhance ecosystem resilience under climate change.
{"title":"Soil extracellular enzyme stoichiometry reveals the nutrient limitations of soil microbial metabolism under precipitation changes in Ningxia desert steppe of China","authors":"Jiali Lian , Jing Chen , Cui Han , Ying Zhao , Xueqin Yang , Jianping Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103774","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103774","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil microbial communities and extracellular enzyme activity in arid ecosystems are highly sensitive to precipitation changes, yet their metabolic responses remain poorly understood. Through a field precipitation experiment in the Ningxia's desert steppe, we found that increased precipitation significantly enhanced C-, N-, and P-acquiring enzyme activities, with extracellular enzyme stoichiometry revealing microbial P limitation. Soil microbial communities were dominated by the phyla <em>Actinobacteriota</em>, <em>Chloroflexi</em>, and <em>Proteobacteria</em> (bacteria) and <em>Ascomycota</em> (fungi) under altered precipitation. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that biotic factors (community structure/diversity) exerted stronger control over metabolic limitations than abiotic factors, with P limitation surpassing C limitation. These findings highlight P availability as a critical constraint on microbial function in arid grasslands. Our study provides actionable insights for grassland restoration, suggesting targeted P fertilization could mitigate microbial nutrient limitations and enhance ecosystem resilience under climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103774"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-22DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103775
Bin Zhang , Zhanbo Wei , Rui Zhu , Evgenios Agathokleous , Jiacheng Zhao , Eiko E. Kuramae
Intensive cropping systems pose a growing threat to soil microbial diversity, potentially impairing essential agroecosystem functions. Introducing legume crops or implementing fallow periods into these systems are promising strategies to alleviate such negative impacts. However, how these strategies affect the resilience of soil functions to microbial diversity loss remains largely unexplored, particularly in deeper soil layers. In this study, we employed a dilution-to-extinction approach to simulate microbial diversity loss and investigated its effect on functional potential in both topsoil (0–20 cm) and subsoil (40–60 cm) under three crop rotation systems (i.e., rice-fallow, rice-wheat, rice-milk vetch). Soil functional potential was indicated by measuring the copy number of functional genes using high-throughput qPCR. Our results indicate that microbial diversity loss significantly reduced abundance of genes associated with C degradation, C fixation, N mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification in the topsoil of rice-fallow and rice-wheat systems. In contrast, the rice-milk vetch system preserved abundance of these functional genes in the topsoil following microbial diversity loss, highlighting the potential of tailored cropping strategies to counteract the adverse effect of intensive agriculture. Furthermore, while abundance of genes associated with nitrification was also reduced in subsoil by microbial diversity loss, that of genes associated with C degradation and denitrification generally increased for all cropping systems. This highlights the vulnerability of subsoil function potential to microbial diversity loss, potentially enhancing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to positive climate feedbacks. We concluded that integrating legume crops can maintain soil functional potential in topsoil even in the face of reduced microbial diversity, which is crucial for developing sustainable agricultural practices and ensuring long-term agroecosystem resilience.
{"title":"Legume integration into rice cropping systems buffers topsoil functional potential against microbial diversity loss","authors":"Bin Zhang , Zhanbo Wei , Rui Zhu , Evgenios Agathokleous , Jiacheng Zhao , Eiko E. Kuramae","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103775","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103775","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intensive cropping systems pose a growing threat to soil microbial diversity, potentially impairing essential agroecosystem functions. Introducing legume crops or implementing fallow periods into these systems are promising strategies to alleviate such negative impacts. However, how these strategies affect the resilience of soil functions to microbial diversity loss remains largely unexplored, particularly in deeper soil layers. In this study, we employed a dilution-to-extinction approach to simulate microbial diversity loss and investigated its effect on functional potential in both topsoil (0–20 cm) and subsoil (40–60 cm) under three crop rotation systems (i.e., rice-fallow, rice-wheat, rice-milk vetch). Soil functional potential was indicated by measuring the copy number of functional genes using high-throughput qPCR. Our results indicate that microbial diversity loss significantly reduced abundance of genes associated with C degradation, C fixation, N mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification in the topsoil of rice-fallow and rice-wheat systems. In contrast, the rice-milk vetch system preserved abundance of these functional genes in the topsoil following microbial diversity loss, highlighting the potential of tailored cropping strategies to counteract the adverse effect of intensive agriculture. Furthermore, while abundance of genes associated with nitrification was also reduced in subsoil by microbial diversity loss, that of genes associated with C degradation and denitrification generally increased for all cropping systems. This highlights the vulnerability of subsoil function potential to microbial diversity loss, potentially enhancing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to positive climate feedbacks. We concluded that integrating legume crops can maintain soil functional potential in topsoil even in the face of reduced microbial diversity, which is crucial for developing sustainable agricultural practices and ensuring long-term agroecosystem resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103775"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145119973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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