Aridity-driven shift in biodiversity–soil multifunctionality relationships
Сдвиг в соотношениях биологического разнообразия и множественных почвенных функций, вызванный аридностью
2021-09-09
SCID: 54.1/9hydbbgz
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aridity gradientaridity threshold (~0.8; semiarid–arid boundary)biodiversity–soil multifunctionality relationshipsmicrobial diversity (fungi)plant species richness
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Abstract (AI)
Relationships between biodiversity and multiple ecosystem functions (that is, ecosystem multifunctionality) are context-dependent. Both plant and soil microbial diversity have been reported to regulate ecosystem multifunctionality, but how their relative importance varies along environmental gradients remains poorly understood. Here, we relate plant and microbial diversity to soil multifunctionality across 130 dryland sites along a 4,000 km aridity gradient in northern China. Our results show a strong positive association between plant species richness and soil multifunctionality in less arid regions, whereas microbial diversity, in particular of fungi, is positively associated with multifunctionality in more arid regions. This shift in the relationships between plant or microbial diversity and soil multifunctionality occur at an aridity level of ∼0.8, the boundary between semiarid and arid climates, which is predicted to advance geographically ∼28% by the end of the current century. Our study highlights that biodiversity loss of plants and soil microorganisms may have especially strong consequences under low and high aridity conditions, respectively, which calls for climate-specific biodiversity conservation strategies to mitigate the effects of aridification.
Key Findings
1
Biodiversity loss of plants and soil microorganisms may have especially strong consequences under low and high aridity conditions, respectively, implying need for climate-specific conservation strategies.
2
Microbial diversity, especially fungal diversity, is positively associated with soil multifunctionality in more arid regions.
3
Plant species richness is strongly positively associated with soil multifunctionality in less arid regions along a 4,000 km dryland aridity gradient.
4
The semiarid–arid boundary (aridity ~0.8) is predicted to advance geographically by ~28% by the end of the current century.
5
The shift in dominance from plant-driven to microbe-driven control of soil multifunctionality occurs at an aridity level of ~0.8 (semiarid–arid boundary).
Research Object
Relationships between plant and soil microbial diversity and soil multifunctionality across dryland sites along an aridity gradient
Research Subject
How the relative importance of plant versus microbial (especially fungal) diversity for regulating soil multifunctionality shifts with aridity, including the aridity threshold (~0.8) where control switches from plants to microbes and projected geographic advance of this threshold
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2021-09-09
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