Land-use intensification differentially affects bacterial, fungal and protist communities and decreases microbiome network complexity

Summary

This field-based study examined how agricultural intensification, quantified through cropping frequency, shapes soil microbial communities and their ecological networks. The research reveals that land-use intensity substantially restructures bacterial, fungal, and protist assemblages, with perennial grasslands exhibiting greater network complexity than arable systems, and highlights protists—particularly Rhizaria—as underappreciated keystones in soil microbiome associations. The findings suggest lasting 'legacy effects' of prior cropping regimes and argue for a more integrated, multi-kingdom perspective when assessing soil health under different agricultural practices.

UK applicability

These findings are relevant to UK agricultural policy and practice, particularly as policymakers consider soil health metrics and incentivise extensification through agri-environmental schemes. The results support the case for grassland-based or reduced-intensity systems to maintain microbiome complexity, though site-specific UK field validation would strengthen applicability to different soil types and climates.

Key measures

Bacterial, fungal, and protist community composition; co-occurrence network complexity and connectivity; taxa differentiation between land-use types; Rhizaria connections within microbial networks

Outcomes reported

The study assessed how different land-use intensities (continuous cropping, temporary grassland, perennial grassland) affected the structure, composition, and co-occurrence networks of bacterial, fungal, and protist communities in soil. It measured microbial community diversity, taxonomic differentiation between land uses, and network connectivity metrics across microbial groups.

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