Summary
This global field study assessed how multiple concurrent environmental stressors affect soil ecosystem services across diverse biomes, moving beyond laboratory-only evidence. The authors found that stressors from medium levels (>50%) negatively correlate with ecosystem service provision, whilst stressors exceeding high-level thresholds (>75%) substantially reduce soil biodiversity and functioning worldwide. The number of stressors at the >75% threshold emerged as a consistent predictor of ecosystem functioning, suggesting that reducing the dimensionality of human pressures on soils is critical for conservation.
UK applicability
The global findings are applicable to UK soil management, where multiple stressors (compaction, pollution, land-use intensity, climate shifts) often co-occur. The study supports UK soil health policy by quantifying the cumulative impact of stressors, though region-specific threshold values may differ from global means.
Key measures
Number of environmental stressors exceeding 50% and 75% of maximum observed levels; soil biodiversity metrics; ecosystem service provision indicators
Outcomes reported
The study quantified the relationship between the number of environmental stressors exceeding critical thresholds and the maintenance of multiple soil ecosystem services across global biomes. It assessed soil biodiversity and functioning using two independent standardised field surveys.
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