Summary
This experimental study demonstrates that soil microbial diversity enhances the temporal stability of multiple ecosystem functions related to biogeochemical cycling. The stabilising effect operates through asynchrony—different soil fungi and bacteria promote different ecosystem functions at different times, thereby buffering overall system performance against temporal fluctuations. The findings underscore the conservation value of soil biodiversity for maintaining consistent ecosystem service provision.
UK applicability
The findings are relevant to UK soil management and agricultural policy, given widespread concerns about soil degradation and biodiversity loss. However, the study used controlled mesocosms rather than field conditions under UK climate and soil types, so direct transferability to UK farming systems would require validation under local pedoclimatic conditions.
Key measures
Temporal stability of ecosystem functions related to biogeochemical cycling; soil fungal and bacterial community richness and composition; asynchrony among microbial taxa
Outcomes reported
The study experimentally quantified how soil fungal and bacterial diversity affects the temporal stability of four key ecosystem functions related to biogeochemical cycling in plant-soil mesocosms. Microbial diversity enhanced the temporal stability of all measured ecosystem functions, with particularly strong effects when microbial richness was reduced by over 50%.
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