Summary
This experimental manipulation study demonstrates that soil microbiome diversity and the complexity of microbial networks (encompassing both fungal and bacterial communities) significantly enhance multiple ecosystem functions related to nutrient cycling. Grassland microcosms with reduced microbial richness and poorly developed networks exhibited substantially lower multifunctionality, attributed to both reduced functional redundancy and diminished functional uniqueness among microbial taxa. The findings establish that functional diversity within microbial communities and the preservation of complex microbial ecological associations are critical for optimising ecosystem performance.
UK applicability
These findings are relevant to UK grassland management and soil stewardship, particularly regarding the conservation of soil microbial diversity to maintain nutrient cycling in permanent and temporary grasslands. The experimental approach may inform UK agricultural policy and practice around soil health monitoring and the impacts of intensive management practices that reduce microbial complexity.
Key measures
Microbiome diversity, microbial network complexity, multifunctionality (multiple nutrient cycling functions), microbial richness, functional redundancy, functional uniqueness, taxon-function relationships
Outcomes reported
The study measured how microbiome diversity and microbial network complexity influence multiple ecosystem functions related to nutrient cycling in experimental grassland microcosms. Multifunctionality, microbial richness, functional redundancy, and functional uniqueness were assessed across manipulated microbiome treatments.
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