Summary
This narrative review examines the soil biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (sBEF) relationship in the context of global environmental change, highlighting the critical gap in understanding how multiple interacting stressors affect soil function. The authors demonstrate that sBEF relationships vary depending on both the ecosystem function measured and the biodiversity metric considered, and that interactive effects of two or more global change drivers produce variable outcomes (antagonistic, additive, or synergistic) across the limited available studies. The paper proposes methodological guidelines for future research to quantify the real impacts of interactive global change drivers on soil functioning.
Regional applicability
The review's findings are applicable to UK soil management and climate adaptation strategies, particularly as UK soils face multiple concurrent pressures (drought, temperature shifts, land use intensification). The call for quantifying interactive effects of global change drivers on soil function is directly relevant to UK soil health policy and regenerative agriculture initiatives.
Key measures
Soil biodiversity facets (abundance, species richness, biomass); ecosystem functions (carbon cycling, decomposition); interactive effects of global change drivers on soil biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships
Outcomes reported
The study examined how soil biodiversity relates to ecosystem functioning (such as carbon cycling and decomposition) under single and interactive global change drivers (drought, warming, and others). It synthesised evidence on whether interactive effects of multiple stressors show antagonistic, additive, or synergistic impacts on soil biodiversity and functioning.
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