Shrub expansion raises both aboveground and underground multifunctionality on a subtropical plateau grassland: coupling multitrophic community assembly to multifunctionality and functional trade-off

Summary

Introduction: Shrubs have expanded into grasslands globally. However, the relative importance of aboveground and underground diversity and the relative importance of underground community assembly and diversity in shaping multifunctionality and functional trade-offs over shrub expansion remains unknown. Methods: In this study, aboveground and underground multitrophic communities (abundant and rare archaea, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and protists) and 208 aboveground and underground ecosystem properties or indicators were measured at three stages (Grass, Mosaic, Shrub) of shrub expansion on the Guizhou subtropical plateau grassland to study multifunctionality and functional trade-offs. Results: The results showed that shrub expansion significantly enhanced aboveground, underground, and ent