Summary
This study analysed soil biodiversity across paired natural steppe and cropland sites in north-eastern China to assess the homogenizing effects of agricultural conversion. Contrary to earlier functional gene-focused findings, this work reveals that conversion to agriculture consistently reduces taxonomic and functional diversity of soil biota—particularly archaeal and fungal communities at both local and regional scales—with potential implications for soil ecosystem resilience. The results extend global-scale evidence of agricultural biotic homogenization and suggest that uniformity in plant cover and altered soil properties are key drivers.
UK applicability
The findings on soil biotic homogenization under cropland conversion are likely applicable to UK arable systems, though UK soils typically have different baseline conditions, climate, and management histories than north-eastern Chinese steppe. UK farmers considering soil health may use these findings to motivate strategies—such as crop diversification or reduced tillage—that maintain within-field and landscape-scale microbial and fungal heterogeneity.
Key measures
Taxonomic composition variation (archaeal, bacterial, fungal, metazoal communities); functional KEGG gene assemblages; bacterial 'Y-A-S' ecological strategies; within-site and between-site community variation; abiotic soil properties
Outcomes reported
The study compared soil taxonomic and functional diversity across 27 paired natural steppe and agricultural soil sites over 900 km in north-eastern China using metagenomic and amplicon sequencing. It measured changes in microbial, archaeal, fungal, and metazoal community composition, as well as functional gene assemblages and ecological strategies at local and regional scales.
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