Soil microbial diversity helps maintain multiple essential ecosystem functions
In short: Researchers analyzing large-scale global databases found that microbial diversity in soil is positively linked to multifunctionality. By examining data from 78 global drylands and 179 locations across Scotland, the study observed that higher levels of microbial variety are associated with the simultaneous performance of various ecosystem services.
The study shows that the link between microbial diversity and ecosystem functions remains even when accounting for climate, soil chemistry, and spatial factors. This suggests that diversity itself plays a key role in supporting services like soil fertility and climate regulation, though the findings are based on large-scale database observations rather than controlled experiments.
Why it matters: Losing microbial diversity may reduce the ability of ecosystems to provide essential services like food production and climate regulation.
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Sources
- Source: Research: Delgadobaquerizo et al. (2016). Microbial diversity drives multifunctionality in terrestrial ecosystems. Nature Communications. · cc-by
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