SynthesisNature ecology & evolution2017
Soil biota contributions to soil aggregation.
Synthesis in Nature ecology & evolution, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Fungal bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in terrestrial environments: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Biodegradation · 2026Pooled it
- Global Meta-Analysis Integrated with Machine Learning Assesses Context-Dependent Microplastic Effects on Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon and Nitrogen.Environmental science & technology · 2025Pooled it
- Towards an integrative understanding of soil biodiversity.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2020Pooled it
- Resource Quality and Fungal Richness Are Associated with Soil Organic Matter Dynamics in a Temperate Forest in South Korea.Biology · 2026Article
- Legacy Effects ofJournal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Fungal diversity, ecology and functions in soil ecosystems.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026Review
- Seeds treated with biofilm-forming microbes retain moisture during cold-dry winter, reducing temperature fluctuations in rhizosphere.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2026Article
- Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi hypha shape atrazine degradation ability of microbiota by increasing soil aggregation.Mycorrhiza · 2026Article
- Nitrate Nitrogen Addition Promotes Soil Aggregate Stability inMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- Biofilms reshape soil-water dynamics with enhanced vapor adsorption and hysteresis reversal under dry conditions.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Article
- Decoding dark septate endophyte symbiosis: a functional and ecological perspective.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2026Review
- High-carbon bio-organic fertilizer reshapes soil carbon fractions and aggregate structure while maintaining high carbon stocks in red soil.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Fate, transport, and biological impacts of microplastics in agricultural soil-wheat systems: from soil movement to food safety.Frontiers in plant science · 2026Review
- Microplastics in soil-plant systems: impacts on soil health, plant toxicity, and multiomics insights.Plant cell reports · 2025Review
- Hairy Vetch Intercropping Attenuates Mycorrhizal Benefits to Walnut Growth and Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration via Glomalin.Microbial ecology · 2025Article
- Necromass of Diverse Root-Associated Fungi Suppresses Decomposition of Native Soil Carbon via Impacts of Their Traits.Ecology letters · 2025Article
- Soil microbial responses to multiple global change factors as assessed by metagenomics.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Effects of long-term wastewater irrigation on microplastics pollution in agricultural soil.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2025Article
- Impacts of land use and water level fluctuation on soil aggregates and nitrogen and carbon in newly formed reservoir buffer strips.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Soil organic carbon thresholds control fertilizer effects on carbon accrual in croplands worldwide.Nature communications · 2025Article
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Humankind depends on the sustainability of soils for its survival and well-being. Threatened by a rapidly changing world, our soils suffer from degradation and biodiversity loss, making it increasingly important to understand the role of soil biodiversity in soil aggregation-a key parameter for soil sustainability. Here, we provide evidence of the contribution of soil biota to soil aggregation on macro- and microaggregate scales, and evaluate how specific traits, soil biota groups and species interactions contribute to this. We conducted a global meta-analysis comprising 279 soil biota species. Our study shows a clear positive effect of soil biota on soil aggregation, with bacteria and fungi generally appearing to be more important for soil aggregation than soil animals. Bacteria contribute strongly to both macro- and microaggregates while fungi strongly affect macroaggregation. Motility, body size and population density were important traits modulating effect sizes. Investigating species interactions across major taxonomic groups revealed their beneficial impact on soil aggregation. At the broadest level, our results highlight the need to consider biodiversity as a causal factor in soil aggregation. This will require a shift from the current management and physicochemical perspective to an approach that fully embraces the significance of soil organisms, their diversity and interactions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.