ArticleNature communications2024
Geologically younger ecosystems are more dependent on soil biodiversity for supporting function.
Article in Nature communications, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Consequences of agricultural deforestation and subsequent afforestation on soil biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Plant diversity's positive effect on soil respiration diminishes with increasing productivity in global forests.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Soil microbial life history strategies covary with ecosystem multifunctionality across aridity gradients.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Soil biodiversity and function under global change.PLoS biology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Soil biodiversity contains the metabolic toolbox supporting organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling in the soil. However, as soil develops over millions of years, the buildup of plant cover, soil carbon and microbial biomass may relax the dependence of soil functions on soil biodiversity. To test this hypothesis, we evaluate the within-site soil biodiversity and function relationships across 87 globally distributed ecosystems ranging in soil age from centuries to millennia. We found that within-site soil biodiversity and function relationship is negatively correlated with soil age, suggesting a stronger dependence of ecosystem functioning on soil biodiversity in geologically younger than older ecosystems. We further show that increases in plant cover, soil carbon and microbial biomass as ecosystems develop, particularly in wetter conditions, lessen the critical need of soil biodiversity to sustain function. Our work highlights the importance of soil biodiversity for supporting function in drier and geologically younger ecosystems with low microbial biomass.
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Registered trials
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