Kinsbergen Daan T P, Kooijman Annemieke M, Morriën Elly, English Katherine, Oostermeijer J Gerard B
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
NPJ Biodivers. 2025 Mar 30;4(1):10. doi: 10.1038/s44185-025-00081-x.
Many ecosystems worldwide are threatened by anthropogenic causes, with high-intensity grazing by large herbivores as a significant risk factor for biodiversity. Although the drivers of α-diversity are well-studied for animal and plant communities, they are often overlooked for soil microbes, particularly in natural systems. We therefore used a novel innovative information-theoretic approach to structural equation model selection and multimodel path coefficient averaging to identify these drivers. Our findings show that abiotic soil characteristics, primarily soil pH, significantly shape the α-diversity of both bacteria and fungi. Biotic factors like vegetation Shannon diversity and aboveground biomass also significantly drive microbial α-diversity, especially for fungi. Our statistical approach adds robustness to our results and conclusions, offering valuable insights into the complex interactions shaping soil microbial communities in intensively grazed natural systems. These insights are crucial for developing more effective and comprehensive future ecosystem management and restoration strategies.
全球许多生态系统受到人为因素的威胁，大型食草动物的高强度放牧是生物多样性的一个重要风险因素。虽然对于动植物群落，α多样性的驱动因素已得到充分研究，但对于土壤微生物，这些因素常常被忽视，尤其是在自然系统中。因此，我们采用了一种新颖的创新信息论方法进行结构方程模型选择和多模型路径系数平均，以识别这些驱动因素。我们的研究结果表明，非生物土壤特性，主要是土壤pH值，显著影响细菌和真菌的α多样性。生物因素，如植被香农多样性和地上生物量，也显著驱动微生物α多样性，尤其是对真菌而言。我们的统计方法增强了结果和结论的稳健性，为深入了解集约放牧自然系统中塑造土壤微生物群落的复杂相互作用提供了有价值的见解。这些见解对于制定更有效、更全面的未来生态系统管理和恢复策略至关重要。
