Li Yang, Wang Jinsong, Zhang Ruiyang, Tian Dashuan, Pan Junxiao, Liu Ning, Quan Quan, Chu Houkun, Wang Quancheng, Zhou Ronglei, Wu Fei, Zhou Qingping, Niu Shuli
Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization, Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China.
Glob Chang Biol. 2025 Apr;31(4):e70161. doi: 10.1111/gcb.70161.
Climate warming has profound effects on terrestrial ecosystems, with biodiversity playing a crucial role in modulating ecosystem productivity responses. While extensive studies have investigated how plant species richness (α-diversity) influences aboveground productivity under warming conditions, the contributions of plant and soil microbial β-diversity to belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a 6-year warming experiment in an alpine meadow to investigate the response patterns and drivers of BNPP, as well as the α- and β-diversity of plant and soil microbial communities. Our results showed that warming increased BNPP by 41.41%-90.3%, with biodiversity metrics collectively accounting for about 86% of the variation in BNPP. Notably, while climate warming significantly reduced the α-diversity of both plant (p = 0.067) and soil bacterial communities (p < 0.05), soil bacterial β-diversity showed a marked increase. The enhancement in soil bacterial β-diversity was closely linked to increased gene abundance associated with ammonification and nitrification processes, identified as key drivers of BNPP under warming conditions. These findings underscore the pivotal role of soil microbial β-diversity in supporting BNPP under warming conditions. Our study highlights the need to preserve belowground microbial heterogeneity to maintain ecosystem functioning and enhance carbon sequestration efforts in the face of global climate change.
气候变暖对陆地生态系统有着深远影响，生物多样性在调节生态系统生产力响应方面发挥着关键作用。虽然已有大量研究探讨了植物物种丰富度（α多样性）在变暖条件下如何影响地上生产力，但植物和土壤微生物β多样性对地下净初级生产力（BNPP）的贡献仍知之甚少。在本研究中，我们在一个高山草甸进行了为期6年的变暖实验，以调查BNPP的响应模式和驱动因素，以及植物和土壤微生物群落的α和β多样性。我们的结果表明，变暖使BNPP增加了41.41%-90.3%，生物多样性指标共同解释了BNPP约86%的变化。值得注意的是，虽然气候变暖显著降低了植物（p = 0.067）和土壤细菌群落（p < 0.05）的α多样性，但土壤细菌β多样性却显著增加。土壤细菌β多样性的增加与氨化和硝化过程相关基因丰度的增加密切相关，这些过程被确定为变暖条件下BNPP的关键驱动因素。这些发现强调了土壤微生物β多样性在变暖条件下支持BNPP方面的关键作用。我们的研究强调了在全球气候变化背景下，保护地下微生物异质性以维持生态系统功能和加强碳固存努力的必要性。
