TY - JOUR
T1 - Soil biodiversity effects on ecosystems
AU - Eisenhauer, Nico
AU - Sünnemann, Marie
AU - Pollierer, Melanie M.
AU - Sun, Xin
AU - Bardgett, Richard D.
AU - Bartkowski, Bartosz
AU - Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel
AU - Dirilgen, Tara
AU - Guerra, Carlos A.
AU - Mathieu, Jérôme
AU - Niklaus, Pascal A.
AU - Romero, Ferran
AU - Ristok, Christian
AU - Seeber, Julia
AU - Steinwandter, Michael
AU - Stewart, Jana
AU - van der Heijden, Marcel G. A.
AU - van der Putten, W.H.
AU - Potapov, Anton M.
N1 - Data archiving: no NIOO data
PY - 2026/1/12
Y1 - 2026/1/12
N2 - Soil biodiversity is a key driver of ecosystem function, including nutrient cycling, organic-matter decomposition, plant productivity, climate regulation and pathogen control (with subsequent effects on animal, human and plant health). A foundational review in 2014 described the functional role of soil biodiversity in ecosystems, but our understanding of the relationship between soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has deepened over the past decade. In this Review, we highlight progress in the field, discuss the approaches and methodological advances that have enabled this progress, and identify emerging research questions. Although the spatiotemporal patterns and community dynamics of soil communities are becoming well understood, topics with important knowledge gaps include the climate feedback effects of soils, the ecology of urban soils and the development of soil health indicators. Global collaborative networks, linking existing databases, and monitoring soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are important ways to address these knowledge gaps. By considering the relationships between soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning we can connect small-scale interactions among plants, microorganisms and animals to ecosystem services and planetary sustainability.
AB - Soil biodiversity is a key driver of ecosystem function, including nutrient cycling, organic-matter decomposition, plant productivity, climate regulation and pathogen control (with subsequent effects on animal, human and plant health). A foundational review in 2014 described the functional role of soil biodiversity in ecosystems, but our understanding of the relationship between soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has deepened over the past decade. In this Review, we highlight progress in the field, discuss the approaches and methodological advances that have enabled this progress, and identify emerging research questions. Although the spatiotemporal patterns and community dynamics of soil communities are becoming well understood, topics with important knowledge gaps include the climate feedback effects of soils, the ecology of urban soils and the development of soil health indicators. Global collaborative networks, linking existing databases, and monitoring soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are important ways to address these knowledge gaps. By considering the relationships between soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning we can connect small-scale interactions among plants, microorganisms and animals to ecosystem services and planetary sustainability.
U2 - 10.1038/s44358-025-00123-z
DO - 10.1038/s44358-025-00123-z
M3 - Article
SN - 3005-0677
JO - Nature Reviews Biodiversity
JF - Nature Reviews Biodiversity
ER -