Divergent national-scale trends of microbial and animal biodiversity revealed across diverse temperate soil ecosystems

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09031-1
• Publication Date: 2019-03-07T11:04:07Z
• Authors: Paul B. L. George; Delphine Lallias; Simon Creer; Fiona M. Seaton; John G. Kenny; Richard M. Eccles; Robert I. Griffiths; Inma Lebron; Bridget A. Emmett; David A. Robinson; Davey L. Jones
• Keywords: Biota; Terrestrial ecosystem

Abstract Soil biota accounts for ~25% of global biodiversity and is vital to nutrient cycling primary production. There growing momentum study total belowground across large ecological scales understand how habitat soil properties shape communities. Microbial animal components communities follow divergent responses land use intensification; however, it unclear whether this extends heterogeneous ecosystems. Here, a national-scale metabarcoding analysis 436 locations 7 different temperate ecosystems shows that microbial (bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists) richness trends, whereas β-diversity does not. Animal governed by intensive unaffected properties, while was driven environmental uses. Our findings demonstrate established patterns diversity are consistent uses detectable using standardised approach.