Nonlinear dynamics of interactions within the nematode food web across a saline-alkaline gradient

This study explores how nematode communities and functional-group interactions respond to soil salinization-alkalization. By classifying nematodes according to feeding behavior and life-history strategy, we examined their trophic and non-trophic interactions across non-, weakly, moderately, and highly saline-alkaline soils. Results show that moderate stress enhanced network interactions, whereas high stress sharply reduced nematode diversity and simplified the network, with Na⁺ identified as the key environmental driver. These findings highlight the nonlinear impacts of saline-alkaline stress on nematode networks and underscore the importance of Na⁺ management for ecosystem resilience.本研究探讨了线虫（nematode）群落与功能群互作（functional-group interactions）如何响应土壤盐碱化。本研究根据取食行为与生活史策略对线虫进行分类，探究了非盐碱、弱盐碱、中度盐碱以及高度盐碱土壤中线虫的营养级与非营养级互作关系。研究结果显示，中度盐碱胁迫强化了线虫网络互作，而高浓度盐碱胁迫则显著降低了线虫多样性并简化了网络结构，且钠离子（Na⁺）被确定为关键环境驱动因子。本研究结果揭示了盐碱胁迫对线虫网络的非线性影响，并强调了钠离子调控对生态系统恢复力的重要意义。