Data from: Deciphering the associations between soil microbial diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality driven by long-term fertilization management

1.An increasing number of studies indicate that microbial diversity plays a crucial role in the mediation of ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) in natural ecosystems. However, this point remains mostly overlooked in managed ecosystems, especially in agriculture.
2.Here, we compiled promising strategies for the targeted exploitation of the associations between microbial diversity and EMF of agricultural soils using samples from two long-term (more than 30 years) experimental field sites in southern China. The two sites experienced a similar subtropical monsoon climate and fertilization management practices. We used high-throughput amplicon sequencing, structural equation modeling (SEM), and random forest analysis, to analyze our data and validate our hypotheses.
3.We found that soil physiochemical properties and the C-, N-, P- and S-cycle enzyme activities were increased with the increase of microbial diversity. Specifically, a positive linear relationship was observed between microbial diversity and EMF, which was mediated by long-term fertilization management via changes in soil microbial communities and physiochemical properties. Random forest analysis and SEM showed that the important role of microbial diversity on EMF was maintained even when simultaneously taking multiple multifunctionality drivers (soil physiochemical properties, soil aggregation and enzymatic patterns) into account. In addition, microbial diversity, C-cycle enzyme activity and pH value are feasible predictors of EMF; these factors were shown to be the main drivers of EMF of arable soils.
4. Our findings suggest that there may be a limited degree of multifunctional redundancy in arable soils. The relationship we observed between microbial diversity and EMF suggests that management practices that foster more diverse soil microbial communities may have the potential to improve the functioning of agroecosystems.

1. 越来越多的研究表明，微生物多样性在调控自然生态系统的生态系统多功能性（ecosystem multifunctionality, EMF）中发挥着关键作用。然而，该结论在人工管理生态系统，尤其是农业生态系统中，仍大多被忽视。
2. 本研究依托中国南方两个开展时长超30年的长期田间试验站点的样本，整理出靶向利用农业土壤微生物多样性与生态系统多功能性之间关联的一系列具有应用前景的策略。两个试验站点具有相似的亚热带季风气候与施肥管理模式。研究采用高通量扩增子测序、结构方程模型（structural equation modeling, SEM）与随机森林分析对实验数据进行解析，并验证所提出的研究假说。
3. 研究结果显示，土壤理化性质以及碳（C）、氮（N）、磷（P）、硫（S）循环相关酶活性均随微生物多样性的提升而升高。具体而言，微生物多样性与生态系统多功能性之间存在正向线性相关关系，该关系由长期施肥管理通过改变土壤微生物群落结构与土壤理化性质所介导。随机森林分析与结构方程模型结果表明，即便同时纳入多种多功能性驱动因子（土壤理化性质、土壤团聚体与酶活性特征）进行考量，微生物多样性对生态系统多功能性的重要调控作用仍得以维持。此外，微生物多样性、碳循环酶活性与土壤pH值均可作为生态系统多功能性的可靠预测因子；上述因素被证实为耕地土壤生态系统多功能性的核心驱动因子。
4. 本研究结果提示，耕地土壤的多功能冗余度或处于有限水平。我们观测到的微生物多样性与生态系统多功能性之间的关联表明，能够促进土壤微生物群落多样性提升的管理措施，有望改善农业生态系统的整体功能。