Plant Species Diversity Improves Soil Physicochemical Traits and Modulates Soil Microbial Community Structure, with a Pronounced Enhancement of Fungal Diversity in Urban Forests
Yu-Hang Song, Fan-Bing Xu, Ming-Hui Wang, Yuan-Bo Xie, Li-Ming Tian, Cai-Xia Lv, Xi-Wen Zhang, Zi-Ming Guo, Dan Zhang · 2025
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Description
Yu-Hang Song and eight co-authors linked plant diversity to richer soil life in city forests in a 2025 paper. Urban parks lean on soil microbes for the services they provide. Using gene sequencing and statistical models across diversity gradients, the team asked how the plant mix above ground shapes the community below.
Fungi and bacteria both shifted with plant diversity, with a few groups dominating each. Carbon-rich soil favored some bacteria, while fungi reacted more strongly to acidity. Modeling showed plant diversity directly shaped fungal communities and reached bacteria indirectly through soil chemistry. Nutrient-cycling microbes grew more abundant in diverse plots. The authors recommend layered arbor, shrub, and herb planting to support soil life in urban forests.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Yu-Hang Song, Fan-Bing Xu, Ming-Hui Wang, Yuan-Bo Xie, Li-Ming Tian, Cai-Xia Lv, Xi-Wen Zhang, Zi-Ming Guo, Dan Zhang |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 45 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |