Functional restructuring of the global soil microbiome under multiple stressors
Abstract
Microbes, as the planet’s most abundant and diverse organisms, drive soil functions globally and are vulnerable to environmental stressors triggered by global change. Yet, knowledge regarding the impacts of multiple environmental stressors on their functional profiles as well as the consequences for soil functionality largely remains unknown. Here, we analyze two global-scale datasets including information on soil metagenomics and multiple environmental stressors. We find that across terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, up to 60% of all functional genes significantly shift when soil microbes experience the high-level of concurrent stressors. In this regard, the relative abundances of genes involved in microbial growth are negatively linked to the increasing number of stressors. Conversely, those genes linked to stress resistance and energy production exhibit positive responses. Taken together, our findings highlight a significant restructuring of global soil functional microbiomes in response to multiple environmental stressors. Consequently, such restructuring drives community-level shifts in matter and energy reallocations, thereby impacting the maintenance of soil functionality under the projected global change. Soil microbes drive ecosystem functions but are vulnerable to environmental stressors triggered by global change. This study reveals that multiple environmental stressors drive community-level restructuring of soil functional microbiomes globally.
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BibTeX
@article{chen2026functional,
title = {{Functional restructuring of the global soil microbiome under multiple stressors}},
author = {Ruirui Chen and Shuhong Luo and Youzhi Feng and Fernando Maestre and Tadeo Sáez-Sandino and Nicolas Gross and Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet and Victoria Ochoa and Beatriz Gozalo and Emilio Guirado and Miguel García-Gómez and Enrique Valencia and Sergio Asensio and Jaime Martínez-Valderrama and Betty Josefina Mendoza and Sebastian Abades and Fernando Alfaro and Matt Barrett and Miguel Berdugo and José Luis Blanco Pastor and Niels Blaum and Bazartseren Boldgiv and Matthew Bowker and Helena Castro and Haiyan Chu and Nick Cutler and Zhongmin Dai and Balázs Deák and Jorge Durán and Carlos Ivan Espinosa and Alex Fajardo and Kunkun Fan and Ana Foronda and Lauchlan Fraser and Katja Geissler and Tine Grebenc and Elizabeth Gusman Moltanvan and Stephen Hart and Liana Kindermann and Melanie Köbel and Lauri Laanisto and Peter Le Roux and Pierre Liancourt and Anja Linstädter and Michelle Louw and Petr Macek and Gillian Maggs-Kölling and Thulani Makhalanyane and Antonio Manzaneda and Eugene Marais and Daniel Montesinos and Juan Mora and Gerardo Moreno and Seth Munson and Miriam Muñoz-Rojas and Girish Nair and Sigrid Neuhauser and Alice Nunes and Cesar Plaza and Yolanda Pueyo},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-73231-9},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05828610v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Functional restructuring of the global soil microbiome under multiple stressors
AU - Ruirui Chen
AU - Shuhong Luo
AU - Youzhi Feng
AU - Fernando Maestre
AU - Tadeo Sáez-Sandino
AU - Nicolas Gross
AU - Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet
AU - Victoria Ochoa
AU - Beatriz Gozalo
AU - Emilio Guirado
AU - Miguel García-Gómez
AU - Enrique Valencia
AU - Sergio Asensio
AU - Jaime Martínez-Valderrama
AU - Betty Josefina Mendoza
AU - Sebastian Abades
AU - Fernando Alfaro
AU - Matt Barrett
AU - Miguel Berdugo
AU - José Luis Blanco Pastor
AU - Niels Blaum
AU - Bazartseren Boldgiv
AU - Matthew Bowker
AU - Helena Castro
AU - Haiyan Chu
AU - Nick Cutler
AU - Zhongmin Dai
AU - Balázs Deák
AU - Jorge Durán
AU - Carlos Ivan Espinosa
AU - Alex Fajardo
AU - Kunkun Fan
AU - Ana Foronda
AU - Lauchlan Fraser
AU - Katja Geissler
AU - Tine Grebenc
AU - Elizabeth Gusman Moltanvan
AU - Stephen Hart
AU - Liana Kindermann
AU - Melanie Köbel
AU - Lauri Laanisto
AU - Peter Le Roux
AU - Pierre Liancourt
AU - Anja Linstädter
AU - Michelle Louw
AU - Petr Macek
AU - Gillian Maggs-Kölling
AU - Thulani Makhalanyane
AU - Antonio Manzaneda
AU - Eugene Marais
AU - Daniel Montesinos
AU - Juan Mora
AU - Gerardo Moreno
AU - Seth Munson
AU - Miriam Muñoz-Rojas
AU - Girish Nair
AU - Sigrid Neuhauser
AU - Alice Nunes
AU - Cesar Plaza
AU - Yolanda Pueyo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/19
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-73231-9
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05828610v1
AB - Microbes, as the planet’s most abundant and diverse organisms, drive soil functions globally and are vulnerable to environmental stressors triggered by global change. Yet, knowledge regarding the impacts of multiple environmental stressors on their functional profiles as well as the consequences for soil functionality largely remains unknown. Here, we analyze two global-scale datasets including information on soil metagenomics and multiple environmental stressors. We find that across terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, up to 60% of all functional genes significantly shift when soil microbes experience the high-level of concurrent stressors. In this regard, the relative abundances of genes involved in microbial growth are negatively linked to the increasing number of stressors. Conversely, those genes linked to stress resistance and energy production exhibit positive responses. Taken together, our findings highlight a significant restructuring of global soil functional microbiomes in response to multiple environmental stressors. Consequently, such restructuring drives community-level shifts in matter and energy reallocations, thereby impacting the maintenance of soil functionality under the projected global change. Soil microbes drive ecosystem functions but are vulnerable to environmental stressors triggered by global change. This study reveals that multiple environmental stressors drive community-level restructuring of soil functional microbiomes globally.
SN - 2041-1723
SN - 2041-1723
ER -