Restoration of soil microbial functional stability in the face of climate extremes

Abstract

Ecosystem restoration is known to enhance the functioning and stability of plant communities in the face of climate extremes. However, the effects of ecosystem restoration on soil microbial communities and their functional stability remain poorly understood. Here, we used a long-term (33 years) multiple factorial grassland restoration experiment to assess how different restoration approaches, including farmyard manure (FYM) addition, low amounts of inorganic fertiliser, mixed seed addition, and promotion of red clover, affect multiple dimensions of soil microbial functional stability in response to drought. We found that specific restoration approaches (e.g., FYM addition) not only increased the stability of plant biomass production, but also enhanced drought resistance of soil microbial multifunctionality. Moreover, we identified key factors that drive the multi-dimensional stability of plant and soil microbial communities, which provide mechanistic insights into how grassland restoration impacts above- and below-ground stability in the face of drought.