Aims Grassland ecosystems play a vital role in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, influencing climate regulation and ecosystem resilience. However, their responses to different management practices and future climate conditions remain insufficiently understood. This study, conducted at the Global Change Experimental Facility (GCEF) in Bad Lauchstädt, Germany, examines how intensive and extensive grassland management under am...

Background and aims The use of root-associated microorganisms emerge as a sustainable tool to enhance crop tolerance and productivity under climate change, particularly in drought-affected areas. Here, the impact of an inoculum based on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was evaluated on pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) cultivation at varying water irrigation treatments (well-watered, reduced irrigation and rain-fed) under open-fi...

Climate change and land‐use intensification are threatening soil communities and ecosystem functions. Understanding the combined effects of climate change and land use is crucial for predicting future impacts on soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in agroecosystems. Here, we used a field experiment to quantify the combined effects of climate change (warming and altered precipitation patterns) and land use (agricultural...

Soil biodiversity and related ecosystem functions are neglected in most biodiversity assessments and nature conservation actions. We examined how society, and particularly policy makers, have addressed these factors worldwide with a focus on Europe and explored the role of soils in nature conservation in Germany as an example. We reviewed past and current global and European policies, compared soil ecosystem functioning in‐ an...

Cyanobacterial biomass forecasts currently cannot predict the concentrations of microcystin, one of the most ubiquitous cyanotoxins that threaten human and wildlife health globally. Mechanistic insights into how microcystin production and biodegradation by heterotrophic bacteria change spatially and throughout the bloom season can aid in toxin concentration forecasts. We quantified microcystin production and biodegradation dur...

Land use is a key factor driving changes in soil carbon (C) cycle and contents worldwide. The priming effect (PE)—CO 2 emissions from changed soil organic matter decomposition in response to fresh C inputs—is one of the most unpredictable phenomena associated with C cycling and related nutrient mobilization. Yet, we know very little about the influence of land use on soil PE across contrasting environments. Here, we conducted...

Aim Quantify direct and indirect relationships between soil microbial community properties (potential basal respiration, microbial biomass) and abiotic factors (soil, climate) in three major land‐cover types. Location Europe. Time period 2018. Major taxa studied Microbial community (fungi and bacteria). Methods We collected 881 soil samples from across Europe in the framework of the Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS...

Summary Rhizosphere microbial communities adapt their structural and functional compositions to water scarcity and have the potential to substantially mitigate drought stress of crops. To unlock this potential, it is crucial to understand community responses to drought in the complex interplay between soil properties, agricultural management and crop species. Two winter wheat cultivars, demanding and non‐demanding, were expose...

Summary Climate and agricultural practice interact to influence both crop production and soil microbes in agroecosystems. Here, we carried out a unique experiment in Central Germany to simultaneously investigate the effects of climates (ambient climate vs . future climate expected in 50–70 years), agricultural practices (conventional vs . organic farming), and their interaction on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inside whea...