The interplay between microbial communities and soil properties

In recent years, there has been considerable progress in determining the soil properties that influence the structure of the soil microbiome. By contrast, the effects of microorganisms on their soil habitat have received less attention with most previous studies focusing on microbial contributions t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature reviews. Microbiology 2024-04, Vol.22 (4), p.226-239
Main Authors: Philippot, Laurent, Chenu, Claire, Kappler, Andreas, Rillig, Matthias C., Fierer, Noah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/158/855
704/158/47
Agricultural sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chemical properties
Feedback loops
Hydrology
Infectious Diseases
Life Sciences
Medical Microbiology
Microbial activity
Microbiology
Microbiomes
Microorganisms
Nutrient cycles
Nutrient dynamics
Organic matter
Parasitology
Review Article
Soil chemistry
Soil environment
Soil microorganisms
Soil physics
Soil properties
Soil structure
Soil study
Soils
Virology
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Summary:In recent years, there has been considerable progress in determining the soil properties that influence the structure of the soil microbiome. By contrast, the effects of microorganisms on their soil habitat have received less attention with most previous studies focusing on microbial contributions to soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics. However, soil microorganisms are not only involved in nutrient cycling and organic matter transformations but also alter the soil habitat through various biochemical and biophysical mechanisms. Such microbially mediated modifications of soil properties can have local impacts on microbiome assembly with pronounced ecological ramifications. In this Review, we describe the processes by which microorganisms modify the soil environment, considering soil physics, hydrology and chemistry. We explore how microorganism–soil interactions can generate feedback loops and discuss how microbially mediated modifications of soil properties can serve as an alternative avenue for the management and manipulation of microbiomes to combat soil threats and global change. In this Review, Philippot et al. explore how soil microorganisms can affect the physical and chemical properties of soil and discuss the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these microbially driven shifts in soil properties. They also explore how microbially mediated changes in soil properties can be used to combat threats to soil health and other environmental challenges.
ISSN:1740-1526
1740-1534
DOI:10.1038/s41579-023-00980-5