Agricultural soil microbiomes are structurally and functionally more resistant to warming than adjacent natural ecosystems

Shuo Jiao; Haibo Pan; Pablo García-Palacios; Hairong Tu; Yiran Zhang; Yu Liu; Hang Gao; Beibei Chen; Ziheng Peng; Shi Chen; Jiejun Qi; Chunling Liang; Xiaomeng Li; Yang Wang; Chujie Jin; Min Gao; Jiai Liu; Yihe Wang; Junhui Zhao; Lan Jiang; Ferran Romero; Samiran Banerjee; Yunfeng Yang; Yahai Lu; Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo; Marcel G.A. van der Heijden; Gehong Wei

doi:10.1038/s43016-026-01348-7

Agricultural soil microbiomes are structurally and functionally more resistant to warming than adjacent natural ecosystems

Shuo Jiao
, Haibo Pan
, Pablo García-Palacios
, Hairong Tu
, Yiran Zhang
, Yu Liu
, Hang Gao
, Beibei Chen
, Ziheng Peng
, Shi Chen
, Jiejun Qi
, Chunling Liang
, Xiaomeng Li
, Yang Wang
, Chujie Jin
, Min Gao
, Jiai Liu
, Yihe Wang
, Junhui Zhao
, Lan Jiang

Ferran Romero, Samiran Banerjee, Yunfeng Yang, Yahai Lu, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Marcel G.A. van der Heijden, Gehong Wei

Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
CSIC - Institute of Agricultural Sciences
University of Zurich
Agroscope
Aarhus University
North Dakota State University
Tsinghua University
Peking University
CSIC - Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Seville

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Agricultural soil microbiomes experience frequent disturbance from intensive management and may therefore be better equipped to withstand climate warming than microbiomes in undisturbed natural soils. Here we test this by combining a continental-scale warming microcosm experiment across 100 paired agricultural–natural sites with a global meta-analysis and three microbiome manipulation experiments (microbial suspensions, cross-inoculation and synthetic communities). Agricultural soils showed a higher resistance of soil multifunctionality to warming than natural soils, consistent across the meta-analysis. Resistance of microbial community composition was the strongest predictor of functional resistance and was confirmed in artificial soils inoculated with agricultural versus natural microbial suspensions. Introducing soil microbiomes from agricultural ecosystems into previously undisturbed natural soils enhanced functional resistance to warming. Metagenomic analysis revealed that microbial life-history strategies play a crucial role in regulating the resistance of soil microbial community to warming, with communities dominated by stress-tolerant strategies conferring significantly stronger resistance. Our work highlights the potential of microbiome engineering to strengthen ecosystem functioning under climate change.

Original language	English
Journal	Nature Food
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-026-01348-7
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print (In Press) - 2026
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2026.

Access to Document

10.1038/s43016-026-01348-7

Cite this

Jiao, S., Pan, H., García-Palacios, P., Tu, H., Zhang, Y., Liu, Y., Gao, H., Chen, B., Peng, Z., Chen, S., Qi, J., Liang, C., Li, X., Wang, Y., Jin, C., Gao, M., Liu, J., Wang, Y., Zhao, J., ... Wei, G. (Accepted/In press). Agricultural soil microbiomes are structurally and functionally more resistant to warming than adjacent natural ecosystems. Nature Food. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-026-01348-7

@article{61fd85541edd4cfd8910fcb731413338,

title = "Agricultural soil microbiomes are structurally and functionally more resistant to warming than adjacent natural ecosystems",

abstract = "Agricultural soil microbiomes experience frequent disturbance from intensive management and may therefore be better equipped to withstand climate warming than microbiomes in undisturbed natural soils. Here we test this by combining a continental-scale warming microcosm experiment across 100 paired agricultural–natural sites with a global meta-analysis and three microbiome manipulation experiments (microbial suspensions, cross-inoculation and synthetic communities). Agricultural soils showed a higher resistance of soil multifunctionality to warming than natural soils, consistent across the meta-analysis. Resistance of microbial community composition was the strongest predictor of functional resistance and was confirmed in artificial soils inoculated with agricultural versus natural microbial suspensions. Introducing soil microbiomes from agricultural ecosystems into previously undisturbed natural soils enhanced functional resistance to warming. Metagenomic analysis revealed that microbial life-history strategies play a crucial role in regulating the resistance of soil microbial community to warming, with communities dominated by stress-tolerant strategies conferring significantly stronger resistance. Our work highlights the potential of microbiome engineering to strengthen ecosystem functioning under climate change.",

author = "Shuo Jiao and Haibo Pan and Pablo Garc{\'i}a-Palacios and Hairong Tu and Yiran Zhang and Yu Liu and Hang Gao and Beibei Chen and Ziheng Peng and Shi Chen and Jiejun Qi and Chunling Liang and Xiaomeng Li and Yang Wang and Chujie Jin and Min Gao and Jiai Liu and Yihe Wang and Junhui Zhao and Lan Jiang and Ferran Romero and Samiran Banerjee and Yunfeng Yang and Yahai Lu and Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo and \{van der Heijden\}, \{Marcel G.A.\} and Gehong Wei",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2026.",

year = "2026",

doi = "10.1038/s43016-026-01348-7",

language = "English",

journal = "Nature Food",

issn = "2662-1355",

publisher = "Springer Nature",

}

Jiao, S, Pan, H, García-Palacios, P, Tu, H, Zhang, Y, Liu, Y, Gao, H, Chen, B, Peng, Z, Chen, S, Qi, J, Liang, C, Li, X, Wang, Y, Jin, C, Gao, M, Liu, J, Wang, Y, Zhao, J, Jiang, L, Romero, F, Banerjee, S, Yang, Y, Lu, Y, Delgado-Baquerizo, M, van der Heijden, MGA & Wei, G 2026, 'Agricultural soil microbiomes are structurally and functionally more resistant to warming than adjacent natural ecosystems', Nature Food. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-026-01348-7

TY - JOUR

T1 - Agricultural soil microbiomes are structurally and functionally more resistant to warming than adjacent natural ecosystems

AU - Jiao, Shuo

AU - Pan, Haibo

AU - García-Palacios, Pablo

AU - Tu, Hairong

AU - Zhang, Yiran

AU - Liu, Yu

AU - Gao, Hang

AU - Chen, Beibei

AU - Peng, Ziheng

AU - Chen, Shi

AU - Qi, Jiejun

AU - Liang, Chunling

AU - Li, Xiaomeng

AU - Wang, Yang

AU - Jin, Chujie

AU - Gao, Min

AU - Liu, Jiai

AU - Wang, Yihe

AU - Zhao, Junhui

AU - Jiang, Lan

AU - Romero, Ferran

AU - Banerjee, Samiran

AU - Yang, Yunfeng

AU - Lu, Yahai

AU - Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel

AU - van der Heijden, Marcel G.A.

AU - Wei, Gehong

PY - 2026

Y1 - 2026

N2 - Agricultural soil microbiomes experience frequent disturbance from intensive management and may therefore be better equipped to withstand climate warming than microbiomes in undisturbed natural soils. Here we test this by combining a continental-scale warming microcosm experiment across 100 paired agricultural–natural sites with a global meta-analysis and three microbiome manipulation experiments (microbial suspensions, cross-inoculation and synthetic communities). Agricultural soils showed a higher resistance of soil multifunctionality to warming than natural soils, consistent across the meta-analysis. Resistance of microbial community composition was the strongest predictor of functional resistance and was confirmed in artificial soils inoculated with agricultural versus natural microbial suspensions. Introducing soil microbiomes from agricultural ecosystems into previously undisturbed natural soils enhanced functional resistance to warming. Metagenomic analysis revealed that microbial life-history strategies play a crucial role in regulating the resistance of soil microbial community to warming, with communities dominated by stress-tolerant strategies conferring significantly stronger resistance. Our work highlights the potential of microbiome engineering to strengthen ecosystem functioning under climate change.

AB - Agricultural soil microbiomes experience frequent disturbance from intensive management and may therefore be better equipped to withstand climate warming than microbiomes in undisturbed natural soils. Here we test this by combining a continental-scale warming microcosm experiment across 100 paired agricultural–natural sites with a global meta-analysis and three microbiome manipulation experiments (microbial suspensions, cross-inoculation and synthetic communities). Agricultural soils showed a higher resistance of soil multifunctionality to warming than natural soils, consistent across the meta-analysis. Resistance of microbial community composition was the strongest predictor of functional resistance and was confirmed in artificial soils inoculated with agricultural versus natural microbial suspensions. Introducing soil microbiomes from agricultural ecosystems into previously undisturbed natural soils enhanced functional resistance to warming. Metagenomic analysis revealed that microbial life-history strategies play a crucial role in regulating the resistance of soil microbial community to warming, with communities dominated by stress-tolerant strategies conferring significantly stronger resistance. Our work highlights the potential of microbiome engineering to strengthen ecosystem functioning under climate change.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105039512257

U2 - 10.1038/s43016-026-01348-7

DO - 10.1038/s43016-026-01348-7

M3 - Article

C2 - 42141277

AN - SCOPUS:105039512257

SN - 2662-1355

JO - Nature Food

JF - Nature Food

ER -

Agricultural soil microbiomes are structurally and functionally more resistant to warming than adjacent natural ecosystems

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this