Crop rotation mitigates soil fungal diversity loss under warming or increased moisture

Understanding the response of soil fungal communities to climate change is crucial for predicting ecosystem resistance and optimizing agricultural management. Here, we combined a meta-analysis of 4968 peer-reviewed publications with a controlled microcosm experiment involving 600 pots to assess how warming and increased moisture affect soil fungal diversity and community composition in natural and agricultural ecosystems. Our results revealed that warming and increased moisture generally enhanced soil fungal alpha diversity in natural ecosystems, particularly in forests and grasslands. Conversely, monoculture farmlands exhibited significant reductions in fungal diversity under warming or increased moisture, while crop rotation systems mitigated soil fungal diversity loss under these conditions. Additionally, fungal communities in monoculture systems experienced lower species turnover and composition differentiation under warming and wetting, while crop rotation systems displayed higher resistance. Network analysis further demonstrated that crop rotation systems supported more complex and stable fungal co-occurrence networks, suggesting enhanced adaptability to climate stress. Lastly, structural equation modeling identified network complexity, driven by trophic guild diversity and beta diversity, as a crucial factor influencing fungal alpha diversity in rotation systems. These findings highlight the importance of diversifying cropping systems to enhance fungal community stability and resistance under climate change, providing practical insights for sustainable agriculture.