Soil legacy of grazing shapes current ecosystem multifunctionality in a temperate grassland

Herbivore grazing has been recognized as a critical factor that alters both soil abiotic and biotic properties in grassland ecosystems, leaving significant long-term soil legacies. These soil legacies potentially influence current ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). Yet, the contribution of historical grazing to current levels of EMF remains virtually unknown. Here, we experimented to evaluate the soil legacy effects of grazing with different levels of intensity on current levels of EMF in a temperate grassland that had been free of livestock for ca. 30 years. We found long-lasting effects of grazing on ecosystem multifunctionality, suggesting that any impacts of grazing today can have consequences in the future, even after grazing is excluded from ecosystems. EMF and soil microbial richness peaked under moderate historical grazing, with EMF 91 %, 26 %, and 75 % higher than under extremely heavy, heavy, and light grazing, respectively, while bacterial and fungal richness increased by 3–8 % and 9–20 % respectively. These aligned gains suggest that moderate grazing created intermediate soil disturbance and resource conditions that favoured both microbial diversity and EMF, likely leaving the strongest ecological legacies. Our study reveals novel insights about the existence of long-lasting effects of grazing legacies on EMF, which should inform strategies for restoring overgrazed grasslands and promoting sustainable grazing systems. These findings further highlight the importance of incorporating grazing-history assessments into grassland restoration planning and management.