Positive associations fuel soil biodiversity and ecological networks worldwide

Abstract

Microbial interactions are key to maintaining soil biodiversity. However, whether negative or positive associations govern the soil microbial system at a global scale remains virtually unknown, limiting our understanding of how microbes interact to support soil biodiversity and functions. Here, we explored ecological networks among multitrophic soil organisms involving bacteria, protists, fungi, and invertebrates in a global soil survey across 20 regions of the planet and found that positive associations among both pairs and triads of soil taxa governed global soil microbial networks. We further revealed that soil networks with greater levels of positive associations supported larger soil biodiversity and resulted in lower network fragility to withstand potential perturbations of species losses. Our study provides unique evidence of the widespread positive associations between soil organisms and their crucial role in maintaining the multitrophic structure of soil biodiversity worldwide.