Impacts of Climate, Organic Management, and Degradation Status on Soil Biodiversity in Agroecosystems Worldwide

• Autores: Sánchez Cueto, Pablo; Hartmann, Martin; García Velázquez, Laura; Gozalo, Beatriz; Ochoa, Victoria; Bongiorno, Giulia; Goede, Ron; Zoka, Melpomeni; Stathopoulos, Nikolaos; Kontoes, Charalampos; Martinez, Luis Daniel Olivares; Mataix Solera, Jorge; García Orenes, Fuensanta; Van De Sande, Tomas; Hestbjerg, Helle; Alsina, Ina; Tóth, Zoltán; Barral, Maria Paula; Sirimarco, Marina Ximena; Dongmo, Joseph Blaise; Nguefack, Julienne; Tangkoonboribun, Rochana; Clocchiatti, Anna; Ghemis, Radu; Bosch, Montse; Parras Moltó, Marcos; Yacoub Lopez, Cristina; Soliveres, Santiago; Lladó, Salvador
• Año de publicación: 2025
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Global Change Biology 31 (9) : e70486 (September 2025)
• Materia: ADN Ambiental; Agricultura Orgánica; Biodiversidad; Degradación del Suelo; Agroecosistema; Agroecología; Impacto Ambiental; Environmental DNA; Organic Agriculture; Biodiversity; Soil Degradation; Agroecosystems; Agroecology; Environmental Impact
• Institución: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria

Unsustainable soil management, climate change, and land degradation jeopardize soil biodiversity and soil-mediated ecosystem functions. Although the transition from conventional to organic agriculture has been proposed as a potential solution to alleviate these pressures, there is limited evidence of its effectiveness in enhancing belowground biodiversity across different biogeographical regions, climates, and land degradation levels. In this study, we holistically assessed the status of soil biodiversity, from microorganisms to meso- and macrofauna, in agroecosystems distributed across four continents. We identified the primary environmental community composition drivers and assessed the effects of the transition from conventional to organic management (no chemical inputs) on soil ecology. Our findings highlight the mean temperature and precipitation of the warmest and coldest quarters of the year, aridity, pH, and soil texture as the primary drivers of the different soil biodiversity components. Overall, organic farming has a significant but small impact on soil biodiversity compared to the other community drivers. On top of that, the results demonstrate the importance of a regional-specific context for a future generalized transition towards organic soil management. Specifically, under the most arid conditions in our study, organic management showed potential to buffer biodiversity loss in highly degraded soils, with a significant increase in diversity for prokaryotes and protists compared to conventionally managed soils. Therefore, the combination of a global and, simultaneously, regional-specific approach supports the hypothesis that a shift towards organic agriculture would maximize its beneficial impact on belowground diversity in highly degraded soils under arid conditions over the coming years, being a crucial tool to increase resilience and adaptation to global change for agriculture.
EEA Balcarce
Fil: Sánchez Cueto, Pablo. Leitat Technological Center; España. Universidad de Barcelona; España
Fil: Hartmann, Martin. Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule zurich; Suiza
Fil: García Velázquez, Laura. Universidad de Alicante; España
Fil: Gozalo, Beatriz. Universidad de Alicante; España
Fil: Ochoa, Victoria. Universidad de Jaén; España
Fil: Bongiorno, Giulia. University of Agriculture Wageningen; Países Bajos
Fil: Goede, Ron. University of Agriculture Wageningen; Países Bajos
Fil: Zoka, Melpomeni. Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing; Grecia
Fil: Stathopoulos, Nikolaos. Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing; Grecia
Fil: Kontoes, Charalampos. Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing; Grecia
Fil: Martinez, Luis Daniel Olivares. Miguel Hernandez University; España
Fil: Mataix Solera, Jorge. Miguel Hernandez University; España
Fil: García Orenes, Fuensanta. Miguel Hernandez University; España
Fil: Van De Sande, Tomas. Inagro (inagro);
Fil: Hestbjerg, Helle. Danish Technological Institute; Dinamarca
Fil: Alsina, Ina. Latvia University Of Life Sciences And Technologies; Letonia
Fil: Tóth, Zoltán. Hungarian University Of Agriculture And Life Sciences; Hungría
Fil: Barral, María Paula.Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible; Argentina
Fil: Sirimarco, Marina Ximena. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible; Argentina
Fil: Dongmo, Joseph Blaise. University Of Yaounde I; Camerún
Fil: Nguefack, Julienne. University Of Yaounde I; Camerún
Fil: Tangkoonboribun, Rochana. Thailand Institute Of Scientific And Technological Rese; Tailandia
Fil: Clocchiatti, Anna. University of Amsterdam; Países Bajos
Fil: Ghemis, Radu. Universidad de Barcelona; España
Fil: Bosch, Montse. Universidad de Barcelona; España
Fil: Parras Moltó, Marcos. Universidad de Barcelona; España
Fil: Yacoub Lopez, Cristina. Universidad de Barcelona; España
Fil: Soliveres, Santiago. Universidad de Alicante; España
Fil: Lladó, Salvador. Universidad de Barcelona; España