Oligotrophic bacteria and pathotrophic fungi moderate multitrophic interactions in semi-arid and arid environments.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Future climate projections indicate shifts in intra-annual precipitation patterns, with intensified rainfall events and prolonged dry periods. These changes may alter soil biotic communities and their interactions within food webs, particularly in semi-arid and arid ecosystems. However, the influence of varying rainfall regimes and increasing aridity on multitrophic associations in drylands remains poorly understood.

Methods

We leveraged a long-term rainfall manipulation experiment across 6 dryland sites in eastern Australia, including 2 arid ecosystems and 4 semi-arid ecosystems with different levels of rainfall (coefficient of variation, CV), resulting in 3 different climatic conditions. Surface soil was collected from replicated plots subjected to increased (+ 

SUBMITTER: Maisnam P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12628942 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature