Climate change and Anthropocene pressures accelerate soil degradation, threatening agricultural productivity, ecosystems, and human health. Within the One Health framework, soils are critical living systems. However, while physical and chemical dimensions of soil health are well studied, the biological dimension—particularly microbiome functional diversity—remains heavily underutilized in climate-resilient agriculture. We argue that microbiome functional diversity is the missing biological foundation linking Soil Health and One Health. Rather than viewing microbiomes as isolated components, we propose they be treated as interconnected functional networks regulating resilience across soil, plant, animal, and human systems. We position microbiome engineering as a strategic research priority to translate ecological knowledge into sustainable agricultural solutions. Synthesizing discussions from the Chile–Sweden ACCESS Forum, we identify vital research priorities: exploring microbiomes from harsh, ancient, and extreme environments; developing synthetic microbial communities (SynComs); and integrating high-resolution mass spectrometry, multi-omics, microscale soil models, and extended genotype approaches. These tools offer unprecedented pathways to manipulate microbial functions that enhance nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, stress tolerance, and pollutant remediation. Advancing microbiome functional diversity from ecological discovery to functional microbiome engineering represents a critical, actionable step toward achieving climate-resilient agroecosystems and fulfilling the global objectives of the One Health framework in the Anthropocene.
Open-pit coal mining causes severe land disturbance, with waste rock dumps significantly altering carbon storage patterns. This study of three dump sites at the Antaibao mine (Loess Plateau), integrates high-resolution DEM with field sampling to develop a topographic analysis method, based on fractal theory. We used this to examine how micro-terrain differentiation influenced carbon storage and then assessed causal pathways through structural equation modelling (SEM). Our results show that dump topography complexity (e.g., ΔD, D(1), Δα, Δf) was important control correlate in the spatial distribution of plant carbon and soil organic carbon. Plant carbon showed more pronounced carbon island effects and greater spatial heterogeneity (ΔD = 0.76–0.97), while soil organic carbon followed a more dispersed distribution pattern, heavily influenced by terrain complexity. SEM further revealed that multi-scale topographic factors exhibit significant variation in the regulation of carbon pools. Multi-fractal topographic variability (MF-TD) exerts a significant negative direct effect on soil organic carbon (β = -0.492, p = 0.0012). Plot-scale local topography has a significant negative impact on plant carbon (β = -0.290, p = 0.0056). Reclamation age and soil properties are important regulatory factors for soil organic carbon. Soil properties showed multifractal characteristics that can be described as low-dimensional, highly heterogeneous, and fragmented (D(1) = 0.33–0.37). Based on the results, we propose a differentiated ecological restoration strategy tailored to topographic variation, offering a targeted management framework to support carbon neutrality and ecological rehabilitation in mined landscapes. • The topography, soil characteristics, and carbon storage at the dump sites exhibit distinct multifractal properties • Topographic complexity as the significant driver of spatial heterogeneity in carbon storage • Topographic differentiation exerts significant negative effects on SOC and PC content • The carbon sink function was driven by artificial landforms and natural succession
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are widespread in drylands and strongly influence soil water and nutrient availability, yet their role in mediating plant productivity and drought sensitivity under extreme drought remains poorly understood. We conducted a two-year field experiment comparing biocrust-covered and bare sand plots under ambient and extreme drought conditions (65
Forest soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key component of the global carbon (C) pool, and its stability is critical for climate change mitigation. Although stand origin and tree species type can regulate soil C sequestration, their relative importance for soil C stability remains poorly understood. We assessed plant and soil C pools, litter and fine root inputs, and microbial traits across natural and planted forests and across coniferous and broadleaf forests. We identified the key drivers of particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) and evaluated the effects of stand origin and tree species type on soil C sequestration and stability. Our results showed that natural forests had higher SOC, MAOC, and POC stocks than planted forests, whereas coniferous forests had higher SOC and MAOC stocks than broadleaf forests. MAOC was more strongly associated with species type, whereas POC was more strongly associated with stand origin. Fine root inputs were important contributors to soil C accumulation. Root quantity was linked to higher POC stocks in natural forests, whereas root quality, particularly lignin and non-structural carbohydrates content, was associated with higher MAOC stocks in coniferous forests. Our findings reveal contrasting roles of stand origin and species type in regulating different soil C fractions, highlighting tree species type as an important consideration for long-term soil C storage and stabilization.
Excessive fertilizer use can negatively affect soil health and microbial activity. This study examined whether combining Bradyrhizobium sp. PMR-1 with selected plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) could improve mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) productivity, grain quality, and rhizosphere functioning under field conditions. A field experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with seven treatments comprising single and co-inoculations formulated in talc-based carriers. Plant growth, nodulation, chlorophyll content, yield attributes, and grain protein were measured. Soil enzyme activities, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), available nutrients, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, and microbial populations (Bacteria, fungus and phosphate solubilizing bacteria [PSB]) were determined at harvest. Treatment responses were also compared using multivariate analyses. Co-inoculation generally performed better than single inoculations and the uninoculated control. Nodule number and dry weight increased by 32.35
