Ecological memory and extinction debt: soil biota responses to land use legacies

ongoing

The impact of land use change on various organisms, including plants, birds, mammals, amphibians, and arthropods, leading to local extinction debt, has been widely recognized. With the rapid transformation of landscapes due to agriculture, it is essential to assess the delayed response of soil organisms to these changes, known as the extinction debt. The concept of extinction debt suggests that a species may initially survive habitat changes but could eventually become extinct without further modification to its habitat. While it is known that land use can have lasting effects on soil properties and microbial communities, specific research on extinction debts in soil communities has been lacking. To address this gap, a comprehensive study will be conducted using data from over 1000 agricultural field sites in Estonia, including detailed land management information and molecular IDs of various soil-dwelling organisms. Cutting-edge analytical methods will be employed to evaluate the extent of ecological memory in soils, providing valuable insights for land managers and policymakers. This research aims to offer unique evidence of the impact of land use legacies on soil communities and identify the soil biota most vulnerable to land use changes. By integrating knowledge from agronomy, molecular ecology, community ecology, and soil biology, this interdisciplinary research seeks to understand how past land use legacies influence the current and future composition of soil organisms and, consequently, soil function.