land-use-change
Land-use change refers to the transformation of land from one purpose to another, such as converting forests or grasslands into agricultural fields, urban areas, or other managed landscapes. These shifts profoundly affect plant communities by altering habitat availability, soil composition, water cycles, and biodiversity. For plant scientists, understanding land-use change is critical for assessing its impacts on native flora, crop adaptation, ecosystem services, and the long-term sustainability of agricultural systems.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-14
A five-year field experiment found that adding chemical fertilizer and manure to reclaimed sandy grassland dramatically boosted crop growth but disrupted the soil's microbial communities in ways that could reduce long-term carbon storage and nitrogen availability, raising concerns about sustainable land use.
Combined chemical fertilizer plus manure increased aboveground plant biomass by more than 7 times compared to unfertilized sandy grassland.
Fertilization enhanced carbon-cycling microbial groups but reduced nitrogen-cycling microbes by decreasing the abundance of Nitrospirota bacteria.
Fungal diversity (Shannon index) was lowest under combined chemical and manure fertilization, suggesting that intensive fertilization can reduce microbial biodiversity even as it boosts crop yields.
