Editorial: Anthropogenic Effects on the Microbial Communities of Terrestrial Ecosystems

Wenchen Song¹Xingjia Xiang^2*Jianming Wang^3*Mark Radosevich^4*Yaping Lin^1*

• ¹Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
• ²Anhui University, Hefei, China
• ³Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
• ⁴The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, United States

Microorganisms in terrestrial ecosystems, including bacteria, fungi, archaea, protozoa, and microalgae (Chen et al., 2024), are one of the vital components of terrestrial ecosystems. Terrestrial microbial communities act as the core drivers of biogeochemical cycles and are the supporters of the productivity and stability of terrestrial ecosystems. They maintain the material cycles and energy flows of terrestrial ecosystems with their species diversity, genetic diversity, functional diversity, and complex metabolic networks (Song 2023;Song 2024;Chen et al., 2024;Hu et al., 2024;Zhao et al., 2025;Srivastava et al., 2025;Steinauer et al., 2023). However, with the intensification of industrialization and modernization in various countries, the negative impacts of human activities on terrestrial ecosystems have gradually become apparent, and scholars have increasingly focused on the effects of anthropogenic factors on microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems (Maehara et al., 2024;Philippot et al., 2021;Xue et al., 2024). Compared with natural factors, anthropogenic factors are more urgent due to their complexity and potential risks that have not yet been fully recognized. The ability of terrestrial ecosystems to resist anthropogenic disturbances and maintain their ecological functions is being increasingly challenged. Therefore, it is particularly important to explore the impact of anthropogenic factors on microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems.With the discovery and application of new technologies such as microbial genomics, transcriptomics, and DNA-SIP, we are now more capable than ever of revealing and improving the impact of anthropogenic factors on the structure and function of microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems. Thus, this research topic in Frontiers in Microbiology aims to systematically analyze the impact mechanisms of anthropogenic factors on microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems from aspects such as agricultural activities, grassland management, forest management, pollution, and urbanization (Figure 1). This research topic was a success since 35 Articles were collected here and called on scholars worldwide to actively participate in related research. Grassland ecosystems are an important component of terrestrial ecosystems, and the microbial communities within them play an irreplaceable role in material cycling, energy flow, and ecosystem services. Rui et al. revealed the distribution dynamics of prokaryotic communities in the soil of the Tibetan Plateau alpine grasslands along altitude and seasonal gradients, emphasizing the key role of moisture conditions in regulating community assembly processes. Grassland management is crucial for maintaining the stability of grassland ecosystems. This research topic, combined with the latest research findings of many scholars, explores the impact of different grassland management strategies on the structure and function of grassland microbial communities.Overgrazing is of the important anthropogenic drivers of grassland ecosystem degradation.Fang et al. using the Hulunbuir grassland in Inner Mongolia as a study site, explored how overgrazing on unmanaged grasslands affects the recovery of adjacent grazing-banned grasslands and found that overgrazing on unmanaged grasslands has a negative impact on the ecological recovery of adjacent grazing-banned grasslands, manifested in the deterioration of soil properties, simplification of plant communities, and singularization of microbial community functions in both the unmanaged grasslands themselves and the grazing-banned areas close to them.For a long time, grazing bans have been considered an important means of ecological restoration in grassland ecosystems. However, Jiang et al. by studying three different types of grasslands (temperate desert, temperate grassland, and mountain meadow), explored the impact of long-term grazing bans on soil nutrients and fungal community structure and found that the effect of grazing bans varies with grassland type. The fungal network modularity is the highest in the grazing-banned areas of temperate grasslands, with significant enhancement of community stability, while in the grazing-banned areas of mountain meadows, soil nutrient levels decline, and grazing bans exacerbate nutrient imbalances.In addition, this research topic also explored whether the addition of exogenous substances to grassland ecosystems would lead to soil carbon emissions driven by microbial communities. Liu et al. indicate that short-term addition of exogenous substances only causes weak decomposition of soil organic matter, while long-term addition promotes carbon sequestration through the microbial carbon pump mechanism rather than continuous emissions. This has positive implications for maintaining the stability of soil carbon stocks in grassland ecosystems and addressing climate change.Forests are a core component of terrestrial ecosystems, and the microbial communities within forest ecosystems are the main drivers of element cycling and vegetation renewal. These However, it is important to note that some management measures may pose risks. Tagynara et al.found that converting forests to pastures changes soil microbial composition and may increase the environmental spread of antibiotic resistance genes through management practices such as fertilization.Since the advent of the industrial civilization era, frequent industrial construction and other human activities have given rise to a variety of environmental pollutants. These pollutants, once released into the environment, are altering microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems. This research topic, in combination with the latest research findings from various scholars, reveals the impact of pollutants on microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems and the mechanisms by which microbial communities respond to pollutants.Heavy metal pollution is severely threatening and reshaping the structure and function of soil microbial communities. Liu et al. and Zhang et al. investigated the complex effects of cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) pollution on soil microorganisms and found that heavy metal pollution can alter soil physicochemical properties, thereby directly or indirectly disrupting the structure of microbial communities and reducing their ecological stability. Liu et al. also discovered that the microporous structure of biochar can adsorb heavy metals, while organic manure can reshape microbial structure through carbon and nitrogen supply. The combined application of the two can positively improve soil conditions affected by heavy metal pollution and enhance crop quality, providing a green solution for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated land.With the continuous development of nuclear industry and nuclear science in various countries, an increasing number of ecosystems are being exposed to ionizing radiation pollution over the long term. Zeng et al. through a study of plant-microbe-soil ecosystems exposed to low-level radiation (LLR) for 10 years, analyzed the changes in radiation absorption dose rates with distance and found that LLR affects the carbon and nitrogen migration processes between plants, microbes, and soil through symbiotic microbial effects. They also showed that increased radiation intensity leads to a significant increase in the relative abundance of symbiotic fungi, accompanied by increases in soil lignin peroxidase activity, C/N ratio, and carbon content, and induces adaptive changes in plant functional traits.On a global scale, Wepking et al. through a study of the residual effects of antibiotic use on the temperature response of soil microorganisms, found that compared with non-polluted soil, soil samples contaminated with antibiotics exhibit different evolutionary trajectories of microbial community structure and function under warming conditions, which may greatly disrupt the stability of soil carbon cycling and, in turn, affect the accuracy of global carbon budget predictions. Yang et al. found that plastic pollution has become a global environmental issue, posing potential ecological risks to microbial communities in soil ecosystems. However, there are still gaps in the long-term ecological impact of plastic pollution on soil microbial communities and the combined effects of plastic with other pollutants. Future research needs to be conducted over a wider range of environmental conditions for a comprehensive assessment of the ecological risks of plastic pollution.Wu et al. focusing on ecological restoration, discovered the potential of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) in high-altitude harsh environments, providing a sustainable solution for the ecological restoration of the Mu Li coal mine area while reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers and lowering environmental pollution risks.Urban areas represent highly anthropogenic ecosystems, and their influence on microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems is increasingly becoming a focal point of current research.From the green space soils in Jiangnan cities to the urban fringes of northern grasslands, this research topic integrates the latest findings to reveal how multiple urbanization processes alter the structure and function of microbial communities, thereby threatening ecosystem stability. Vegetation is an essential component of urban ecosystems and often serves as a refuge for microbial communities alongside soil. Fang et al. using the Hulun Buir grassland in Inner Mongolia as a study site, explored the impact of pastoral town construction on adjacent grassland ecosystems.They found that the soil in grasslands within 1 km of urban areas, compared to those 3 km away, experienced a decrease in total organic carbon (TOC) and soil water content (SWC), which weakened the decomposition function of lignicolous fungi. Meanwhile, increases in pH and TP promoted the proliferation of pathogenic fungi. The rise in pathogenic fungi led to a decline in plant diversity, further reducing litter input and exacerbating nutrient cycling obstacles in the soil. In other words, urbanization often comes at the cost of disrupting the interactions between plants and soil microbial communities, leading to the degradation of adjacent grassland ecosystems. Li et al.discovered that photovoltaic power stations can significantly affect the structure and network characteristics of microbial communities by altering soil properties. In response to these changes, bacterial communities are more sensitive, while fungal communities exhibit stronger adaptability.This research topic collects 35 papers from scholars from different parts by systematically reviewing the impact of various typical human activities, such as agricultural practices, grassland management, forest management, pollution, and urbanization, on the structure and function of microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems, it has revealed that human factors primarily alter the ecological niches of microbial communities by directly changing the soil environment or plant growth conditions on which microbial communities depend. This ultimately affects the stability of terrestrial ecosystems and provides a scientific basis for understanding the vulnerability of microbial communities and ecological restoration.Despite the significant progress made in current research, there are still limitations. For example, studies often focus on a single disturbance factor, while terrestrial ecosystems are actually frequently subjected to multiple pressures from various sources. The depth of functional analysis of microbial communities is insufficient, and there is a lack of mechanistic explanations for the specific environmental adaptation strategies of microbial groups. Most existing studies are based on the analysis of microbial communities using 16S rRNA gene sequencing results, lacking research on the metabolic functions of microbial communities. Future research directions should focus on integrating studies from multiple factors and perspectives, combining techniques such as metagenomics or metabolomics to reveal changes in the structure and function of microbial communities. It is also possible to investigate the long-term evolutionary patterns of microbial communities at observation stations in the studied ecosystems. There is a call for interdisciplinary cooperation among experts and scholars in related fields to conduct joint research.