The response patterns of soil microorganisms to karst rocky desertification (KRD) succession remain poorly understood

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the future work and abstract of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2024 and 2026, spanning 5 journals. Those papers have been cited 52 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 5 representative gaps

• Potential Roles of Soil Viruses in Karst Forest Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles (2025) · Forests · cited 8× · doi

  Soil viruses are emerging as critical regulators in karst forest soil C and N cycles, shaped by the ecosystem’s unique environmental conditions [6,90]. Previous relevant studies have indicated that the energy and nutrients stored in viruses, as well as their Forests 2025, 16, 735 8 of 12 biogeochemical significance in soil, may have been overlooked, especially in places where resources are scarce and microbial movement may be physically restricted. Although some progress has been made in understanding the role of viruses in soil biogeochemistry, their specific functions and impacts remain poorly resolved. Broadening our understanding of these intricate interactions is crucial for fully comprehending the ecological impacts of viruses in soil ecosystems [5]. By shaping virus–host interactions, soil viruses contribute to microbial mortality, C and N cycling, and micro-food web dynamics [5,21], particularly in nutrient-limited karst forest ecosystems. Moreover, recent studies have shown that soil viruses are abundant and affected by climate change. Since soil viral communities are closely related to their host communities, the changes in viruses caused by climate change may be an indirect consequence of changes in their hosts. With climate change, the complex interactions between the physical environment of soil habitats and hosts determine the ultimate fate and functions of soil viruses. Interestingly, soil viruses can carry AMGs, which may contribute to carbon and nutrient cycling as well as other yet-to-be-understood pro- cesses in soil [3]. The potential roles of soil viruses in C and N cycles suggest nature-based solutions for enhancing soil C storage and mitigating climate change [3]. Integrating viral ecology into karst soil research offers exciting opportunities to uncover novel mechanisms of C and N cycling and improve our understanding of ecosystem functioning in karst forest ecosystems. Understanding virus–microbe–environment interactions can aid in developing strategies that not only improve soil health but also enhance the resilience of karst forest ecosystems to environmental changes [19,26]. Notably, incorporating insights from the roles of soil viruses in karst forest soil C and N cycles into sustainable forest management could lead to innovative practices that improve soil health, plant productivity, and ecological restoration in degraded karst ecosystems [6,85]. Despite their recognized importance, more research is needed to fully understand the specific regulatory mechanisms employed by viruses in karst forest soil C and N cycles. To guide this effort, we propose three critical scientific questions: (1) How do soil viruses modulate microbial C and N cycling in calcium-rich, heterogeneous karst forest soil? (2) What environmental drivers govern virus–host interactions in karst forest soil? (3) Can viral-informed strategies enhance karst forest ecosystem resilience to climate change? Meanwhile, we advocate for the following rese

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: soil viruses karst forest interactions ecosystems climate change cycles understanding cycling ecosystem environmental microbial virus
• Responses of Soil Microbial Community to Rocky Desertification Succession and Their Relationships With Plant Functional Diversity in Southwest China Karst Ecosystem (2026) · Ecology and Evolution · cited 3× · doi

  However, the response patterns of soil microorganisms to karst rocky desertification (KRD) succession remain poorly understood, particularly the relationship between microbial community dynamics and aboveground plant functional diversity.

  generalabstractevidence 5/5
  Keywords: response patterns soil microorganisms karst rocky desertification succession remain poorly understood particularly relationship microbial community
• Phages Affect Soil Dissolved Organic Matter Mineralization by Shaping Bacterial Communities (2025) · Environmental Science & Technology · cited 23× · doi

  Viruses are considered to regulate bacterial communities and terrestrial nutrient cycling, yet their effects on bacterial metabolism and the mechanisms of carbon (C) dynamics during dissolved organic matter (DOM) mineralization remain unknown.

  generalabstractevidence 5/5
  Keywords: bacterial viruses considered regulate communities terrestrial nutrient cycling effects metabolism mechanisms carbon dynamics dissolved organic
• Element cycling by environmental viruses (2024) · National Science Review · cited 18× · doi

  Importantly, the extent of carbon exchange resulting from the viral shunt mechanism in soils remains unknown, even though the carbon exchange is expected to be much greater in soils than in marine environments owing to the higher viral abundance and frequency of virus-microbe interactions in soils [12].

  generalabstractevidence 5/5
  Keywords: soils carbon exchange viral importantly extent resulting shunt mechanism remains unknown even though expected greater
• Spatial and depth structuring predominate over temporal variation in Mediterranean climate grassland soil viral communities (2026) · ISME Communications · doi

  Abstract Viruses have the potential to influence microbial community structure and elemental cycling in soils, but it remains unclear how these communities are distributed across space and time, which can shape how they respond to environmental change and impact ecosystem processes.

  generalabstractevidence 3/5
  Keywords: abstract viruses potential influence microbial community structure elemental cycling soils remains unclear communities distributed across

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