RT journal article
T1 The global contribution of soil mosses to ecosystem services
A1 Eldridge, David J.
A1 Guirado, Emilio
A1 Reich, Peter B.
A1 Ochoa Hueso, Raúl
A1 Berdugo, Miguel
A1 Sáez Sandino, Tadeo
A1 Blanco Pastor, Jose Luis
A1 Picó Jordá, Sergio
A2 Biología
AB Soil mosses are among the most widely distributed organisms on land. Experiments and observations suggest that they contribute to terrestrial soil biodiversity and function, yet their ecological contribution to soil has never been assessed globally under natural conditions. Here we conducted the most comprehensive global standardized field study to quantify how soil mosses influence 8 ecosystem services associated with 24 soil biodiversity and functional attributes across wide environmental gradients from all continents. We found that soil mosses are associated with greater carbon sequestration, pool sizes for key nutrients and organic matter decomposition rates but a lower proportion of soil-borne plant pathogens than unvegetated soils. Mosses are especially important for supporting multiple ecosystem services where vascular-plant cover is low. Globally, soil mosses potentially support 6.43 Gt more carbon in the soil layer than do bare soils. The amount of soil carbon associated with mosses is up to six times the annual global carbon emissions from any altered land use globally. The largest positive contribution of mosses to soils occurs under a high cover of mat and turf mosses, in less-productive ecosystems and on sandy and salty soils. Our results highlight the contribution of mosses to soil life and functions and the need to conserve these important organisms to support healthy soils.
PB Nature Research
SN 1752-0908
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32871
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32871
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 07-nov-2026