Impact of climate change on biodiversity and associated key ecosystem services in Africa:a systematic review

Introduction:Biodiversity and biodiversity-based ecosystems services are intrinsically dependent on the climate.During the twentieth century,climate change has posed major threats to biodiversity in Africa,and impacts are expected to increase as climate change continues and perhaps even accelerates.Outcomes:Our review shows that the multiple components of climate change are projected to affect all levels of biodiversity,from genes over species to biome level.Loss of biodiversity as a result of climate change can alter the structures and functions of African ecological systems.As a result,the provision of biodiversity-based ecosystem services and the wellbeing of people that rely on these services are being modified.Of particular concerns are“tipping points”where the exceedance of ecosystem thresholds will possibly lead to irreversible shifts of the structure of ecosystems and their services.In recent years,climate prediction models have portended continued warming and more frequent extreme weather events across the region.Such weather-related disturbances such as El Niño will place a premium on biodiversity and biodiversity-based ecosystem services that people rely on.Conclusion:As biodiversity underlies all goods and services provided by ecosystems that are crucial for human survival and well-being,this paper synthesizes and discusses observed and anticipated impacts of climate change on biodiversity and biodiversity-based ecosystem service provision and livelihoods,and what strategies might be employed to decrease current and future risks on the well-being of human in Africa.

Partial organic fertilizer substitution promotes soil multifunctionality by increasing microbial community diversity and complexity

Partial substitution of synthetic nitrogen(N)with organic fertilizers(PSOF)is of great significance in improving soil ecosystem functions in systems that have deteriorated due to the excessive application of chemical N fertilizer.However,existing studies typically focus on individual soil functions,neglecting the fact that multiple functions occur simultaneously.It remains unclear how PSOF influences multiple soil functions and whether these impacts are related to soil microbial communities.Here,we examined the impacts of partial substitutions(25%–50%)of chemical N fertilizer with organic form(pig manure or municipal sludge)in a vegetable field on soil multifunctionality,by measuring a range of soil functions involving primary production(vegetable yield and quality),nutrient cycling(soil enzyme activities,ammonia volatilization,N leaching,and N runoff),and climate regulation(soil organic carbon sequestration and nitrous oxide emission).We observed that PSOF improved soil multifunctionality,with a 50%substitution of chemical N fertilizer with pig manure being the best management practice;the result was strongly related to the diversities and network complexities of bacteria and fungi.Random forest analysis further revealed that soil multifunctionality was best explained by the bacterial-fungal network complexity,followed by available phosphorus level and bacterial diversity.The PSOF also shifted the composition of bacterial and fungal communities,with increased relative abundances of dominant bacteria phyla,such as Bacteroidetes,Gemmatimonadetes,and Myxococcota,and fungal phyla,such as Basidiomycota and Olpidiomycota.The observed increases in soil multifunctionality were consistent with significant increases in the relative abundances of keystone taxa such as Blastocladiomycota,Chaetomiaceae,and Nocardiopsaceae.Together,these findings indicate that PSOF can enhance interactions within and among microbial communities and that such practices have the potential to improve soil ecosystem multifunctionality and contribute to the development of sustainable agriculture.