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Background and aims <p>Achieving the long-term sustainability of post-fire forest ecosystems depends on an evaluation process that is both comprehensive and deeply informed by the mechanisms of ecosystem function. This requires moving beyond the simple selection of restoration strategies to a more fundamental analysis of how these systems operate.</p> Methods <p>This study was conducted in a severely burned area affected by the 1987 “May 6” megafire in the Greater Khingan Mountains of northeastern China. To assess the long-term outcomes of different post-fire recovery strategies, we compared two contrasting 30-year post-fire recovery modes—a naturally regenerated <i>Betula platyphylla</i> forest (NB) and an artificially replanted <i>Larix gmelinii</i> plantation (AL)—with an undisturbed native <i>L. gmelinii</i> forest serving as the control (CK). By integrating vegetation, soil, and microbiome data, we evaluated biodiversity patterns and five key ecosystem services. Ecosystem multifunctionality indices, functional trade‑off analysis, and structural equation modelling were used to quantify trade‑offs and identify underlying drivers.</p> Results <p>The results show that NB achieved ecosystem multifunctionality and robustness comparable to or exceeding the control forest, while significantly outperforming AL. A clear functional trade‑off emerged: NB supported stronger soil nutrient cycling, water retention, and pathogen suppression, whereas AL showed higher net primary productivity and specific decomposition functions. Plant diversity further fostered positive interactions among core functional microbial taxa, underpinning the synergistic recovery of multiple ecosystem functions. Our meta-analysis reveals that in water-limited areas, natural regeneration driven by pioneer species fosters a more balanced recovery of ecosystem multifunctionality, characterized by enhanced trade-offs and synergies among functions, compared to conventional plantation-based restoration.</p> Conclusion <p>Naturally regenerated birch forests, driven by higher plant diversity that promotes the coordinated assembly of functional microbes involved in carbon fixation and nitrogen transformation, achieve more balanced and robust ecosystem multifunctionality than planted forests. This suggests that post-fire forest management should prioritize natural regeneration strategies that enhance biodiversity.</p>

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Diverse plants recruit functional microbes as engines to drive ecosystem multifunctionality in post-fire forests

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月30日

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  • Hong-Rui Wang,
  • Yu-Yang Liu,
  • Yang Xu,
  • Kai-Li Wang,
  • Rui Deng,
  • Fu-Juan Feng

摘要

Background and aims

Achieving the long-term sustainability of post-fire forest ecosystems depends on an evaluation process that is both comprehensive and deeply informed by the mechanisms of ecosystem function. This requires moving beyond the simple selection of restoration strategies to a more fundamental analysis of how these systems operate.

Methods

This study was conducted in a severely burned area affected by the 1987 “May 6” megafire in the Greater Khingan Mountains of northeastern China. To assess the long-term outcomes of different post-fire recovery strategies, we compared two contrasting 30-year post-fire recovery modes—a naturally regenerated Betula platyphylla forest (NB) and an artificially replanted Larix gmelinii plantation (AL)—with an undisturbed native L. gmelinii forest serving as the control (CK). By integrating vegetation, soil, and microbiome data, we evaluated biodiversity patterns and five key ecosystem services. Ecosystem multifunctionality indices, functional trade‑off analysis, and structural equation modelling were used to quantify trade‑offs and identify underlying drivers.

Results

The results show that NB achieved ecosystem multifunctionality and robustness comparable to or exceeding the control forest, while significantly outperforming AL. A clear functional trade‑off emerged: NB supported stronger soil nutrient cycling, water retention, and pathogen suppression, whereas AL showed higher net primary productivity and specific decomposition functions. Plant diversity further fostered positive interactions among core functional microbial taxa, underpinning the synergistic recovery of multiple ecosystem functions. Our meta-analysis reveals that in water-limited areas, natural regeneration driven by pioneer species fosters a more balanced recovery of ecosystem multifunctionality, characterized by enhanced trade-offs and synergies among functions, compared to conventional plantation-based restoration.

Conclusion

Naturally regenerated birch forests, driven by higher plant diversity that promotes the coordinated assembly of functional microbes involved in carbon fixation and nitrogen transformation, achieve more balanced and robust ecosystem multifunctionality than planted forests. This suggests that post-fire forest management should prioritize natural regeneration strategies that enhance biodiversity.