Dynamic Plant–Soil–Microbe Interactions Mediating Forest Resilience and Ecosystem Multifunctionality Under Global Change

Dear Colleagues,

Forest ecosystems are increasingly threatened by global change drivers such as climate warming, altered precipitation, and land-use intensification. The resilience and multifunctionality of these ecosystems heavily depend on the complex, dynamic interactions between plants, soil, and associated microbial communities. This Special Issue aims to synthesize cutting-edge research on how plant–soil–microbe interactions regulate key forest ecosystem functions, particularly carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and disease suppression, under both natural and anthropogenic stress. By bridging aboveground and belowground ecology, this Special Issue seeks to advance our mechanistic understanding of forest resilience and provide actionable insights for sustainable forest management and ecological restoration.

Historically, forest ecology predominantly focused on aboveground processes, treating belowground compartments as a “black box”. Over the past two decades, a paradigm shift has occurred with the recognition that soil microbiomes, mycorrhizal networks, and root exudates are fundamental drivers of forest health and biogeochemical cycles. Plants and microbes engage in highly dynamic, context-dependent mutualistic or antagonistic interactions that shape ecosystem trajectories.

However, as global change accelerates, these established interaction networks are being disrupted. Shifts in temperature and moisture regimes alter microbial community composition and enzyme activities, while elevated CO₂ and nitrogen deposition modify plant carbon allocation and root exudation profiles. Understanding the historical context and the evolutionary trajectories of these interactions is crucial for predicting whether forests will act as future carbon sinks or sources, and how they will recover from disturbances such as wildfires, logging, or extreme droughts.

This Special Issue aims to collate novel research that explores the dynamic nature of plant–soil–microbe interactions in forest ecosystems and their implications for ecosystem resilience.

The scope includes, but is not limited to:

• Mechanisms of plant–microbe signaling and recruitment in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere.
• The role of mycorrhizal networks in carbon and nutrient exchange among forest trees.
• Responses of soil food webs and microbial communities to global change manipulations (warming, drought, nitrogen deposition).
• Linkages between plant functional traits and soil microbiome assembly.
• Microbiome-mediated forest resilience against pathogens and extreme climatic events.
• Applications of plant–soil–microbe interactions in forest restoration, afforestation, and sustainable management.

Dr. Xu Li
Dr. Kaijun Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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