Humans have made tremendous efforts to explore how biodiversity changes affect ecosystem processes and human well-being. It has been found that, in addition to biodiversity, various drivers of global change also play significant roles in ecosystem functioning. Land use is a key driver of global change, yet research on land use intensity has predominantly focused on agricultural and grassland ecosystems. There remains limited understanding of how land use intensity alters the relationships among biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and multifunctionality, particularly in forest ecosystems. This paper reviews recent advances in research on soil ecosystem multifunctionality, covering the effects of woodland use intensity, above- and belowground biodiversity, microbial diversity, and biotic interactions, as well as abiotic drivers. Through a comprehensive analysis of the integrated impacts of biodiversity, biotic interactions, and abiotic factors on soil ecosystem multifunctionality, the necessity of enhancing microbial research and its application in ecosystems is emphasized, providing a theoretical basis for forest management.
Li et al. (2026) studied this question.