Abstract
Aridity alters soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry, yet the implications of these processes for soil microbial functional traits and potentials at the genomic level remain poorly synthesized. Here we combine measurements of soil C, N and P pools and ratios with shotgun metagenomes from 200 natural ecosystems spanning major biomes worldwide. Across sites, increased aridity is associated with lower soil C:N and N:P (and C:P) ratios and with a coordinated shift in microbial functional potential. Genes linked to catabolic resource acquisition—including carbohydrate-active enzymes and pathways for degradation of plant litter and organophosphorus compounds—are declined as C becomes relatively scarce. In contrast, genes supporting anabolic investment in growth and drought resistance, such as RNA transcription, protein synthesis and intracellular transport, are increased. These patterns indicate that aridity-related change in soil elemental ratios is coupled to a broad shift from catabolic to anabolic strategies in soil microbiomes. By linking soil elemental ratios to microbial functional traits across biomes, our study provides a framework for anticipating how climate-driven drying may reorganize microbial metabolism with consequences for carbon and nutrient cycling.
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Acknowledgements
A.F. acknowledges support from ANID PIA/BASAL FB210006 and the Millennium Science Initiative Programme (grant no. NCN2021-040).
Funding
Y.F. and C.L. disclose support for the research of this work from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [42577352, 42407401 and 32161123004], the National Key R&D Program [2024YFD1300800], the Equipment Research and Development Projects of the Chinese Academy of Sciences [PTYQ2024YZ0010], and the Project funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [2024M761433]. F.T.M. discloses support for the research of this work from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. S.U. and B.B. disclose support for the research of this work from the Taylor Family-Asia Foundation Endowed Chair in Ecology and Conservation Biology. T.G. and T.U.N. disclose support for the research of this work from Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency projects [J4-3098, J4-4547] and Research group P4-0107. M.B. is supported by a Ramón y Cajal Fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science [RYC2021-031797-I]. G.Z. discloses support for the research of this work from Ramón y Cajal grant [RYC2022-035226-I] and AYUDAS DE EXCELENCIA RYC-MAX 2023 project from Spanish National Research Council. S.C.H. is supported, in part, by US National Science Foundation grant [EAR-2012878] during the writing of this manuscript. R.R. discloses support for the research of this work from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie IF-GF Actions [MICROBIOCLIM, GA nr. 101028323]. F.T.M. discloses that the survey of dryland areas was supported by the European Research Council [BIODESERT project, grant agreement no. 647038]. B.K.S. and T.S-S. disclose support for the research of their works from Australian Research Council [DP230101448]. B.K.S is also supported by ARC Training Center [IC240100041]. M.D-B. and F.B. disclose support for the research of this work from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the I + D + i project PID2020-115813RA-I00 and PID2020-114942RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. J.A.S. discloses support for the research of this work from the grant RYC2023-044125-I funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ESF +. T.S-S and B.K.S are supported by Australian Research Council [DP230101448]. A.L. and L.K. disclose support for the research of this work from the “funding TRR-228” granted by German Research Foundation (DFG). C.B. and M.K. disclose support for the research of this work from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia with the CE3C project [UIDB/00329/2020 [https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00329/2020]], Renewal project [PTDC/ASP-SIL/7743/2020 [DOI 10.54499/PTDC/ASP-SIL/7743/2020]], Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência: AdaptForGrazing [PRR-C05-i03-I-000035], and Collaborative Laboratory CHANGE [LA/P/0121/ 2020, DOI 10.54499/LA/P/0121/2020 [https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/0121/2020]]. M.K. is also supported by FCT grant [n° SFRH/BD/130274/2017], and by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia [DOI 10.54499/CEECIND/02453/2018/CP1534/CT0001; DOI 10.54499/ PTDC/ASP-SIL/7743/2020; DOI 10.54499/UID/00329/2025; DOI 10.54499/LA/P/0121/2020] and by a PhD fellowship [SFRH/BD/130274/2017] and by the LTsER Montado platform [LTER_EU_PT_001]. F.A. is supported by ANID/ATE240004 and ANID/SAL250002. M.M -R. discloses support for the research of this work from the projects PID2021-123097OA-I00 and PID2024-161692OB-C33 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. A.d.l.R discloses support for the research of this work from AEI-MICINN grant [PID2023-147027NB-I00B]. Other authors not declare the relevant funding.
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Li, C., Feng, Y., Sáez-Sandino, T. et al. Aridity-related differences in soil elemental ratios reshape microbial functional traits across global biomes.
Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73215-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73215-9
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