Differential responses of soil microbial biomass and diversity to long-term phosphorus fertilization: A global meta-analysis

Despite broad recognition of P's importance in terrestrial ecosystems, significant gaps persist in understanding the long-term effects of P fertilization on soil microbial communities—particularly their adaptive mechanisms and evolutionary patterns under sustained P enrichment. To address this knowledge gap, we synthesized 4,087 paired observations from 194 globally distributed long-term field experiments involving P fertilization (≥3 years) across various ecosystems, including croplands, forests, and grasslands.