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Akhter Hossain

Candidature

PhD Candidate

Thesis Title

Soil multitrophic interactions and ecosystem functions

Research Project

Akhter HossainSoil biodiversity, comprising a diverse array of organisms across multiple trophic levels, plays a pivotal role in sustaining ecosystem services and functions through complex multitrophic interactions. However, global change drivers (GCDs), such as warming and drought, increasingly threaten these interactions and the ecosystems they support. Emerging evidence highlights that biotic interactions and eco-evolutionary adaptations can mitigate some of the adverse effects of GCDs on ecosystem functions. Despite this, the role of soil multitrophic interactions in maintaining ecosystem functional stability under such changes remains insufficiently understood.
This research seeks to explore the influence of soil multitrophic interactions on ecosystem functions under drought and heatwave conditions across micro-, meso-, and field-scale experiments. It also examines how eco-evolutionary responses of soil biodiversity contribute to ecosystem stability. The research includes three core studies:

  1. A field experiment assessing the impact of plant diversity on soil multitrophic interactions and their implications for ecosystem multifunctionality.
  2. A glasshouse experiment investigating the eco-evolutionary responses of soil biodiversity to drought and heatwave stresses and their effects on ecosystem functions.
  3. A field survey in bushfire-affected sites around Greater Sydney, examining how bushfire intensity shapes soil multitrophic interactions and ecosystem functions.

The study employs advanced techniques such as next-generation sequencing and qPCR to analyse soil biodiversity. Indicators of ecosystem functions—encompassing primary productivity, climate regulation, soil health, and nutrient cycling—are measured to assess ecosystem multifunctionality.

Preliminary results from the field experiment underscore the critical role of plant species richness in shaping soil communities and promoting ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). Key ecosystem function indicators, including greenhouse gas fluxes (climate regulation), available nutrients (nutrient cycling), total nitrogen and carbon (soil health), and vegetation indices and root biomass (primary productivity), exhibit strong associations with plant species richness and functional diversity.

Outcomes of this research will provide a mechanistic understanding of the relationship between soil multitrophic interactions and ecosystem multifunctionality in the context of climate change. The findings are expected to inform policymakers about the potential impacts of soil biodiversity loss on ecosystem functions under projected climate scenarios, contributing to the development of effective conservation and management strategies.

Supervisory Panel

Distinguished Professor Brajesh Singh, Dr Eleonora Egidi