Stochastic microbial community assembly decreases biogeochemical function

Much research has focused on improving ecosystem models by incorporating microbial regulation of biogeochemistry. However, models still struggle to predict biogeochemical function in future scenarios linked to accelerating global environmental change. Ecological mechanisms may influence the relationship between microbial communities and biogeochemistry, and here, we show that stochastic dispersal processes (e.g., wind-driven or hydrologic transport) can suppress biogeochemical function. Microbial communities are assembled by deterministic (e.g., selection) and stochastic (e.g., dispersal) processes, and the balance of these two processes is hypothesized to influence how microbial communities correspond to biogeochemical function. We explore the theoretical basis for this hypothesis and use ecological simulation models to demonstrate potential influences of assembly processes on ecosystem function. We assemble ‘receiving’ communities under different levels of dispersal from a source community (selection-only, moderate dispersal, and homogenizing dispersal). We then calculate the degree to which assembled individuals are adapted to their environment and relate the level of adaptation to biogeochemical function. We also use ecological null models to further link assembly the level of deterministic assembly to function. We find that dispersal can decrease biogeochemical function by increasing the proportion of maladapted taxa, outweighing selection. The niche breadth of taxa is also a key determinant of biogeochemical function, suggesting a tradeoff between the function of generalist and specialist species. Together, our results highlight the importance of considering ecological assembly processes to reduce uncertainty in predictions of biogeochemical cycles under future environmental scenarios.