Agricultural land use leads to lower taxonomic richness of nematodes, springtails, and mites in a global meta-analysis

Agricultural land use is a leading driver of soil biodiversity loss and one of the most significant threats to global biodiversity. This study presents a global meta-analysis of soil faunal data from agricultural systems, benchmarked against reference undisturbed ecosystems, to systematically evaluate the effects of different forms of agricultural land use on key soil faunal groups: nematodes, springtails, mites, and enchytraeids. The analysis further explores how these effects are influenced by abiotic factors such as soil properties and climate, offering valuable insights into the complex interactions driving soil faunal responses to agricultural land use. Our findings reveal consistent declines in the taxonomic richness of nematodes, springtails, and mites under agricultural land use, with significant reductions observed in arable croplands compared to undisturbed systems. While some other agricultural land uses showed less pronounced effects, the overall patterns indicate that agricultural practices, especially monocultures and conventional cropping systems, negatively impact soil fauna diversity. Springtails and mites, in particular, showed heightened vulnerability across diverse climatic zones, suggesting their sensitivity to agricultural land use. Notably, we identified a strong interaction between agricultural land use and mean annual precipitation: in regions with higher precipitation, the negative impacts on nematode, springtail, and mite density and taxonomic richness were significantly more pronounced. Additionally, we observed that soil properties, such as pH, and land management practices, including tillage and fertilization further modulated the composition of soil faunal communities, complicating the effects of agricultural land use. Based on our findings, we recommend promoting diversified cropping systems to support soil fauna diversity, especially for springtails and mites. Organic fertilization should be encouraged over mineral or mixed fertilizers. Management should prioritize vulnerable regions with tropical, humid, or high-precipitation climates and address soil factors like compaction to minimize biodiversity loss. Policy actions should include subsidies for biodiversity-friendly practices, land-use restrictions in sensitive areas, soil health monitoring programs incorporating biodiversity and soil structure metrics, and extension services focused on taxon- and soil-specific management strategies. • Agricultural land use reduces the taxonomic richness of nematodes, springtails, and mites. • Fauna are highly vulnerable to agricultural land use across various climatic zones. • Fauna are more vulnerable in areas with higher precipitation. • Soil pH and management practices mediate agricultural land-use effects on fauna. • Region- and climate-sensitive land management could mitigate negative effects.