Land abandonment and afforestation are two of the largest processes of land-use change in the Global North. Here, using a nationwide successional gradient the authors show that abandoned ecosystems develop toward increasing afforestation where the process for soil microbes is non-linear and contains thresholds. Microbial taxonomic and functional diversity diverge, revealing a trade-off between different dimensions of diversity.
- Tord Ranheim Sveen
- Maria Viketoft
- Mo Bahram
