Research Progress and Ecological Implications of Soil Nematode Metabolic Footprint

Abstract

Soil nematodes, as a key functional group in soil ecosystems, have a profound impact on carbon and nitrogen cycles, microbial community dynamics, and soil health. Metabolic footprint, as a core indicator for quantifying nematode ecological effects, integrates processes such as respiration, decomposition of excreta, and microbial regulation. Recent breakthroughs in molecular biology and stable isotope tracing technologies have significantly enhanced the accuracy of nematode metabolic pathway analysis. Studies have shown that interspecific differences in nematodes lead to significant variations in carbon and nitrogen transformation efficiency, for example, the organic carbon mineralization rate of fungivorous nematodes can reach 60%, while that of bacterivorous nematodes is only 30-45%. At the same time, environmental factors (such as temperature, pH) and biological interactions (such as root signaling of plants, control by predators) further affect the ecological function contributions of nematodes by regulating their metabolic activity. However, existing research still has shortcomings in the refinement of metabolic mechanisms, long-term effect assessment, and the construction of climate change response models. This article systematically reviews the research progress of nematode metabolic footprint, reveals its ecological regulatory mechanisms, and proposes that future research should focus on the integration of omics technologies and the development of cross-scale models to provide theoretical support for soil resource management and the achievement of carbon neutrality goals.