Soil Microbiome Response Is Key to Improving Soil Health Across Multiple Agroecosystems in Inland Pacific Northwest

The soil microbiome is a complex assemblage of microorganisms that are important in restoring and maintaining soil function, ecosystem stability, and sustainable agroecosystem development. However, soil microbial responses to environmental or land-use gradients in agroecosystems and the consequent implications for soil functional integrity and sustainable agroecosystem development remain poorly understood. In this review, we present the current state of the science on: (1) shifts in microbial community composition in response to environmental or land-use gradients within conventional dryland small grains farms, temperate evergreen forests, and riparian areas in the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW) where the precipitation regime is considered mediterranean, and (2) microbial traits link to soil function as a response to soil health management. Upon conclusion of this review, the lack of information is still apparent in terms of understanding how to intentionally manage the soil microbiome after land-use conversions, especially given that soil health and ecosystem services are driven by the soil microbiome. This review, therefore, motivates future research into the primary land management regimes to better link specific microbial taxa to soil microbial and ecosystem processes across land-use gradients.