Nonlinear dynamics of interactions within the nematode food web across a saline-alkaline gradient

This study explores how nematode communities and functional-group interactions respond to soil salinization-alkalization. By classifying nematodes according to feeding behavior and life-history strategy, we examined their trophic and non-trophic interactions across non-, weakly, moderately, and highly saline-alkaline soils. Results show that moderate stress enhanced network interactions, whereas high stress sharply reduced nematode diversity and simplified the network, with Na⁺ identified as the key environmental driver. These findings highlight the nonlinear impacts of saline-alkaline stress on nematode networks and underscore the importance of Na⁺ management for ecosystem resilience.