Research advances in the interaction mechanism and ecological functions between orchard soil microorganisms and physicochemical properties

The complex and dynamic interactions between soil microbial communities and soil physicochemical properties constitute a fundamental mechanisms maintaining the stability, functionality, and long-term sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems. These complex relationships involve a wide array of biological, chemical, and ecological processes, forming a bidirectional interaction system, in which the soil microbial communities not only respond to the changes in soil physicochemical characteristics, but also actively modify the soil environment through their metabolic functions. Rather than serving as passive responders to environmental fluctuations, microorganisms exert profound influences on the surrounding soil matrix by shaping its physical structure and chemical composition. Through these processes, they establish a continuous and self-reinforcing feedback loop that sustains essential ecosystem services. This dynamic interplay is especially pivotal in soil organic matter turnover, where soil microbes act as primary agents in decomposing complex organic macromolecules into simpler and bioavailable compounds. Through enzymatic degradation pathways, microorganisms facilitate the release of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, which are critical for plant development, soil fertility, and overall ecosystem productivity. Additionally, microbial activity contributes to the stabilization of soil aggregates, enhances cation exchange capacity, and modulates soil pH, all of which are crucial for maintaining soil health and resilience under changing environmental conditions. Conversely, variations in soil physicochemical properties, including moisture content, temperature, pH, and the availabili-ty of organic substrates, exert significant influence on the composition, diversity, and functionality of soil microbial communities. These environmental parameters apply selective pressures that reshape microbial assemblages, alter gene expression patterns, and regulate metabolic functions, thereby affecting the ecological roles that microorganisms play in the soil environment. The mutual dependence and responsiveness between microbial communities and their abiotic environment underscore the co- evolutionary and co- regulated nature of microbe- soil interactions, which are inherently context- dependent and dynamically modulated. The importance of understanding these intricate interactions is further heightened by the influence of exogenous factors such as climate change, anthropogenic disturbances, land-use changes, and agricultural management practices. Such external influences can disrupt microbial community structure, reduce ecological functional diversity, and impair essential soil ecosystem services. Soil microorganisms serve as not only the sensitive indicators of soil health, but also the key agents in ecological restoration and the recovery of soil productivity. Field- based management strategies, such as organic matter enhancement, conservation tillage, vegetative ground cover, and functional microbial inoculation, offer promising tools to precisely regulate soil microbial communities. These practices contribute to improving soil structure and optimizing nutrient cycling processes, thereby enhancing ecosystem resilience and productivity. Future research on the coupling relationship between soil microorganisms and physicochemical properties should increasingly leverage advanced molecular techniques, including metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, to explore potential factors regulating microbial functions. These high-resolution methodologies allow for the systematic elucidation of microbial functions, facilitate the identification of key taxa, map functional genes, and reconstruct microbial interaction networks that drive fundamental biogeochemical cycles. In particular, multi-omics integration with ecological modeling, geospatial analysis, and machine learning provides novel opportunities for predicting and evaluating microbial responses to environmental changes across spatial and temporal scales. Crucially, linking microbial traits and ecosystem functions to soil physicochemical parameters can enable the development of targeted technologies for remediating degraded lands, enhancing soil carbon sequestration, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Applications of microbial inoculants, biofertilizers, and bioremediation agents are playing an increasingly vital role in promoting sustainable agriculture while reducing ecological footprints. In summary, the interactions between soil microbial communities and soil physicochemical are critical for maintaining soil health, stabilizing ecosystem function, and advancing global sustainable development goals. These interactions influence key processes such as the soil nutrient cycling, organic matter turnover, and soil structure formation, which in turn determine ecosystem productivity, resilience, and adaptive capacity. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of soil microbial ecology, supported by interdisciplinary collaboration, technological innovation, and systems-level analysis, is essential to address the pressing agricultural and environmental challenges of the 21st century. At the same time, it is crucial to acknowledge the inherent complexity and uncertainty of soil ecosystem structures. Deepening our understanding of the coupling relationship between soil microorganisms and soil physicochemical characteristics will enable scientists, practitioners, and policymakers to formulate and implement effective soil protection and restoration strategies. This approach is particularly relevant in orchard ecosystems, where precise management practices are needed to ensure high-quality fruit production. To this end, future research should focus on regulating microbial community structure, exploring functional redundancy, and deciphering microbial metabolic regulatory mechanisms. Identifying the role of key functional microbes in processes such as nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and soil ecological stabilization is essential forthe development of microbiome-based orchard soil management technologies. By guiding the directional regulation of microbial activity, we can restore ecological balance, improve soil fertility, and enhance the health of the fruit tree rhizosphere. Moreover, the establishment of intelligent soil health management systems, incorporating microbial function monitoring, big data analytics, and ecological simulation modeling, will facilitate the prediction of long-term responses of microbial communities to changes in soil properties and fruit tree nutritional status. These advancements will significantly improve the precision and effectiveness of soil health monitoring and management in orchard systems. Finally, the promotion of microbiome transplantation technologies and the application of functional microbial agents in fruit production will provide strong technical support for the green and high-efficiency development of fruit industry. Together, these efforts will contribute to the broader goal of sustainable agricultural development, ecological conservation, and global food security.