The soil microbial community fulfils various functions, such as nutrient cycling and carbon (C) sequestration, therefore contributing to maintenance of soil fertility and mitigation of global warming. In this context, a major focus of research has been on C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling. However, from aquatic and other environments, it is well known that other elements beyond C, N, and P are essential for microbial functioning. Nonetheless, for soil microorganisms this knowledge has not yet been synthesised. To gain a better mechanistic understanding of microbial processes in soil systems, we aimed at summarising the current knowledge on the function of a range of essential or beneficial elements, which may affect the efficiency of microbial processes in soil. This knowledge is discussed in the context of microbial driven nutrient and C cycling. Our findings may support future investigations and data evaluation, where other elements than C, N, and P affect microbial processes.

土壤微生物群落具有多种功能，例如养分循环和碳（C）固存，因此有助于维持土壤肥力和减缓全球变暖。在这种情况下，研究的主要焦点是碳、氮 (N) 和磷 (P) 循环。然而，从水生环境和其他环境中，众所周知，除 C、N 和 P 之外的其他元素对微生物功能至关重要。尽管如此，对于土壤微生物，这一知识尚未综合。为了更好地了解土壤系统中的微生物过程，我们旨在总结当前关于一系列必需或有益元素的功能的知识，这些元素可能会影响土壤中微生物过程的效率。这些知识在微生物驱动的养分和碳循环的背景下进行了讨论。我们的发现可能支持未来的调查和数据评估，其中除 C、N 和 P 之外的其他元素影响微生物过程。