The application of nitrification inhibitors targeting distinct ammonia-oxidizing guilds—complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), and bacteria (AOB)—has facilitated elucidating their functional significance across diverse ecosystems. However, the specificity and reliability of these inhibitors remain controversial and have not been thoroughly evaluated. In this study,

Soil microbial communities play a crucial role in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Rapid changes in climate and land-use will likely cause major changes in belowground biodiversity with unknown consequences on ecosystem functioning. The functional traits, taxonomic and functional diversities of soil microorganisms are known to vary in relation to soil type and climate, but few studies have

Understanding the role of soil microbes is critical to ecosystem processes, and more thorough comparisons of measurement proxies for soil microbial biomass could broaden the inclusion of explicit microbial parameterization in soil carbon cycling and earth system models. We measured physical, chemical, and biological data from eight soil orders representing 11 major biomes and four climate regions.

Invasive plant species can alter soil abiotic and biotic properties, with some changes persisting long after the primary invader's eradication. However, how soil legacies will influence secondary invasions following control of primary invaders remains unclear, hindering development of targeted control and post-removal management strategies. We used Solidago canadensis as the primary invader and established

Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia via nitrite to nitrate, contributes to nitrogen losses in agricultural soils. When nitrification is a two-step process, it depends on the successful metabolic interaction between ammonia oxidising archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), and nitrite oxidising bacteria primarily within Nitrobacter (NIB) and Nitrospira (NIS). However, consequences of dry spells caused

Soil organic nitrogen (SON) decomposition is a fundamental process in the nitrogen (N) cycle that influences N availability for plant uptake and soil health. However, the long-term effects of nutrient fertilisation on SON decomposition and its microbial drivers remain poorly understood. Here, we used the 180-year-old Broadbalk Winter Wheat Experiment to investigate how farmyard manure (FYM), mineral

Microbial necromass carbon (MNC) is a crucial component of soil organic carbon (SOC) and plays a significant role in long-term carbon sequestration. However, the distribution patterns of MNC across soil profiles remain poorly understood. Here, we compiled a dataset of 1447 observations from depths of up to 1 m across cropland, forest, and grassland ecosystems to evaluate the distribution and key influencing

The sensitivity of soil microbial respiration to climate warming is a major source of uncertainty in predicting soil carbon (C) emissions to the atmosphere and their feedback to climate change. One key issue is the persistent misuse of Q10, the factor by which respiration rate is multiplied for a 10 °C increase in temperature, as an indicator of the temperature sensitivity. Despite ample empirical

Soil methane (CH4) emissions significantly impact climate change. However, microbial controls of CH4 in global carbon cycle gain less attention than CO2, hindering the understanding of CH4 processes. Here, stemming from a baseline model (MENDmm1) with one microbial group, we developed a microbial-explicit CH4 model by representing six microbial groups following Michaelis-Menten kinetics (MENDmm6).

Drought affects soil C sequestration by altering the availability of nutrients to plants and microorganisms. However, the mechanisms of plant-microbe interactions and the potential role of root hairs, which enlarge the root-soil interface, in maintaining rhizosphere processes under drought remain uncertain. We investigated the effect of a 7-day drought on root gene expression in two maize plants, a

Every year, soil microbial-mediated hydrogen (H2) oxidation removes about 80 % of the global atmospheric H2, an indirect greenhouse gas. Soil-dwelling high-affinity H2 oxidizing bacteria use this trace gas as an energy source to persist when other substrates are limited or to meet their maintenance energy requirements during dormancy. However, there is limited knowledge of the distribution, composition

Most temperate trees shed their senescent leaves in autumn. However, some genera, typically beech and oak, retain a large portion of their dead leaves until the start of the subsequent growing season, a phenomenon termed marcescence. The fundamentally different conditions marcescent and shed senescent leaves are exposed to have the potential to substantially alter litter decomposition. The extent to

Belowground plant transfer of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) can benefit soil ecosystems, increasing soil C gains and plant N availability, while improving soil pore structure. We explored such transfers among three plant species of North American prairie, where C and N were transferred from a grass (Panicum virgatum L., switchgrass (Sgrass)) to either a legume (Lespedeza capitata Michx., bush clover

Plants rely on soil microbes, particularly those in their rhizosphere to access resources; however, these relationships are altered following disturbance, including nutrient enrichment. Plants also contribute to variation in resource availability by redirecting exudates as conditions change, but the ability to do this varies with species identity. In this study we compared the activity and composition

Winter cover crops are expected to increase soil organic C (SOC) stocks, but the magnitude of SOC gain could be greater in paddy fields where decomposition is constrained by anaerobic soil conditions, compared to upland fields. This study examines the impact of winter cover crop recycling on SOC accumulation over two years in South Korea. Plots were established in a rice paddy field and a nearby upland

Soil organisms are vital to soil health, however, their inclusion in monitoring frameworks remains limited. Yet, it is well-known that agricultural management practices distinctively affect soil biota and the functions that they support. In this paper, we systematically evaluated the impact of management practices related to carbon and nutrient, vegetation, pest and disease and soil management, as

Peat soils store significant amounts of carbon (C) globally, and increased C sequestration into peatlands could play a role in offsetting anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As such, there is a need to find and assess optimal greenhouse gas removal (GGR) interventions to minimise GHG losses, protect current C stocks, and promote further C sequestration. This mesocosm study assessed the additional

Processes at the root-soil interface are essential for plant nutrient and water uptake, but the level of root-soil contact varies depending on root traits and soil properties. Implications of reduced root-soil contact for the rhizosphere, its microbiota and for plant performance remain largely unclear. Here, the consequences of root-soil contact reduction were analyzed in maize microcosm experiments

In response to drought, plants modulate their morphology and orchestrate a range of functional adaptations. However, the intricate relationships between plants and their microbiome in response to drought stress are not fully understood. Herein, we used transcriptome and untargeted metabolomics technologies to study genetic and metabolic changes associated with drought resistance in spring wheat, as

Although earthworms play a crucial role in soil biogeochemical processes, the importance of their traits in shaping the physicochemical properties of their casts remains poorly understood. This study aimed (1) to evaluate the influence of earthworm species and soil types on cast properties and (2) investigate the relationship between earthworm morphological, anatomical, physiological and behavioral

The calorespirometric ratio is a metabolic indicator that can be useful in soil science for understanding thermodynamics and the carbon use efficiency of soil microbial metabolism. Calculating calorespirometric ratios for soil microbial metabolism involves the development of calorespirometric procedures using calorimeters of the heat conduction type. The calorespirometric measurements for soil microbial

The degradation of large biopolymers, such as cellulose, in soil requires several enzymatic hydrolysis steps to produce simpler substrates for microbial uptake. The synthesis of these enzymes requires energy and takes time until they are fully expressed. However, the heat release associated with enzymatic hydrolysis and the temporal delay between this initial heat release and the final carbon mineralization

Root-derived carbon has been shown to contribute more to soil carbon stocks than aboveground litter. Yet the molecular chemodiversity of root exudates remains poorly understood due to limited characterization and annotation. In this study, we characterized the molecular chemodiversity and production of metabolites and lipids in root exudates from field grown mature tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum)

Only a little information is available about how the spatial heterogeneity (homogenous vs. patchy distribution) of microbial necromass affects microbial and plant phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) nutrition in the rhizosphere of forest soils. Therefore, a rhizotron experiment using soil from two silicate and one calcareous forest site of contrasting nutrient scarcity and P forms was conducted to investigate

Soil health plays an important role in environmental and ecosystem sustainability. Urban forest soil health has been gradually deteriorating, resulting in several challenges. Here, a soil health index was employed to explore the soil health conditions and spatial differences in urban forests. We assessed soil health in urban forests in Nanchang, China, by establishing a minimum data set model using

Symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is a crucial strategy for plants to overcome phosphorus (P) deficiency, which is common in soils worldwide. This study explored the role of AMF in P mobilization using a maize-AMF symbiosis model under two levels of P availability in soil: 5.9 mg P kg−1 and 19 mg P kg−1. A newly developed three-compartment rhizobox was used to combine soil zymography

Many UK blanket bog peatlands are degraded due to historical management including drainage, leading to reduced biodiversity, carbon sequestration and water storage. Currently, much restoration efforts including rewetting and revegetation strategies are being deployed aiming to restore habitats towards intact and ecohydrologically functioning ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how these efforts

Soil aggregates offer diverse habitats for microorganisms, which can be characterized by variations in the microbial 16S rRNA gene operon (rrn) copy number. The rrn copy number is considered a functional trait that is indicative of microbial growth rates and organic matter availability, which is linked to soil fertility, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem health. However, the impact of soil aggregate

Soil rewetting after a dry period results in a surge of activity and succession in both microbial and DNA virus communities. Less is known about the response of RNA viruses to soil rewetting—while they are highly diverse and widely distributed in soil, they remain understudied. We hypothesized that RNA viruses would show temporal succession following rewetting and that phosphate amendment would influence

Phosphorus (P) is crucial for ecosystem functioning, yet primary productivity in many tropical regrowth forests on highly weathered soils is assumed to be limited by P availability. Here, we used an isotope pool dilution (IPD) technique to quantify gross inorganic P (Pi) transformation rates along secondary forest succession trajectories in the central Congo Basin to assess land-use change effects

When dry soil is rewetted, contrasting microbial responses can be induced, ranging from a more resilient type of response with faster growth recovery to a more sensitive type of response with a slower growth recovery. These microbial responses will also affect soil carbon (C) cycling in the rhizosphere. However, whether the microbially-controlled priming of soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization

The interaction of enzymes with soil organo-mineral surfaces determines their mobility, and hence zone of influence, and their catalytic activity. Two extracellular fungal phosphatases were purified and components separated using hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Affinity for montmorillonite and kaolinite surfaces and activity on these mineral surfaces of untreated samples and purified fractions

There is a need to better understand how soil type affects ruminant urine-N and the in situ losses of nitrous oxide (N2O) and dinitrogen (N2) from pasture ecosystems. Similarly, the significance of processes responsible for these losses as N2, such as codenitrification and denitrification, remain unclear. A 105 day in situ study quantified N2 and N2O fluxes from two contrasting soil types, well-drained

The effects of moisture fluctuation on the decomposition of microplastics (MPs) and soil organic matter (SOM) remain ambiguous due to the interactions of physical, chemical, and biological processes during drying-rewetting cycles. Carbon dioxide (CO2) production was investigated in cropland and forest soils polluted with degradable MPs-poly-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and polylactic acid (PLA)- and two

Soil virus ecology is an exciting but still nascent field of research in soil microbiology. While there has been a recent surge in soil virus research studies, many fundamental questions remain unanswered, and a range of technical and bioinformatic challenges need to be overcome. In this perspective article, we present a series of key questions that highlight fruitful research areas for ongoing and

The addition of fresh carbon (C) substrates to the soil can result either in the acceleration or retardation of native soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, referred to as the priming effect (PE). Related to PE is the rhizosphere priming effect (RPE), which involves the activity of plant roots. It remains unclear whether PE and RPE differ in their impacts on soil C dynamics and their response to

Effective frameworks for assessing soil health are a priority, yet the value and adoption of soil biological indicators remain debated. Biological indicators provide essential information on ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, population regulation, and organic matter decomposition. Nematode-based indices (NBIs) have long been used by soil ecologists to study biodiversity, the soil food web

Acid sulfate soils cover extensive areas across the globe and pose profound ecological and economic challenges. While microbial activities associated with sulfur metabolisms primarily mediate the formation process of acid sulfate soils, the potential impact of viruses, known for their roles in infecting microorganisms or encoding auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs), remains largely unexplored. Here, we

Depolymerization of macromolecular soil organic nitrogen (N) is the first step in converting high-molecular weight organic N (e.g., proteins) into inorganic N, making it a crucial driver of soil N availability and plant productivity. However, the patterns, along with the influencing factors of protein depolymerization in soils across broad geographical expanses have remained unknown. In this study

The authors regret to inform that there is a typesetting error in published version, which the figure legends were truncated in Figs. 1 and 2. The authors request to republish the figures along with the full figure legend. This leads to the following changes in figure legends 1 and 2: Download: Download high-res image (438KB) Download: Download full-size image Fig. 1. H2 content distribution in soil

Elevated UV-B radiation, a growing threat to global crop production since the 1970s, impacts both plant physiology and their associated microbiomes. While the role of soil microbes in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses is well documented, the effects of aboveground UV-B radiation on root-associated microorganisms remain poorly understood. This study investigated how root microbial communities in

Soil microbial community plays crucial roles in promoting soil functions and maintaining soil health. Microbial functional gene abundances are actively involved in soil processes which supports soil functions and wider soil health. However, their suitability as indicators to assess soil health is still debatable. In this study, we sampled soils from a 10-year long-term fertilization experiment in a