Litter decomposition is a key process in the carbon balance of soils. Commonly, plant litters occur in mixtures where the species differ in quality traits such as the nutrient concentration and organic carbon quality. Many studies explored if mixing litters retards or speeds up litter decomposition compared to species decomposing alone, with varying results. To identify consistent trends with an overarching

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are very abundant in many agricultural soils and are important in increasing and maintaining the sustainability of agricultural systems. However, high soil fertility, especially high available soil phosphorus (P) status, often limits AM fungal development in intensively managed agricultural systems and results in the C-costs to the host plant outweighing any benefits

Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is a woody legume with a worldwide distribution. Its ecological and economical importance is largely due to fast growth and dinitrogen (N2)-fixation ability with rhizobia. These features make Black Locust suitable as a model species for other woody legumes as well. However, its symbiotic association with mycorrhizal fungi has not gained much attention. The small

The core microbiota defines the fraction of microorganisms common to all individuals from the same host species regardless of the abiotic context, be they located inside (e.g. animal guts) or outside (e.g. plant rhizospheres). While the core microbiota of many host species have been documented, no study attempted to decipher how these core microbiota could be altered when their respective host species

The microbiota in three distinct terrestrial habitats (biological soil crusts – BSC, crust-adhering soil beneath BSC – trans, and crust-free soil close to BSC – soil) was studied in 33 temperate forest stands differing in management intensity (ForMI). Specific lipid fractions and respective marker fatty acids were used to determine microbial biomass and community structure (phospholipid fatty acids

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability strongly affects carbon (C) cycling and storage in terrestrial ecosystems. Nutrient addition can increase C inputs into soil via increased above- and belowground plant productivity, but at the same time can accelerate organic matter decomposition in the soil. The mechanisms underlying these effects on soil organic C (SOC) dynamics remain unclear, especially

Beneficial microbes can be used as biocontrol agents against soil-borne plant diseases. In addition to controlling plant pathogens and promoting plant growth, an introduced biocontrol agent can cause shifts in the indigenous microbial community structure in the rhizosphere. However, it remains unclear how biocontrol agents affect the distribution of rhizosphere microbial populations and whether population

Land application of farmyard manure (FYM) is a widespread agronomic practice used to enhance soil fertility, but its long-term effects on soil microbial carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling have not been investigated in detail. Topsoils (0–23 cm) and subsoils (23–38 cm) were collected from a field trial on a sandy-textured soil where FYM had been applied at high (50–25 t ha−1 yr−1, 28 yr) and low rates

Bacteria and archaea play important roles in soil biogeochemical cycles and the health of terrestrial organisms. They usually coexist in various soil habitats; however, the ecological patterns of bacteria and archaea in the same soil habitats still remain unclear. Here, we compared the community features of the two domains in bulk soils under different vegetation covers. Generally, both bacterial abundance

Recent evidence showed that bacteria and fungi appear to have different latitudinal diversity gradients at the global scale. However, the ecological drivers explaining these decoupled ecological and evolutionary patterns remain poorly understood. We identified the ecological predictors of such a decoupled pattern between bacterial and fungal diversity across a 4100 km latitudinal transect, from tropical

Plant litter decomposition is a key process for carbon dynamics and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The interaction between litter properties, climatic conditions and soil attributes, influences the activity of microorganisms responsible for litter mineralization. So far, studies using standardized litters to investigate the response of bacterial and fungal communities under different environmental

Biotic interactions in the soil food web have been increasingly recognized as crucial for ecosystem functioning, however there are still knowledge gaps in terms of the associations between macrofauna and microorganisms, particularly in soil hotspot microsites. A manipulative study was performed to investigate the protist community in the drilosphere and casts of three earthworm species (epigeic Amynthas

A comparison of ammonia oxidizing bacterial (AOB) communities in the root zone soil of the unpalatable weedy species Stellera chamaejasme L. and the palatable species Elymus nutans Griseb. showed Stellera had different AOB present and that these AOB were characterized by having low ammonia oxidation rates. This difference is consistent with a lower nitrification rate in Stellera soils when urine was

Roots and the associated rhizospheric activities regulate the mineralization of native soil organic matter (SOM), which is referred to as the rhizosphere priming effect (RPE). Although the importance of RPE for carbon cycle has increasingly been recognized, experimental evidence for how soil structural changes modulate the RPE is still unavailable. We addressed this issue by growing soybean plants

In the decomposition pathways of the soil micro-foodweb, resource-transfer links between bacteria, fungi and microbivorous nematodes are extremely important for the transformation and cycling of soil organic carbon and for the quality, productivity and sustainability of soil ecosystems. However, the changes in organic decomposition pathways in response to different amounts and frequencies of stover

The ‘home-field advantage’ (HFA) hypothesis predicts that litter decomposition is accelerated in its home environment (i.e. in conspecific soil). Soil organisms play a key role in driving such HFA effects. Soil biota have a large range of body sizes, referred to as size fractions, which may influence their roles in the decomposition process and in the generation of HFA effects. However, how HFA effects

Natural forest regeneration on abandoned agricultural land is an increasingly common, but understudied, landcover change in the tropics. We studied whether observed changes in microbial community composition with forest regeneration led to changes in functional potential. We used GeoChip 3.0 to measure microbial functional potential for carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and sulfur (S) cycling

Although studies examining changes in the structure and diversity of microbial communities in biological soil crusts (BSCs) have increased, microbial interactions in BSCs are not currently fully understood. In this study, we applied a random matrix theory (RMT)-based network approach to construct bacterial, fungal and bacteria-fungi interaction networks for the four developmental stages of BSCs (bare

Earthworms are considered as “ecosystem engineers” impacting soil properties as well as nutrient and element cycles. To facilitate their movement through the soil, earthworms excrete extracellular polymeric substances, commonly referred to as earthworm cutaneous mucus. This type of biogenic organic matter may serve as nutrient source for plants and microorganisms. While the impact of earthworms burrowing

Despite the importance of earthworms to making soils productive, little is known regarding the relative importance of maintenance of the various types of earthworm populations. In this study, we assessed the impact of long-term removal of two potential sources of carbon input, viz. plant litter and roots, on earthworms of Amynthas sp. (epigeic) and Pontoscolex corethrurus (endogeic) that reside at

The response of soil microorganisms to elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) has the potential to alter the regulation of soil biogeochemical processes including carbon and nutrient cycling. A mechanistic understanding of this microbial response in agricultural systems is essential due to the potential impact on soil quality. This study used an eight-year free-air-CO2 enrichment (SoilFACE) experiment to

Increased awareness of the abundance and diversity of viruses in soils has led to a growing interest in soil virus ecology. This interest is in part fueled by a need to understand the mechanisms behind the transformation of carbon and nutrient elements within soil ecosystems and what role if any viruses play in these biologically mediated processes. To explore the virus-host distribution and diversity

Nitrification and denitrification are known to co-occur in soils, but the effect of fertilisation history on N2O fluxes and the relative source partitioning of the N2O has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we therefore combined a high-tech 15N stable isotope tracing technique with quantitative PCR (qPCR) to explore the relative contributions of nitrification and denitrification to N2O

Wetting dry soil triggers a pulse of microbial respiration. Respiration pulses after wetting can be complex, evolving through several stages before subsiding—possibly reflecting contributions from multiple carbon (C) sources. We hypothesized that respiration after wetting combines C from cellular sources (notably trehalose, a cellular osmo-protectant) and soluble extracellular C made available by the

Soil microbial communities drive ecosystem processes, and technological advances have led to an unprecedented understanding of these communities. Yet microbes are only one constituent of soil communities. Understanding how soil microbes will respond to changes in the trophic levels of soil food webs, particularly in combination with inputs of labile carbon resources, is vital for a complete picture

Recent evidence suggests that a significant proportion of stable soil organic matter is derived from microbial necromass, which can be evaluated by measuring biomarker amino sugars. However, our understanding of the vertical distribution and control of amino sugars in soil profiles at the global scale is still limited. Here, we synthesized the concentrations of amino sugars relative to soil mass (mg/g

How soil microbial respiration responds to climate change can be constrained by historical climate. Understanding the duration of such legacy effects is key to determining how much they matter for projecting future ecosystem carbon cycling. Here, we tested whether extreme changes in rainfall could overcome constraints imposed by historical rainfall on how soil respiration responds to moisture. We predicted

Microdialysis is emerging as a sensitive tool in environmental sciences, allowing for in situ sampling of solutes with minimal disturbance to soil environments. This perspective presents the theoretical foundations and practical applications of the technique with a focus on its use in soil, microbial and plant sciences. Using small probes (usually 0.5 mm diameter) fitted with permeable membranes, soil

Deep-rooting perennial grasses are promising feedstocks for biofuel production, especially in marginal soils lacking organic material, nutrients, and/or that experience significant water stress. Perennial grass roots influence surrounding soil conditions and microbial activities, and produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) composed primarily of extracellular polysaccharides (EPSac). These

Improving rice yield potential is crucial for global food security. Taoyuan, China, is famous worldwide as a special ecosite for ultrahigh rice yield. Climatological factors affecting this phenomenon have been identified, but the potential molecular processes and environmental mechanisms promoting ultrahigh yield remain mysteries. This study presents detailed results on factors from soil microbial

Conductive materials like magnetite nanoparticles (nanoFe3O4) are known to stimulate methanogenesis from syntrophic oxidation of butyrate and propionate. Whether conductive materials increase the decomposition of complex organic substrates like plant residues is unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of biochar and nanoFe3O4 on anaerobic decomposition of rice straw and methanogenesis in a rice

Stimulatory effects of growing plants on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions have been widely reported in terrestrial ecosystems, but the potential mechanisms responsible for these effects remain unclear. This study revealed that wheat can induce a 3.5–9.2-fold increase in N2O emissions under different soil fertility levels, and that this “plant” source of N2O occurs in the rhizosphere. Moreover, plants

Chronic nitrogen (N) deposition from anthropogenic emissions alter N cycling of forests in Europe and in other impacted areas. It disrupts plant/microbe interactions in originally N-poor systems, based on a symbiosis of plants with ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECM). ECM fungi that are capable of efficient nutrient mining from complex organics and their long-distance transport play a key role in controlling

Microorganisms release nutrients from minerals. However, this process is not yet well understood despite its importance for soil fertility. The aim of this study was to determine which factors control microbial phosphorus (P) and silicon (Si) release from apatite and weathered rock, and to analyze which microbial-mediated processes cause P and Si solubilization. For this purpose, we conducted a series

Conversion of forests to cultivated farms through slash-and-burn or chop-and-char practices often results in rapid loss of soil organic matter (SOM) or conversion of inherent SOM into pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM). However, there is little knowledge about the short-term changes in soil macrofauna that may occur when large amount of biochar are added to the soil. A thirty-day microcosm study was conducted

Including cover crops within agricultural rotations may increase soil organic carbon (SOC). However, contradictory findings generated by on-site experiments make it necessary to perform a comprehensive assessment of interactions between cover crops, environmental and management factors, and changes in SOC. In this study, we collected data from studies that compared agricultural production with and

As an important agent of environmental change, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition could have profound effects on terrestrial ecosystems. However, previous studies simulating N deposition in forest ecosystems were mostly based on understory manipulations, often neglecting canopy processes (e.g., N retention). Here, we employed a novel field experiment simulating N deposition through the canopy addition

The feeding ecology of soil animals is seldom investigated in the winter when the soil is covered with a layer of snow. Collembola (springtails) are winter-active arthropods that appear on the snow surface, especially on sunny days, and remain active in microhabitats under the snow. Since winter-active Collembola must be consuming food, we assessed the food resources for these Collembola with stable

Clay-sized soil minerals are known to protect organic carbon (OC) from mineralisation by formation of organo-mineral associations limiting its availability to microorganisms. The impact of soil fauna on these processes is poorly known. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of earthworms on organic matter (OM) decomposition and association with minerals during a laboratory experiment.

Aerobic methane oxidation is driven by both abiotic and biotic factors which are often confounded in the soil environment. Using a laboratory-scale reciprocal inoculation experiment with two native soils (paddy and upland agricultural soils) and the gamma-irradiated fraction of these soils, we aim to disentangle and determine the relative contribution of abiotic (i.e., soil edaphic properties) and

Phytate is considered a poorly available plant P source but proved to be useful for particular soil bacteria strains. In soil-free conditions, it has been shown that bacteria locked up the mineralized phosphorus from phytate whereas bacterial grazers like nematodes were able to deliver P to plants. Here, we aimed to determine if the interactions between phytate-mineralizing bacteria, bacterial grazer

Nitrite (NO2−) accumulation and associated production of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) gases in soils amended with nitrogen (N) fertilizers are well documented, but there remains a poor understanding of their regulation and variation among soil types. We examined responses to urea inputs in two soils at five temperatures from 5 to 30 °C and developed a process-driven model to describe the

Organic forms of phosphorus (P) tend to accumulate in soils with long-term fertilization, however they are generally not easily available to crops. Many crop plants are obligately arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and AM fungi are known for not being able to produce phosphatases, the enzyme involved in the mineralization of organic P. AM fungi are able to recruit bacteria in the hyphosphere which can produce

This research investigated the effect of long-term phosphorus (P) addition relative to carbon (C) availability on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from an ungrazed grassland soil via two incubation experiments. No significant effect of soil P on N2O was found under C-limited conditions, while under added-C, cumulative N2O was significantly higher from low-P (p<0.05) rather than high-P soils. CO2 was not

In grasslands, N mineralization and nitrification are important processes and are controlled by several factors, including the in situ microbial community composition. Nitrification involves ammonia oxidising archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) and although AOA and AOB co-exist in soils, they respond differently to environmental characteristics and there is evidence of AOA/AOB niche differentiation. Here

The interaction between root exudates and soil microbes has been hypothesised as the primary mechanism for the biodegradation of organic pollutants in the rhizosphere. However, the mechanisms governing this loss process are not completely understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of two important compounds within root exudates (citric and malic acid) on 14C-phenanthrene desorption and

Biocrusts are a functional unit in arid and semiarid areas, their development has significant recruitment and screening effects on soil microbial communities. Microbial composition of biocrusts exhibits significant geographical patterns, but the regulation of biocrust development on the geographical patterns in unclear. In this study, we examined bacterial communities from cyanobacterial-lichen and

A process-based understanding of soil carbon (C) sequestration and stabilization has not been precisely characterized due to the lacking of linkage between microbial proliferation and mortality. In this study, stable isotope probing of phospholipid fatty acids and amino sugars were used to determine the microbial responses and microbial residue retention in two soils (Mollisol and Ultisol) with 13C-labeled

The impact of increasing amounts of labile C input on priming effects (PE) on soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization remains unclear, particularly under anoxic conditions and under high C input common in microbial hotspots. PE and their mechanisms were investigated by a 60-day incubation of three flooded paddy soils amended with13C-labeled glucose equivalent to 50–500% of microbial biomass C (MBC)

It is not clear how soil organic carbon (SOC) and its related microbial processes respond to climate warming in subtropical forest, which limits our ability to predict the response and feedback of such forests to future warming. Here, we translocated a forest microcosm from a high-elevation site to a low-elevation site (600 m–30 m a.s.l.) in a subtropical forest, to study the responses of SOC fractions

Increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has substantially affected carbon (C) and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. However, the responses of different soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions with different turnover rates to N addition are highly divergent, and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we explored the responses of surface soil (0–10 cm) characteristics and microbial