Thermal sensitivity of soil microbial carbon use efficiency across forest biomes.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39054311.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-50593-6 and PMC identifier 11272934.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Understanding the large-scale pattern of soil microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) and its temperature sensitivity (CUE<sub>T</sub>) is critical for understanding soil carbon-climate feedback. We used the <sup>18</sup>O-H<sub>2</sub>O tracer method to quantify CUE and CUE<sub>T</sub> along a north-south forest transect. Climate was the primary factor that affected CUE and CUE<sub>T</sub>, predominantly through direct pathways, then by altering soil properties, carbon fractions, microbial structure and functions. Negative CUE<sub>T</sub> (CUE decreases with measuring temperature) in cold forests (mean annual temperature lower than 10 °C) and positive CUE<sub>T</sub> (CUE increases with measuring temperature) in warm forests (mean annual temperature greater than 10 °C) suggest that microbial CUE optimally operates at their adapted temperature. Overall, the plasticity of microbial CUE and its temperature sensitivity alter the feedback of soil carbon to climate warming; that is, a climate-adaptive microbial community has the capacity to reduce carbon loss from soil matrices under corresponding favorable climate conditions.
Medical subject headings
- Soil Microbiology
- Forests
- Carbon
- Soil
- Temperature