Soil Microbial Life History Strategies Drive Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency Following Afforestation
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Soil microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) is the core of the soil carbon (C) cycle that captures a dual microbial control point between soil organic C (SOC) accumulation and loss. The interpretation of these patterns and drivers of microbial CUE after long-term afforestation remains, however, a major scientific challenge. In particular, there are major uncertainties about the role of microbial traits in driving CUE. Here, we compared sites along a 45-year afforestation chronosequence and combined the novel 18O-H2O tracer method with metagenomic analysis to quantify CUE and explore the mechanisms underlying microbe-mediated C dynamics. The results showed that soil microbial CUE significantly increased following afforestation and showed a positive relationship with SOC, which suggested that microbial CUE could promote C accumulation in afforested ecosystems. We further found the critical role of microbial traits in the regulation of CUE through altering microbial life history strategies: microbial CUE was positively and significantly correlated with resource acquisition (A) genes, but showed a negative and significant correlation with stress tolerance (S) strategy genes. These results suggested that soil microbes reduce investment in S strategies and shift to A and high yield (Y) strategies, thereby increasing CUE. This knowledge is important because it advances our understanding of the microbial physiological and evolutionary tradeoffs mediating soil C cycling in the context of human-induced land use change.
Source: Microorganisms
Institutions: Northwest University, Northwest A&F University
Language: English
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,258
Awards: G3302985818, G5326113456
OpenAlex ID: W4417435987