Soil moisture is among the most important factors regulating soil biodiversity and functioning. Models forecast changes in the precipitation regime in many areas of the planet, but how these changes will influence soil functioning, and how biotic drivers modulate such effects, is far from being understood. We evaluated the responses of C and N fluxes, and soil microbial properties to different soil water regimes in soils from the main three ecotypes of the world's largest and most diverse tropical savanna. Further, we explored the direct and indirect effects of changes in the ecotype and soil water regimes on these key soil processes. Soils from the woodland savanna showed a better nutritional status than the other ecotypes, as well as higher potential N cycling rates, N2O emissions, and soil bacterial abundance but lower bacterial richness, whereas potential CO2 emissions and CH4 uptake peaked in the intermediate savanna. The ecotype also modulated the effects of changes in the soil water regime on nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas fluxes, and soil bacterial properties, with more intense responses in the intermediate savanna. Further, we highlight the existence of multiple contrasting direct and indirect (via soil microbes and abiotic properties) effects of an intensification of the precipitation regime on soil C- and N-related processes. Our results confirm that ecotype is a fundamental driver of soil properties and functioning in the Cerrado and that it can determine the responses of key soil processes to changes in the soil water regime.Soil moisture is among the most important factors regulating soil biodiversity and functioning. Models forecast changes in the precipitation regime in many areas of the planet, but how these changes will influence soil functioning, and how biotic drivers modulate such effects, is far from being understood. We evaluated the responses of C and N fluxes, and soil microbial properties to different soil water regimes in soils from the main three ecotypes of the world's largest and most diverse tropical savanna. Further, we explored the direct and indirect effects of changes in the ecotype and soil water regimes on these key soil processes. Soils from the woodland savanna showed a better nutritional status than the other ecotypes, as well as higher potential N cycling rates, N2O emissions, and soil bacterial abundance but lower bacterial richness, whereas potential CO2 emissions and CH4 uptake peaked in the intermediate savanna. The ecotype also modulated the effects of changes in the soil water regime on nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas fluxes, and soil bacterial properties, with more intense responses in the intermediate savanna. Further, we highlight the existence of multiple contrasting direct and indirect (via soil microbes and abiotic properties) effects of an intensification of the precipitation regime on soil C- and N-related processes. Our results confirm that ecotype is a fundamental driver of soil properties and functioning in the Cerrado and that it can determine the responses of key soil processes to changes in the soil water regime.Globally, inland waters emit over 2 Pg of carbon per year as carbon dioxide, of which the majority originates from streams and rivers. Despite the global significance of fluvial carbon dioxide emissions, little is known about their diel dynamics. Here we present a large-scale assessment of day- and night-time carbon dioxide fluxes at the water-air interface across 34 European streams. We directly measured fluxes four times between October 2016 and July 2017 using drifting chambers. Median fluxes are 1.4 and 2.1\uffe2\uff80\uff89mmol\uffe2\uff80\uff89m\uffe2\uff88\uff922 h\uffe2\uff88\uff921 at midday and midnight, respectively, with night fluxes exceeding those during the day by 39%. We attribute diel carbon dioxide flux variability mainly to changes in the water partial pressure of carbon dioxide. However, no consistent drivers could be identified across sites. Our findings highlight widespread day-night changes in fluvial carbon dioxide fluxes and suggest that the time of day greatly influences measured carbon dioxide fluxes across European streams.Soils store more carbon than other terrestrial ecosystems1,2. How soil organic carbon (SOC) forms and persists remains uncertain1,3, which makes it challenging to understand how it will respond to climatic change3,4. It has been suggested that soil microorganisms play an important role in SOC formation, preservation and loss5\uffe2\uff80\uff937. Although microorganisms affect the accumulation and loss of soil organic matter through many pathways4,6,8\uffe2\uff80\uff9311, microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) is an integrative metric that can capture the balance of these processes12,13. Although CUE has the potential to act as a predictor of variation in SOC storage, the role of CUE in SOC persistence remains unresolved7,14,15. Here we examine the relationship between CUE and the preservation of SOC, and interactions with climate, vegetation and edaphic properties, using a combination of global-scale datasets, a microbial-process explicit model, data assimilation, deep learning and meta-analysis. We find that CUE is at least four times as important as other evaluated factors, such as carbon input, decomposition or vertical transport, in determining SOC storage and its spatial variation across the globe. In addition, CUE shows a positive correlation with SOC content. Our findings point to microbial CUE as a major determinant of global SOC storage. Understanding the microbial processes underlying CUE and their environmental dependence may help the prediction of SOC feedback to a changing climate.
A large fraction of plant litter comprises recalcitrant aromatic compounds (lignin and other phenolics). Quantifying the fate of aromatic compounds is difficult, because oxidative degradation of aromatic carbon (C) is a costly but necessary endeavor for microorganisms, and we do not know when gains from the decomposition of aromatic C outweigh energetic costs.
To evaluate these tradeoffs, we developed a litter decomposition model in which the aromatic C decomposition rate is optimized dynamically to maximize microbial growth for the given costs of maintaining ligninolytic activity. We tested model performance against >\uffe2\uff80\uff89200 litter decomposition datasets collected from published literature and assessed the effects of climate and litter chemistry on litter decomposition.
The model predicted a time\uffe2\uff80\uff90varying ligninolytic oxidation rate, which was used to calculate the lag time before the decomposition of aromatic C is initiated. Warmer conditions increased decomposition rates, shortened the lag time of aromatic C oxidation, and improved microbial C\uffe2\uff80\uff90use efficiency by decreasing the costs of oxidation. Moreover, a higher initial content of aromatic C promoted an earlier start of aromatic C decomposition under any climate.
With this contribution, we highlight the application of eco\uffe2\uff80\uff90evolutionary approaches based on optimized microbial life strategies as an alternative parametrization scheme for litter decomposition models.
Climate change jeopardizes human health, global biodiversity, and sustainability of the biosphere. To make reliable predictions about climate change, scientists use Earth system models (ESMs) that integrate physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring on land, the oceans, and the atmosphere. Although critical for catalyzing coupled biogeochemical processes, microorganisms have traditionally been left out of ESMs. Here, we generate a \uffe2\uff80\uff9ctop 10\uffe2\uff80\uff9d list of priorities, opportunities, and challenges for the explicit integration of microorganisms into ESMs. We discuss the need for coarse-graining microbial information into functionally relevant categories, as well as the capacity for microorganisms to rapidly evolve in response to climate-change drivers. Microbiologists are uniquely positioned to collect novel and valuable information necessary for next-generation ESMs, but this requires data harmonization and transdisciplinary collaboration to effectively guide adaptation strategies and mitigation policy.", "keywords": ["Naturgeografi", "Earth", " Planet", "Climate Change", "Microbiology", "traits", "biogeochemistry", "Humans", "Ecosystem", "Biomedical and Clinical Sciences", "Bacteria", "biogeochemistry; modeling; traits; climate change", "modeling", "Opinion/Hypothesis", "Biodiversity", "Biological Sciences", "Medical microbiology", "Models", " Theoretical", "15. Life on land", "QR1-502", "6. Clean water", "Climate Science", "3. Good health", "Climate Action", "climate change", "Physical Geography", "Medical Microbiology", "13. Climate action", "Biochemistry and cell biology", "Biochemistry and Cell Biology", "Generic health relevance", "Klimatvetenskap"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/mbio.00455-24"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00455-24"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/mBio", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1128/mbio.00455-24", "name": "item", "description": "10.1128/mbio.00455-24", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1128/mbio.00455-24"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-05-08T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "11579/142540", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:24:09Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-06-10", "title": "Carbon dioxide fluxes increase from day to night across European streams", "description": "AbstractGlobally, inland waters emit over 2 Pg of carbon per year as carbon dioxide, of which the majority originates from streams and rivers. Despite the global significance of fluvial carbon dioxide emissions, little is known about their diel dynamics. Here we present a large-scale assessment of day- and night-time carbon dioxide fluxes at the water-air interface across 34 European streams. We directly measured fluxes four times between October 2016 and July 2017 using drifting chambers. Median fluxes are 1.4 and 2.1\uffe2\uff80\uff89mmol\uffe2\uff80\uff89m\uffe2\uff88\uff922 h\uffe2\uff88\uff921 at midday and midnight, respectively, with night fluxes exceeding those during the day by 39%. We attribute diel carbon dioxide flux variability mainly to changes in the water partial pressure of carbon dioxide. However, no consistent drivers could be identified across sites. Our findings highlight widespread day-night changes in fluvial carbon dioxide fluxes and suggest that the time of day greatly influences measured carbon dioxide fluxes across European streams.Climate change jeopardizes human health, global biodiversity, and sustainability of the biosphere. To make reliable predictions about climate change, scientists use Earth system models (ESMs) that integrate physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring on land, the oceans, and the atmosphere. Although critical for catalyzing coupled biogeochemical processes, microorganisms have traditionally been left out of ESMs. Here, we generate a \uffe2\uff80\uff9ctop 10\uffe2\uff80\uff9d list of priorities, opportunities, and challenges for the explicit integration of microorganisms into ESMs. We discuss the need for coarse-graining microbial information into functionally relevant categories, as well as the capacity for microorganisms to rapidly evolve in response to climate-change drivers. Microbiologists are uniquely positioned to collect novel and valuable information necessary for next-generation ESMs, but this requires data harmonization and transdisciplinary collaboration to effectively guide adaptation strategies and mitigation policy.
", "keywords": ["Naturgeografi", "Earth", " Planet", "Climate Change", "Microbiology", "traits", "biogeochemistry", "Humans", "Ecosystem", "Biomedical and Clinical Sciences", "Bacteria", "biogeochemistry; modeling; traits; climate change", "modeling", "Opinion/Hypothesis", "Biodiversity", "Biological Sciences", "Medical microbiology", "Models", " Theoretical", "15. Life on land", "QR1-502", "6. Clean water", "Climate Science", "3. Good health", "Climate Action", "climate change", "Physical Geography", "Medical Microbiology", "13. Climate action", "Biochemistry and cell biology", "Biochemistry and Cell Biology", "Generic health relevance", "Klimatvetenskap"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/mbio.00455-24"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/20.500.11850/667312"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/mBio", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "20.500.11850/667312", "name": "item", "description": "20.500.11850/667312", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/20.500.11850/667312"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-05-08T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "2164/21071", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:24:41Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-05-24", "title": "Microbial carbon use efficiency promotes global soil carbon storage", "description": "AbstractSoils store more carbon than other terrestrial ecosystems1,2. How soil organic carbon (SOC) forms and persists remains uncertain1,3, which makes it challenging to understand how it will respond to climatic change3,4. It has been suggested that soil microorganisms play an important role in SOC formation, preservation and loss5\uffe2\uff80\uff937. Although microorganisms affect the accumulation and loss of soil organic matter through many pathways4,6,8\uffe2\uff80\uff9311, microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) is an integrative metric that can capture the balance of these processes12,13. Although CUE has the potential to act as a predictor of variation in SOC storage, the role of CUE in SOC persistence remains unresolved7,14,15. Here we examine the relationship between CUE and the preservation of SOC, and interactions with climate, vegetation and edaphic properties, using a combination of global-scale datasets, a microbial-process explicit model, data assimilation, deep learning and meta-analysis. We find that CUE is at least four times as important as other evaluated factors, such as carbon input, decomposition or vertical transport, in determining SOC storage and its spatial variation across the globe. In addition, CUE shows a positive correlation with SOC content. Our findings point to microbial CUE as a major determinant of global SOC storage. Understanding the microbial processes underlying CUE and their environmental dependence may help the prediction of SOC feedback to a changing climate.
A large fraction of plant litter comprises recalcitrant aromatic compounds (lignin and other phenolics). Quantifying the fate of aromatic compounds is difficult, because oxidative degradation of aromatic carbon (C) is a costly but necessary endeavor for microorganisms, and we do not know when gains from the decomposition of aromatic C outweigh energetic costs.
To evaluate these tradeoffs, we developed a litter decomposition model in which the aromatic C decomposition rate is optimized dynamically to maximize microbial growth for the given costs of maintaining ligninolytic activity. We tested model performance against >\uffe2\uff80\uff89200 litter decomposition datasets collected from published literature and assessed the effects of climate and litter chemistry on litter decomposition.
The model predicted a time\uffe2\uff80\uff90varying ligninolytic oxidation rate, which was used to calculate the lag time before the decomposition of aromatic C is initiated. Warmer conditions increased decomposition rates, shortened the lag time of aromatic C oxidation, and improved microbial C\uffe2\uff80\uff90use efficiency by decreasing the costs of oxidation. Moreover, a higher initial content of aromatic C promoted an earlier start of aromatic C decomposition under any climate.
With this contribution, we highlight the application of eco\uffe2\uff80\uff90evolutionary approaches based on optimized microbial life strategies as an alternative parametrization scheme for litter decomposition models.