Changes in substrate quality driven by climate, land use, or other forms of global change may represent a strong selective force on microbial communities. Invasion of new taxa into a community through dispersal, evolution, or recolonization could impact the outcome of this environmental selection. Here, we simulated substrate change with a trait\uffe2\uff80\uff90based model of microbial litter decomposition (DEMENTpy) to assess the legacy effects of past substrate quality and the impact of selection by a new substrate on community decomposition activity. Simulations were run with different levels of invasion, including invasion from communities long\uffe2\uff80\uff90adapted to the new substrate. Legacy effects were evident with substrate change for native communities differing in composition. Protein was the only substrate that exerted a strong enough selective force to affect community composition. Legacy effects disappeared when invaders came from substrates similar to the new substrate. Together, our simulations demonstrate that substrate quality changes associated with global change can lead to legacy effects on substrate degradation. In decomposing plant litter, such legacy effects can occur if substrate inputs shift to higher protein content and if invasion is low.The relationship between the spatial variability of soil multifunctionality (i.e., the capacity of soils to conduct multiple functions; SVM) and major climatic drivers, such as temperature and aridity, has never been assessed globally in terrestrial ecosystems. We surveyed 236 dryland ecosystems from six continents to evaluate the relative importance of aridity and mean annual temperature, and of other abiotic (e.g., texture) and biotic (e.g., plant cover) variables as drivers of SVM, calculated as the averaged coefficient of variation for multiple soil variables linked to nutrient stocks and cycling. We found that increases in temperature and aridity were globally correlated to increases in SVM. Some of these climatic effects on SVM were direct, but others were indirectly driven through reductions in the number of vegetation patches and increases in soil sand content. The predictive capacity of our structural equation\uffc2\uffa0modelling was clearly higher for the spatial variability of N\uffe2\uff80\uff90 than for C\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and P\uffe2\uff80\uff90related soil variables. In the case of N cycling, the effects of temperature and aridity were both direct and indirect via changes in soil properties. For C and P, the effect of climate was mainly indirect via changes in plant attributes. These results suggest that future changes in climate may decouple the spatial availability of these elements for plants and microbes in dryland soils. Our findings significantly advance our understanding of the patterns and mechanisms driving SVM in drylands across the globe, which is critical for predicting changes in ecosystem functioning in response to climate change.Advancements in microbially explicit ecosystem models incorporate increasingly accurate representations of microbial physiology and enzyme\uffe2\uff80\uff90mediated depolymerization of soil organic matter in predicting biogeochemical responses to global change. However, a major challenge with model structural improvements is the requirement for additional parameters, which are often poorly constrained sources of uncertainty. Furthermore, it is often unclear how to best focus data collection efforts toward reducing model uncertainty. Here, we use Dual Arrhenius Michaelis\uffe2\uff80\uff90Menten Microbial Carbon and Nitrogen Physiology, a microbially mediated, coupled soil C and N cycling model, as a tool to explore the influence of microbial physiological and enzyme kinetic parameters on model estimates. We first quantify the potential for constraining model parameters using empirical measurements of soil respiration. We then use simulated data to identify which additional sources of data collection from the field would provide the greatest impact for constraining model estimates. We find that modeled soil C and N pools and fluxes are disproportionately sensitive to only a few parameters (e.g., activation energies and microbial CUE), while others exert less influence (e.g., Michaelis\uffe2\uff80\uff90Menten half\uffe2\uff80\uff90saturation constants). While some parameters can be constrained by the available data on heterotrophic respiration, the collection of additional data on dissolved organic C and N pools in the soil is identified as a high\uffe2\uff80\uff90priority data need. Improving our ability to model the interactions of soil microbial physiology, soil chemistry, enzyme activities, and environmental factors on C and N cycling will require closely considering model uncertainties and prioritizing future data collection opportunities based on their impact on model performance.Advancements in microbially explicit ecosystem models incorporate increasingly accurate representations of microbial physiology and enzyme\uffe2\uff80\uff90mediated depolymerization of soil organic matter in predicting biogeochemical responses to global change. However, a major challenge with model structural improvements is the requirement for additional parameters, which are often poorly constrained sources of uncertainty. Furthermore, it is often unclear how to best focus data collection efforts toward reducing model uncertainty. Here, we use Dual Arrhenius Michaelis\uffe2\uff80\uff90Menten Microbial Carbon and Nitrogen Physiology, a microbially mediated, coupled soil C and N cycling model, as a tool to explore the influence of microbial physiological and enzyme kinetic parameters on model estimates. We first quantify the potential for constraining model parameters using empirical measurements of soil respiration. We then use simulated data to identify which additional sources of data collection from the field would provide the greatest impact for constraining model estimates. We find that modeled soil C and N pools and fluxes are disproportionately sensitive to only a few parameters (e.g., activation energies and microbial CUE), while others exert less influence (e.g., Michaelis\uffe2\uff80\uff90Menten half\uffe2\uff80\uff90saturation constants). While some parameters can be constrained by the available data on heterotrophic respiration, the collection of additional data on dissolved organic C and N pools in the soil is identified as a high\uffe2\uff80\uff90priority data need. Improving our ability to model the interactions of soil microbial physiology, soil chemistry, enzyme activities, and environmental factors on C and N cycling will require closely considering model uncertainties and prioritizing future data collection opportunities based on their impact on model performance.---
chimie foliaire", "densit\u00e9 du peuplement", "foliar chemistry", "soil nitrogen cycling", "stand density", "phenolic", "[SDV.SA.SF] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Silviculture", " forestry", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "compos\u00e9s ph\u00e9noliques"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009083"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Annals%20of%20Forest%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1051/forest/2009083", "name": "item", "description": "10.1051/forest/2009083", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1051/forest/2009083"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01549.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-25T16:18:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2009-08-11", "title": "Grazing Triggers Soil Carbon Loss By Altering Plant Roots And Their Control On Soil Microbial Community", "description": "Summary
1.\uffe2\uff80\uff82Depending on grazing intensity, grasslands tend towards two contrasting systems that differ in terms of species diversity and soil carbon (C) storage. To date, effects of grazing on C cycling have mainly been studied in grasslands subject to constant grazing regimes, whereas little is known for grasslands experiencing a change in grazing intensity. Analysing the transition between C\uffe2\uff80\uff90storing and C\uffe2\uff80\uff90releasing grasslands under low\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and high\uffe2\uff80\uff90grazing regimes, respectively, will help to identify key plant\uffe2\uff80\uff93soil interactions for C cycling.
2.\uffe2\uff80\uff82The transition was studied in a mesocosm experiment with grassland monoliths submitted to a change in grazing after 14\uffe2\uff80\uff83years of constant high and low grazing. Plant\uffe2\uff80\uff93soil interactions were analysed by following the dynamics of plant and microbial communities, roots and soil organic matter fractions over 2\uffe2\uff80\uff83years. After disturbance change, mesocosms were continuously exposed to13C\uffe2\uff80\uff90labelled CO2, which allowed us to trace both the incorporation of new litter C produced by a modified plant community in soil and the fate of old unlabelled litter C.
3.\uffe2\uff80\uff82Changing disturbance intensity led to a cascade of events. After shift to high disturbance, photosynthesis decreased followed by a decline in root biomass and a change in plant community structure 1.5\uffe2\uff80\uff83months later. Those changes led to a decrease of soil fungi, a proliferation of Gram(+) bacteria and accelerated decomposition of old particulate organic C (<6\uffe2\uff80\uff83months). At last, accelerated decomposition released plant available nitrogen and decreased soil C storage. Our results indicate that intensified grazing triggers proliferation of Gram(+) bacteria and subsequent faster decomposition by reducing roots adapted to low disturbance.
4.\uffe2\uff80\uff82Synthesis. Plant communities exert control on microbial communities and decomposition through the activity of their living roots: slow\uffe2\uff80\uff90growing plants adapted to low disturbance reduce Gram(+) bacteria, decomposition of low and high quality litter, nitrogen availability and, thus, ingress of fast\uffe2\uff80\uff90growing plants. Our results indicate that grazing impacts on soil carbon storage by altering plant roots and their control on the soil microbial community and decomposition, and that these processes will foster decomposition and soil C loss in more productive and disturbed grassland systems.
", "keywords": ["580", "disturbance", "[SDE] Environmental Sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "decomposition", "[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]", "carbon cycling", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "matter", "[SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio]", "[SDV.EE] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", " environment", "nitrogen cycling", "13. Climate action", "[SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", "ARISA", "[SDE]Environmental Sciences", "PLFA", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "grassland", "microbial community", "environment", "management", "particulate organic"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01549.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01549.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01549.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01549.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-08-11T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1365-2664.13489", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-25T16:18:30Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-08-19", "title": "Plant trait\u2010based approaches to improve nitrogen cycling in agroecosystems", "description": "Abstract
Intensive agriculture is dominated by monocultures of high\uffe2\uff80\uff90yielding plants that receive large applications of nitrogen (N) fertilizers to boost plant productivity. However, these systems have low N use efficiency (NUE) as fertilized plants generally take up less than half of the N applied. A large fraction of the remainder N is susceptible to be lost from the agroecosystem generating a cascade of environmental and socio\uffe2\uff80\uff90economic problems. Climate change and projected global increases in fertilizer use pose further risks to N losses and yield stability.
We review and translate concepts from ecology in natural systems to demonstrate that NUE in intensive agroecosystems can be strongly increased by fine\uffe2\uff80\uff90tuning the traits of the plant communities to the levels of N fertilization intensity.
We present key plant traits of importance for N\uffe2\uff80\uff90cycling (architectural, morphological and physiological traits, as well as symbiotic associations and exudation patterns); discuss ecological (with soil fauna and N\uffe2\uff80\uff90cycling microbial communities) and agronomic interactions of this approach; propose interdisciplinary methodologies for future research ranging from pot to global scales; and highlight possible solutions leading to an optimal balance between N fertilizer use and productivity.
Synthesis and applications. By showing the strong links between plant traits and nitrogen (N) cycling, our work opens possibilities to test ecologically informed hypotheses across gradients of soil fertility and N fertilizer management intensity, setting a research agenda for the coming years. Accordingly, the choice of plant species based on their functional traits will play a central role for the development of modern and productive agroecosystems that retain and use N more efficiently.
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) could alter the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content of ecosystems, yet the magnitude of these effects are not well known. We examined C and N budgets of a subtropical woodland after 11\uffc2\uffa0yr of exposure to elevated CO2.
We used open\uffe2\uff80\uff90top chambers to manipulate CO2 during regrowth after fire, and measured C, N and tracer 15N in ecosystem components throughout the experiment.
Elevated CO2 increased plant C and tended to increase plant N but did not significantly increase whole\uffe2\uff80\uff90system C or N. Elevated CO2 increased soil microbial activity and labile soil C, but more slowly cycling soil C pools tended to decline. Recovery of a long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term 15N tracer indicated that CO2 exposure increased N losses and altered N distribution, with no effect on N inputs.
Increased plant C accrual was accompanied by higher soil microbial activity and increased C losses from soil, yielding no statistically detectable effect of elevated CO2 on net ecosystem C uptake. These findings challenge the treatment of terrestrial ecosystems responses to elevated CO2 in current biogeochemical models, where the effect of elevated CO2 on ecosystem C balance is described as enhanced photosynthesis and plant growth with decomposition as a first\uffe2\uff80\uff90order response.
", "keywords": ["Soil organic matter", "Long term experiment", "Elevated atmospheric CO2", "Florida scrub oak", "Scrub oak", "Research", "Plant Sciences", "Aboveground biomass", "Plant Biology", "Microbial communities", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Carbon Cycling", "15. Life on land", "Forest productivity", "Soil carbon", "Rhizosphere processes", "Terrestrial ecosystems", "Dioxide enrichment", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Elevated CO2", "Climate feedbacks", "Global change", "Subtropical woodland", "Nitrogen cycling"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/context/biology_fac_pubs/article/1264/viewcontent/Day2013CumulativeResponseofEcosystemCarbonandNitrogenOCR.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12333"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/New%20Phytologist", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/nph.12333", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/nph.12333", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/nph.12333"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-05-30T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/nph.12409", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-25T16:19:01Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2013-07-22", "title": "Fire, Hurricane And Carbon Dioxide: Effects On Net Primary Production Of A Subtropical Woodland", "description": "Summary
Disturbance affects most terrestrial ecosystems and has the potential to shape their responses to chronic environmental change.
Scrub\uffe2\uff80\uff90oak vegetation regenerating from fire disturbance in subtropical Florida was exposed to experimentally elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration (+350\uffc2\uffa0\uffce\uffbcl\uffc2\uffa0l\uffe2\uff88\uff921) using open\uffe2\uff80\uff90top chambers for 11\uffc2\uffa0yr, punctuated by hurricane disturbance in year 8. Here, we report the effects of elevated CO2 on aboveground and belowground net primary productivity (NPP) and nitrogen (N) cycling during this experiment.
The stimulation of NPP and N uptake by elevated CO2 peaked within 2\uffc2\uffa0yr after disturbance by fire and hurricane, when soil nutrient availability was high. The stimulation subsequently declined and disappeared, coincident with low soil nutrient availability and with a CO2\uffe2\uff80\uff90induced reduction in the N concentration of oak stems.
These findings show that strong growth responses to elevated CO2 can be transient, are consistent with a progressively limited response to elevated CO2 interrupted by disturbance, and illustrate the importance of biogeochemical responses to extreme events in modulating ecosystem responses to global environmental change.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "NITROGEN-USE EFFICIENCY", "Scrub oak ecosystem", "01 natural sciences", "Trees", "Quercus", "Soil", "nitrogen cycling", "oak woodland", "ECOSYSTEMS", "Global environmental change", "Biomass", "ROOT BIOMASS", "disturbance", "Florida scrub", "elevated CO2", "Elevated atmospheric CO2", "Plant Stems", "Cyclonic Storms", "Aboveground biomass", "FOREST PRODUCTIVITY", "Hurricane", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Nitrogen Cycle", "Fire", "Soil carbon", "LONG-TERM EXPOSURE", "Net primary productivity", "Long term exposure", "Florida", "Elevated CO2", "fire", "FLORIDA SCRUB", "ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS", "Nitrogen cycling", "TERRESTRIAL", "Oak woodland", "ELEVATED ATMOSPHERIC CO2", "Elevated CO 2", "Nitrogen", "hurricane", "Forest productivity", "Fires", "Terrestrial ecosystems", "SCRUB-OAK ECOSYSTEM", "Net primary productivity (NPP)", "Ecosystem", "Nitrogen use efficiency", "Atmosphere", "net primary productivity (NPP)", "Root biomass", "Plant Sciences", "global environmental change", "Disturbance", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "SOIL CARBON"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/context/biology_fac_pubs/article/1266/viewcontent/Day2013FireHurricaneandCarbonDioxideOCR.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12409"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/New%20Phytologist", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/nph.12409", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/nph.12409", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/nph.12409"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-07-22T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.pk5n1p4", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-25T16:21:31Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Data from: Winter cover crop legacy effects on litter decomposition act through litter quality and microbial community changes", "description": "Open AccessDecomposition rates, litter traits, and abiotic and biotic soil propertiesData from field experiment on litter decomposition in crop rotation with cover crops (2014-2015), including chemical litter traits (C, N, lignin), mass loss en decomposition rates of winter cover crop litter and standard substrates (filter paper, bamboo, green tea, rooibos tea). Data presented by litterbag and by plot. Soil properties include: mineral N, potential N mineralisation, soil organic matter, soil pH, and also concentrations of PLFA markers and ergosterol. Daily averages of soil temperature and moisture present for limited number of plots. Names of cover crops abbreviated as follows: Lolium perenne (Lope), Trifolium repense (Trre), Raphanus sativus (Rasa), Vicia sativa (Visa). Main crops: Avena sativa (Avsa), Cichorium endivia (Cien).Barel-JAPPL-2017-01119.R3 data.xlsx", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "decomposition", "ergosterol", "Lolium perenne", "Vicia sativa", "Verwerkte data", "Raphanus sativus", "Avena sativa", "microbial community composition", "carbon cycling", "Soil pH", "15. Life on land", "mineral nitrogen", "Cichorium endivia", "nitrogen cycling", "crop rotation", "standardised substrates", "13. Climate action", "soil organic matter", "PLFA", "Processed data", "winter cover crop", "Trifolium repens", "legacy effects"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Barel, J.M., Kuijper, T.W.M., Paul, Jos, de Boer, W., Cornelissen, Johannes H.C., de Deyn, G.B.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pk5n1p4"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.pk5n1p4", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.pk5n1p4", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.pk5n1p4"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "2969715914", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-25T16:25:44Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-08-19", "title": "Plant trait\u2010based approaches to improve nitrogen cycling in agroecosystems", "description": "Abstract
Intensive agriculture is dominated by monocultures of high\uffe2\uff80\uff90yielding plants that receive large applications of nitrogen (N) fertilizers to boost plant productivity. However, these systems have low N use efficiency (NUE) as fertilized plants generally take up less than half of the N applied. A large fraction of the remainder N is susceptible to be lost from the agroecosystem generating a cascade of environmental and socio\uffe2\uff80\uff90economic problems. Climate change and projected global increases in fertilizer use pose further risks to N losses and yield stability.
We review and translate concepts from ecology in natural systems to demonstrate that NUE in intensive agroecosystems can be strongly increased by fine\uffe2\uff80\uff90tuning the traits of the plant communities to the levels of N fertilization intensity.
We present key plant traits of importance for N\uffe2\uff80\uff90cycling (architectural, morphological and physiological traits, as well as symbiotic associations and exudation patterns); discuss ecological (with soil fauna and N\uffe2\uff80\uff90cycling microbial communities) and agronomic interactions of this approach; propose interdisciplinary methodologies for future research ranging from pot to global scales; and highlight possible solutions leading to an optimal balance between N fertilizer use and productivity.
Synthesis and applications. By showing the strong links between plant traits and nitrogen (N) cycling, our work opens possibilities to test ecologically informed hypotheses across gradients of soil fertility and N fertilizer management intensity, setting a research agenda for the coming years. Accordingly, the choice of plant species based on their functional traits will play a central role for the development of modern and productive agroecosystems that retain and use N more efficiently.