Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.7
4.2
Journals
Microorganisms
Special Issues
Soil Microbial Carbon/Nitrogen/Phosphorus Cycling: 2nd Edition
share announcement

Soil Microbial Carbon/Nitrogen/Phosphorus Cycling: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1473

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dan Xiao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China
Interests: nutrient cycling; vegetation recovery; microbial biodiversity; soil carbon; soil nitrogen
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yinhang Xia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Interests: soil organic carbon; soil organic nitrogen cycling; microbial metabolic processes; agricultural ecosystems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil nutrient cycles involving microorganisms play a crucial role in enhancing soil fertility, promoting plant growth, controlling pathogens and pests, improving soil structure, and maintaining ecosystem functions. These processes are affected by environmental changes, such as global climate warming, nitrogen deposition, heavy metal pollution, waste disposal, and agricultural management practices. Understanding the role of soil microorganisms in organic matter turnover, nitrogen cycling, phosphorus transformations, and metal sequestration in natural and agricultural ecosystems is crucial for sustainable ecosystem management. This Special Issue aims to explore the functions of soil microorganisms in nutrient cycling and how they enhance the multifunctionality of ecosystems, providing fundamental and practical guidance for sustainable soil management. Potential topics of interest include the following:

  1. Microbial involvement in soil nutrient cycling.
  2. The diversity, community structure, and characteristics of key functional soil microorganisms and microbial food webs.
  3. Applications of soil microorganisms in vegetation restoration and agricultural production.
  4. The effects of global warming, nitrogen deposition, and agricultural management practices on soil microbial communities.
  5. Soil microorganisms in environmental remediation and soil erosion control. This Special Issue is open to the submission of fundamental, applied, and field research and review manuscripts on all aspects of these topics.

Dr. Dan Xiao
Dr. Yinhang Xia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • soil microbiome
  • nutrient cycling
  • soil micro-food web
  • land use change
  • ecosystem restoration
  • agricultural management

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

20 pages, 5671 KB  
Article
Precipitation Alleviates Adverse Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Enrichment on Soil Microbial Co-Occurrence Network Complexity and Stability in Karst Shrubland
by Jiangnan Li, Jie Zhao, Xionghui Liao, Xianwen Long, Wenyu Wang, Peilei Hu, Wei Zhang and Kelin Wang
Microorganisms 2025, 13(9), 2012; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13092012 - 28 Aug 2025
Viewed by 551
Abstract
The karst region is highly ecologically fragile due to its unique geology and poor water and nutrient retention. Despite long-term restoration, vegetation often remains in the secondary shrubland stage. Soil microorganisms play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem functions, but how microbial communities [...] Read more.
The karst region is highly ecologically fragile due to its unique geology and poor water and nutrient retention. Despite long-term restoration, vegetation often remains in the secondary shrubland stage. Soil microorganisms play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem functions, but how microbial communities respond to combined water and nitrogen-phosphorus nutrient changes in karst shrubland remains poorly understood. This knowledge gap hinders effective restoration strategies in karst shrublands. Here, the effects of water, nitrogen, and phosphorous additions and their interactions on soil physico-chemical properties, soil microbial abundance, diversity, community composition, and the co-occurrence network were explored. A full factorial experiment (water × nitrogen × phosphorous, each at two levels) was conducted in a karst shrubland with over 20 years of vegetation restoration, with treatments including control, water (+120 mm yr−1), nitrogen (+20 g N m−2 yr−1), phosphorus (+16 g P m−2 yr−1), and their four combinations. Our results suggested that water addition significantly increased soil water content and soil microbial abundance but reduced fungal diversity. Nitrogen addition significantly increased soil nitrate nitrogen content and fungal diversity, and fungal diversity showed an increasing trend under phosphorous addition. The addition of nitrogen and phosphorous did not significantly alter the soil microbial community composition, while water addition showed a tendency to change the soil fungal community composition. Network topological properties, robustness, and vulnerability analyses indicated that individual nitrogen or phosphorous additions, as well as their interactions, reduced network complexity and stability. In contrast, water addition alone or in combination with nitrogen and/or phosphorous alleviated these negative effects, and the water and phosphorous interaction exhibited the highest levels of network complexity and stability. Further analysis showed that the soil pH, available phosphorous, ratio of carbon to phosphorous, and ammonium nitrogen were explanatory variables contributing significantly to soil microbial abundance, diversity, community composition, and network complexity. Overall, these findings highlighted the pivotal role of water availability in enhancing soil microbial stability under nutrient enrichment, offering valuable insights into ecological restoration in karst ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Microbial Carbon/Nitrogen/Phosphorus Cycling: 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 2743 KB  
Article
Systematic Investigation of Phosphate Decomposition and Soil Fertility Modulation by the Filamentous Fungus Talaromyces nanjingensis
by Xiao-Rui Sun, Pu-Sheng Li, Huan Qiao, Wei-Liang Kong, Ya-Hui Wang and Xiao-Qin Wu
Microorganisms 2025, 13(7), 1574; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13071574 - 3 Jul 2025
Viewed by 567
Abstract
Phosphate-solubilizing microbes (PSMs) in soil play a crucial role in converting insoluble phosphates into plant-available soluble phosphorus. This paper systematically presents a comprehensive array of qualitative and quantitative techniques to assess the phosphate-decomposing capabilities of microbes. Additionally, it introduces two optimized media, namely [...] Read more.
Phosphate-solubilizing microbes (PSMs) in soil play a crucial role in converting insoluble phosphates into plant-available soluble phosphorus. This paper systematically presents a comprehensive array of qualitative and quantitative techniques to assess the phosphate-decomposing capabilities of microbes. Additionally, it introduces two optimized media, namely improved Monkina medium No. 1 and No. 2, which are particularly suitable for detecting the solubilization abilities of microbes toward insoluble organic phosphates. Talaromyces nanjingensis, a novel fungal species recently isolated from the rhizosphere soil of Pinus massoniana, demonstrates remarkable phosphate-solubilizing abilities. Across multiple temperature gradients (15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, and 37 °C), it effectively decomposes both insoluble inorganic and organic phosphates. This is achieved through the secretion of organic acids, including gluconic acid (6.10 g L−1), oxalic acid (0.93 g L−1), and malonic acid (0.17 g L−1), as well as phosphate-solubilizing enzymes. Moreover, under low-, medium-, and high-temperature conditions, T. nanjingensis can decompose insoluble phosphates in three types of soil with varying pH levels, thereby enhancing the overall soil fertility. Genomic analysis of T. nanjingensis has identified approximately 308 genes associated with phosphate decomposition and environmental adaptability, validating its superior capabilities and multi-faceted strategies for phosphate mobilization. These findings underscore the wide applicability of T. nanjingensis in maintaining soil phosphorus homeostasis and optimizing the phosphorus use efficiency, highlighting its promising potential for agricultural and environmental applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Microbial Carbon/Nitrogen/Phosphorus Cycling: 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop