Search Results (315)

Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) is an important indicator of soil organic carbon accumulation and loss and a key parameter in biogeochemical cycling models. Its regulatory mechanism is highly dependent on microbial communities and their dynamic mediation of abiotic factors. Land-use change (e.g., agricultural expansion, deforestation, urbanization) profoundly alter carbon input patterns and soil physicochemical properties, further exacerbating the complexity and uncertainty of CUE. Existing carbon cycle models often neglect microbial ecological processes, resulting in an incomplete understanding of how microbial traits interact with environmental factors to regulate CUE. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the microbial regulation mechanisms of CUE under land-use change and systematically explores how microorganisms drive organic carbon allocation through community compositions, interspecies interactions, and environmental adaptability, with particular emphasis on the synergistic response between microbial communities and abiotic factors. We found that the buffering effect of microbial communities on abiotic factors during land-use change is a key factor determining CUE change patterns. This review not only provides a theoretical framework for clarifying the microbial-dominated carbon turnover mechanism but also lays a scientific foundation for the precise implementation of sustainable land management and carbon neutrality goals. Full article

Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) storage is essential for improving soil fertility and mitigating climate change. The priming effect, which is regulated by physical, chemical and microbial interactions, plays a pivotal role in SOC turnover. However, the fate of both native and newly added carbon under different tillage regimes remains unclear. To address this gap, a ¹³C-glucose labelling incubation experiment was conducted to assess SOC mineralization and priming effects under long-term tillage practices, including subsoiling with straw mulching (ST), no tillage with straw mulching (NT), and conventional tillage with straw removal (CT). The results demonstrated that conservation tillage (NT and ST) significantly reduced total SOC mineralization and glucose-derived CO₂ release compared to CT. Notably, the priming effect under CT was 19.5% and 24.7% higher than under NT and ST, respectively. In the early incubation stage, positive priming was primarily driven by microbial co-metabolism, while during days 1–31, microbial stoichiometric decomposition dominated the process. In addition, NT and ST treatments significantly increased the proportion of >250 μm aggregates and their associated carbon and nitrogen contents, thereby enhancing aggregate stability and physical protection of SOC. The priming effect observed under conservation tillage was strongly negatively related to aggregate stability and aggregate associated carbon content, whereas it was positively related to the β-glucosidase/Peroxidase ratio (BG/PER) and the subtraction value between carbon/nitrogen (R_C:N) and the carbon–nitrogen imbalance of the available resources (TER_C:N). Overall, our findings highlight that conservation tillage enhances SOC stability not only by improving soil physical structure but also by alleviating microbial stoichiometric constraints, offering a synergistic pathway for carbon retention and climate-resilient soil management. Full article

This study explores the spatiotemporal dynamics of SOC and microbial-mediated mechanisms in the Yellow River Delta wetlands. Using redundancy analysis and microbial community profiling, we show that vegetation drives distinct SOC storage patterns: Phragmites australis ecosystems exhibit the highest SOC sequestration, followed by Suaeda salsa and Tamarix chinensis habitats, where salt-tolerant taxa like Desulfobacterota and Halobacteriaota promote short-term carbon storage via anaerobic metabolism. The microbial community structure is shaped by both vegetation-induced microhabitats and environmental gradients: SOC and total nitrogen dominate community assembly, while electrical conductivity, pH, and sulfur/nitrogen nutrients regulate spatiotemporal differentiation. Seasonal turnover drives the reorganization of microbial community structures, shaping the dynamic equilibrium of carbon pools. Seasonal DOC dynamics, linked to tidal fluctuations and exogenous carbon inputs, highlight hydrology’s role in modulating active carbon pools. These findings reveal tight linkages among vegetation, microbial functional guilds, and soil biogeochemistry, critical for wetland carbon sequestration. Full article

Wetlands and meadows are two terrestrial ecosystems that are strikingly distinct in terms of hydrological conditions and biogeochemical characteristics. Wetlands generally feature saturated soils, high accumulation of organic matter, and hypoxic environments. They support unique microbial communities and play crucial roles as carbon sinks and nutrient retainers. In contrast, meadows are characterized by lower water supply, enhanced aeration, and accelerated turnover of organic matter. The transition from wetlands to meadows under global climate change and human activities has triggered severe ecological consequences in the Sanjiangyuan region, yet the mechanisms driving microbial network stability remain unclear. This study integrates microbial sequencing, soil physicochemical analyses, and structural equation modeling (SEM) to reveal systematic changes in microbial communities during wetland degradation. Key findings indicate: (1) critical soil parameter shifts (moisture: 48.5%→19.3%; SOM: −43.6%; salinity: +170%); (2) functional microbial restructuring with drought-tolerant Actinobacteria (+62.8%) and Ascomycota (+48.3%) replacing wetland specialists (Nitrospirota: −43.2%, Basidiomycota: −28.6%); (3) fundamental network reorganization from sparse wetland connections to hypercomplex meadow networks (bacterial nodes +344%, fungal edges +139.2%); (4) SEM identifies moisture (λ = 0.82), organic matter (λ = 0.68), and salinity (λ = −0.53) as primary drivers. Particularly, the collapse of methane-oxidizing archaea (−100%) and emergence of pathogenic fungi (+28.6%) highlight functional thresholds in degradation processes. These findings provide microbial regulation targets for wetland restoration, emphasizing hydrologic management and organic carbon conservation as priority interventions. Future research should assess whether similar microbial and network transitions occur in degraded wetlands across other alpine and temperate regions, to validate the broader applicability of these ecological thresholds. Restoration efforts should prioritize re-saturating soils, reducing salinity, and enhancing organic matter retention to stabilize microbial networks and restore essential ecosystem functions. Full article

This paper aimed to study soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration under no-tillage (NT) and full inversion tillage (FIT) soil management systems as influenced by crop residue placement. A five-year piece of research was carried out in western Sicily, Italy, on an Opuntia ficus-indica orchard (C-CAM soil) located in a semi-arid Mediterranean climate. Barley was sown annually in the orchard inter-rows at 180 kg ha⁻¹. FIT and NT were compared in interaction with two barley residue managements: (i) removed (rem) and (ii) retained in the field (ret), laid in a split-plot design, with soil management as the main plot and residue management as the sub-plot. The main plot was arranged on two inter-rows, 108 m long and 5 m wide each, replicated three times. SOC (%) and carbon natural abundance (δ¹³C‰) were determined by using an EA-IRMS. The highest biomass turnover was achieved by FITret (0.85%) vs. NTret (0.46%). The distribution of SOC showed higher values for NT in the top 10 cm soil layer (6.3 g kg⁻¹ in NTret vs. 5.0 g kg⁻¹ in FITret) but lower carbon content in deeper layers. At a depth of 30 cm, FITret maintained 4.4 g kg⁻¹ of SOC, while NTret reached only 3.7 g kg⁻¹, confirming that tillage facilitates the transport and stabilization of carbon in deeper layers. Our results also suggested that when crop residues are left on the soil surface instead of being incorporated into the soil, this may limit the effectiveness of carbon sequestration. Under the experimental tested conditions, which include low susceptibility to erosion processes, the FIT system proved to be an optimal strategy to enhance SOC sequestration and improve the sustainability of agricultural systems in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment. Full article

The global environment has been facing sustainability threats recently owing to industrial and economic expansion. Hence, achieving the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality is crucial for promoting sustainable economic growth. To help the transportation industry achieve these goals, this study selects eight variables, including population size, per capita GDP, personal vehicle ownership, passenger and freight turnover, and green space coverage, as factors influencing the carbon emissions of the transportation industry in Jiangsu Province. This research uses these variables as the basis for predicting and analyzing transportation carbon emission trends from 2000 to 2021. In addition, the current study forecasts the future carbon emissions of the transportation industry and estimates the time of carbon emission peak in Jiangsu Province. To verify the accuracy of the results, this study compares the predicted results with those from other models. The whale optimization algorithm–support vector machine model is found to have the fewest errors among several models. On this basis, targeted measures are proposed to accelerate the carbon peak process and ensure the smooth achievement of carbon neutrality goals in Jiangsu Province. Results indicate that under the current policy measures, peak carbon emissions in Jiangsu Province will occur in 2038, with a peak of 48.72 million tons. Jiangsu Province should actively adopt energy-saving and emission-reduction measures, build a green and low-carbon transportation development model, and achieve the carbon peak target ahead of schedule. Findings from this study will provide valuable insights and practical recommendations for policy makers and stakeholders to formulate effective strategies for carbon reduction in the transportation sector, contributing to the sustainable development of China and the world. Full article

Carbocatalysis, i.e., catalysis by metal-free carbon-based materials, has recently emerged as a “green” alternative for several thermal-, electric-, and solar-driven chemical processes in the gas phase and in the liquid phase. Indeed, and in addition to their more common role as a catalyst support, carbon materials can promote a large variety of reactions, replacing metal or metal oxide catalysts. However, the active sites are seldom identified and properly quantified, making it impossible to calculate turnover frequencies to benchmark the novel metal-free catalysts with those traditionally used. In order to advance the field, it is essential to correlate the catalytic properties of the carbon materials with their surface chemistry. In this work, we review a small selection of reactions catalyzed by metal-free carbon materials, emphasizing synthesis methodologies and characterization techniques used to identify the active sites, where relevant structure-activity relationships could be established. Full article

Soil viruses, ubiquitous and abundant biological entities that are integral to microbial communities, exert pivotal impacts on ecosystem functionality, particularly within carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles, through intricate interactions with bacteria, archaea, fungi, and other microbial taxa. While their contributions to soil ecosystem dynamics are increasingly elucidated, the specific roles of soil viruses in karst forest soil remain largely underexplored. Karst ecosystems (covering 15% of the global terrestrial surface) are characterized by unique geological formations, thin and patchy soil layers, high pH and Ca²⁺, and rapid hydrological dynamics, collectively fostering unique environmental conditions that may shape viral ecology and modulate C and N cycling. This perspective synthesizes existing knowledge of soil viral functions with the distinctive characteristics of karst forest soil, proposing potential mechanisms by which soil viruses could influence C and N cycling in such fragile ecosystems. Soil viruses regulate C and N cycles both directly and indirectly via their interactions with microbial hosts, mainly including shaping the microbial community structure, mediating horizontal gene transfer and microbial metabolism, increasing C and N availability and alleviating nutrient limitations, promoting C and N sequestration, and mitigating climate change. This work aims to bridge soil viral ecology and karst biogeochemical cycles, providing insights into sustainable forest stewardship and climate resilience. We delineate critical knowledge gaps and propose future perspectives, advocating for targeted metagenomic and long-term experimental studies into viral diversity, virus–host-environment interactions, and temporal dynamics. Specifically, we advocate the following research priorities to advance our understanding of soil viruses in karst forest ecosystems in future studies: (I) soil viral diversity, abundance, and activity: characterizing the diversity, abundance, and activity of soil viruses in karst forests using metagenomics and complementary molecular approaches; (II) virus–host interactions: investigating the dynamics between the viruses and key microbial taxa involved in C and N cycling; (III) biogeochemical impacts: quantifying the contributions of viral lysis and horizontal gene transfer to C and N fluxes within karst forest soil; and (IV) modeling the viral impacts on C and N cycles: developing integrative models that incorporate soil virus-mediated processes into existing karst forest soil biogeochemical frameworks at different temporal and spatial scales. Such efforts are essential to validate the hypothesized viral roles and underlying mechanisms, offering a foundation for nature-based solutions to facilitate C and N cycling and support ecological restoration in vulnerable karst regions amid global climate change. Full article

Grasslands are crucial for sequestering carbon underground, but disturbances like ploughing can lead to significant soil organic carbon (SOC) loss as CO₂, a potent greenhouse gas. Thus, managed grasslands should be maintained to minimize GHG emissions. A field study was carried out to investigate how varying sward diversity influences soil respiration following the ploughing of temporary grassland. This study investigated the extent of CO₂ emissions from different species mixtures immediately after ploughing, as well as C losses when straw was added to plots, over a 142-day period. The species mixture treatments consisted of a binary mixture (BM), a tertiary mixture (TM), and a complex mixture (CM), which were compared to two bare plot treatments, one of which was also ploughed. The highest CO₂ flux occurred immediately after ploughing and was observed in the BM treatment (1.99 kg CO₂-C ha⁻¹ min⁻¹). Accumulated CO₂ emissions ranged from 0.4 to 14.8 t CO₂ ha⁻¹. The ploughing effect on CO₂ emissions was evident for bare soils, as ploughing increased soil aeration, which enhanced microbial activity and accelerated the decomposition rate of soil organic matter. However, different mixtures did not affect the C turnover rate. Adding straw to treatments resulted in 43% higher CO₂ emissions compared to bare plots. The BM treatment likely induced a higher priming effect, suggesting that the incorporated straw, under different sward residues, influenced CO₂ emissions more than the mechanical disturbance caused by ploughing. Findings suggest that using complex species mixtures can be recommended as a strategy to reduce CO₂ emissions from incorporated biomass and minimize the priming effect of native soil carbon. Full article

Elephants exhibit remarkable cognitive and social abilities, which are integral to their navigation, resource acquisition, and responses to environmental challenges such as climate change and human–wildlife conflict. Their capacity to acquire, recall, and utilise spatial information enables them to traverse large, fragmented landscapes, locate essential resources, and mitigate risks. While older elephants, particularly matriarchs, are often regarded as repositories of ecological knowledge, the mechanisms by which younger individuals acquire this information remain uncertain. Existing research suggests that elephants follow established movement patterns, yet direct evidence of intergenerational knowledge transfer is limited. This review synthesises current literature on elephant navigation and decision-making, exploring how their behavioural strategies contribute to resilience amid increasing anthropogenic pressures. Empirical studies indicate that elephants integrate environmental and social cues when selecting routes, accessing water, and avoiding human-dominated areas. However, the extent to which these behaviours arise from individual memory, social learning, or passive exposure to experienced individuals requires further investigation. Additionally, elephants function as ecosystem engineers, shaping landscapes, maintaining biodiversity, and contributing to climate resilience. Recent research highlights that elephants’ ecological functions can indeed contribute to climate resilience, though the mechanisms are complex and context-dependent. In tropical forests, forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) disproportionately disperse large-seeded, high-carbon-density tree species, which contribute significantly to above-ground carbon storage. Forest elephants can improve tropical forest carbon storage by 7%, as these elephants enhance the relative abundance of slow-growing, high-biomass trees through selective browsing and seed dispersal. In savannah ecosystems, elephants facilitate the turnover of woody vegetation and maintain grassland structure, which can increase albedo and promote carbon sequestration in soil through enhanced grass productivity and fire dynamics. However, the ecological benefits of such behaviours depend on population density and landscape context. While bulldozing vegetation may appear destructive, these behaviours often mimic natural disturbance regimes, promoting biodiversity and landscape heterogeneity, key components of climate-resilient ecosystems. Unlike anthropogenic clearing, elephant-led habitat modification is part of a long-evolved ecological process that supports nutrient cycling and seedling recruitment. Therefore, promoting connectivity through wildlife corridors supports not only elephant movement but also ecosystem functions that enhance resilience to climate variability. Future research should prioritise quantifying the net carbon impact of elephant movement and browsing in different biomes to further clarify their role in mitigating climate change. Conservation strategies informed by their movement patterns, such as wildlife corridors, conflict-reducing infrastructure, and habitat restoration, may enhance human–elephant coexistence while preserving their ecological roles. Protecting older individuals, who may retain critical environmental knowledge, is essential for sustaining elephant populations and the ecosystems they influence. Advancing research on elephant navigation and decision-making can provide valuable insights for biodiversity conservation and conflict mitigation efforts. Full article

Revegetation in arid and semi-arid regions is a pivotal strategy for mitigating desertification and controlling soil erosion by enhancing carbon storage in woody biomass and mitigating wind-induced erosion. Despite its recognized importance, a critical gap remains in understanding how biomass carbon is distributed across different plant compartments (leaves, stems, litter, and roots) and how this distribution influences soil carbon dynamics. In this study, we examined carbon allocation between aboveground (shoot and litterfall) and belowground (coarse and fine roots) components, as well as the composition and vertical distribution of soil carbon in three 20-year-old shrub plantations—Salix psammophila, Corethrodendron fruticosum, and Artemisia desertorum—in northwest China. Total biomass and litter carbon storage were highest in the S. psammophila plantation (3689.29 g m⁻²), followed by C. fruticosum (1462.83 g m⁻²) and A. desertorum (761.61 g m⁻²). In contrast, soil carbon storage at a 1 m depth was greatest in A. desertorum (12,831.18 g m⁻²), followed by C. fruticosum (7349.24 g m⁻²) and S. psammophila (5375.80 g m⁻²). Notably, A. desertorum also exhibited the highest proportions of stable soil organic carbon (heavy-fraction) and soil inorganic carbon, while S. psammophila had the lowest. Across all plantations, belowground biomass carbon and light-fraction soil organic carbon displayed distinct vertical distributions, while heavy-fraction soil organic carbon and soil inorganic carbon did not show significant spatial patterns. A strong correlation was found between soil carbon fractions and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, suggesting that microbial communities were key drivers of soil carbon stabilization and turnover. These findings underscore the importance of litter composition, root traits, and microbial activity in determining soil carbon accumulation following shrub revegetation. The study highlights the need to investigate species-specific mechanisms, such as rhizodeposition dynamics and microbial necromass stabilization, to elucidate carbon redistribution pathways in semi-arid ecosystems. Full article

Soil microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) is the ratio of carbon allocated to microbial growth to that taken up by microorganisms. Soil microbial CUE affects terrestrial ecosystem processes such as greenhouse gas emissions, carbon turnover, and sequestration, which is an important indicator of changes in the terrestrial carbon cycle. Firstly, we summarized the three methods of soil microbial CUE, stoichiometric modeling, ¹³C glucose tracing, and ¹⁸O water tracing, and compared the advantages and limitations of the three methods. Then, we analyzed the single or combined effects of different environmental factors on soil microbial CUE in grassland ecosystems, forest ecosystems, and wetland ecosystems. Finally, we suggested that future research should focus on the following aspects: the influence of management patterns on CUE (such as grazing and the prohibition of grazing in grassland ecosystems, forest gap, and thinning in forest ecosystems); effects of the strategies of microorganisms for adapting to environmental changes on CUE; effects of anaerobic metabolic pathways, especially in wetland ecosystems; and effects of microbial taxonomic level. This study contributes to the investigation of the microbial mechanisms of carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Full article

The high costs of acquiring and maintaining high-performance computing (HPC) resources pose significant barriers for medium-sized enterprises and educational institutions, often forcing them to rely on expensive cloud-based solutions with recurring costs. This paper introduces CommC, a multi-purpose commodity hardware cluster designed to reduce operational expenses and extend hardware lifespan by repurposing underutilized computing resources. By integrating virtualization (KVM and Proxmox) and containerization (Kubernetes and Docker), CommC creates a scalable, secure, and cost-efficient computing environment. The proposed system enables seamless resource sharing, ensuring high availability and fault tolerance for both containerized and virtualized workloads. To demonstrate its versatility, we deploy big data engines like Apache Spark alongside traditional web services, showcasing CommC’s ability to support diverse workloads efficiently. Our cost analysis reveals that CommC reduces computing expenses by up to 77.93% compared to cloud-based alternatives while also mitigating e-waste accumulation by extending the lifespan of existing hardware. This significantly improves environmental sustainability compared to cloud providers, where frequent hardware turnover contributes to rising carbon emissions. This research contributes to the fields of cloud computing, resource management, and sustainable IT infrastructure by providing a replicable, adaptable, and financially viable alternative to traditional cloud-based solutions. Future work will focus on automating resource allocation, enhancing real-time monitoring, and integrating advanced security mechanisms to further optimize performance and usability. Full article

Soil organic matter plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle, yet the magnitude and direction of changes in soil carbon content following vegetation shifts in the tropics remain highly debated. Most studies have focused on short-term changes, typically spanning only a few months or years. In this study, we investigated the medium-term dynamics of organic matter at a site where savanna, protected from fire for 58 years, has gradually transitioned to woodland vegetation. Natural ¹³C abundance analysis combined with particle-size fractionation was used to characterize the changes in SOM over time. While carbon content remains relatively stable, δ¹³C exhibits a distinct shift, particularly in the surface layers, reflecting the gradual replacement of savanna-derived carbon with tree-derived carbon. All fractions were influenced by the inputs and outputs of carbon from both savanna and tree sources. In the coarse fractions, most of the carbon originates from trees; however, a significant proportion of savanna-derived carbon (ranging from 10% to 40%, depending on the fraction, depth, and patch) persists, likely in the form of black carbon. In the fine fractions, nearly half of the carbon (40% to 50%) remains derived from the savanna, highlighting the greater stability of organic matter that is physically bound to clays and protected within microaggregates. Full article

The importance of urban forest management and carbon cycle research has increased amidst ongoing urbanization. Understanding the potential impact of fine woody debris (FWD) retention as a management strategy on the soil organic carbon (SOC) levels and stability in urban forests is crucial. In this study, four FWD retention treatments (no retention, CK; low retention, LR; medium retention, MR; and high retention, HR) were implemented in Harbin urban Picea koraiensis Nakai plantations to investigate the stability of the SOC pool in response to these treatments. The FWD retention treatment had no significant effect on the soil’s physical and chemical properties and SOC concentration, but significantly reduced the total potassium and NO₃⁻ concentrations. The FWD retention treatment increased active SOC fractions and carbon-degrading enzyme activities, while reducing leucine aminopeptidase, polyphenol oxidase enzyme activities, and the stability of the SOC pool. The random forest model showed that FWD retention, particulate organic carbon, cellobiohydrolases, and β-xylosidase enzyme activities were factors that significantly affected the stability of the SOC pool. These findings suggest that retaining a large amount of FWD in northeast China can benefit the soil carbon cycle in urban plantations by accelerating the turnover of active SOC fractions. Full article