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Controls of microbial carbon use efficiency along a latitudinal gradient across Europe

Cruz-Paredes, Carla LU orcid and Rousk, Johannes LU (2024) In Soil Biology and Biochemistry 193.
Abstract

Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) describes the partitioning of carbon (C) between respiration and growth, and this defines the soil-atmosphere C balance. Despite its importance, CUE is not properly represented in soil biogeochemical models. Here, we estimated how CUE varied in soil along a continental gradient. Through a structural equation model, we found that bacterial growth, fungal community composition, and SOM quality were the main drivers of CUE variation. Biotic factors controlled CUE directly, while soil properties and climate indirectly controlled CUE via biotic factors. Surprisingly, we found that microbial assimilability of SOM had a negative relationship with CUE. High rates of microbial SOM-use coincided with a... (More)

Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) describes the partitioning of carbon (C) between respiration and growth, and this defines the soil-atmosphere C balance. Despite its importance, CUE is not properly represented in soil biogeochemical models. Here, we estimated how CUE varied in soil along a continental gradient. Through a structural equation model, we found that bacterial growth, fungal community composition, and SOM quality were the main drivers of CUE variation. Biotic factors controlled CUE directly, while soil properties and climate indirectly controlled CUE via biotic factors. Surprisingly, we found that microbial assimilability of SOM had a negative relationship with CUE. High rates of microbial SOM-use coincided with a greater growth-fraction used for respiration suggesting decoupled catabolism and anabolism, probably due to nutrient limitation. Our study highlights the importance of the microbial community composition to predict CUE and that interactions between bacterial and fungal communities can have implications for CUE.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Bacterial growth, Carbon use efficiency, Fungal growth, Microbial community composition
in
Soil Biology and Biochemistry
volume
193
article number
109394
pages
5 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85188029399
ISSN
0038-0717
DOI
10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109394
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f0795abe-1622-4977-8b8c-fc8c14753197
date added to LUP
2024-03-27 13:26:05
date last changed
2024-04-02 14:58:07
@article{f0795abe-1622-4977-8b8c-fc8c14753197,
  abstract     = {{<p>Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) describes the partitioning of carbon (C) between respiration and growth, and this defines the soil-atmosphere C balance. Despite its importance, CUE is not properly represented in soil biogeochemical models. Here, we estimated how CUE varied in soil along a continental gradient. Through a structural equation model, we found that bacterial growth, fungal community composition, and SOM quality were the main drivers of CUE variation. Biotic factors controlled CUE directly, while soil properties and climate indirectly controlled CUE via biotic factors. Surprisingly, we found that microbial assimilability of SOM had a negative relationship with CUE. High rates of microbial SOM-use coincided with a greater growth-fraction used for respiration suggesting decoupled catabolism and anabolism, probably due to nutrient limitation. Our study highlights the importance of the microbial community composition to predict CUE and that interactions between bacterial and fungal communities can have implications for CUE.</p>}},
  author       = {{Cruz-Paredes, Carla and Rousk, Johannes}},
  issn         = {{0038-0717}},
  keywords     = {{Bacterial growth; Carbon use efficiency; Fungal growth; Microbial community composition}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Soil Biology and Biochemistry}},
  title        = {{Controls of microbial carbon use efficiency along a latitudinal gradient across Europe}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109394}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109394}},
  volume       = {{193}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}