Global Change Biology最新文献

{"title":"The Effects of Microplastics and Additives on Ecosystem Function, Structure, and Signaling","authors":"Sally Gaw,&nbsp;Maia Raymundo,&nbsp;Ciemon F. Caballes","doi":"10.1111/gcb.71025","DOIUrl":"10.1111/gcb.71025","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Microplastics (MPs) and their associated chemical additives are pervasive contaminants whose ecological impacts extend beyond organismal toxicity to fundamentally alter ecosystem processes. We synthesize current understanding of how MPs affect three interconnected dimensions of ecosystem integrity: ecosystem structure, ecosystem function, and ecosystem signaling. Across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, MPs alter biodiversity, community composition, trophic interactions, and habitat complexity, driving cascading changes in food-web architecture. They also impair key ecosystem functions, including primary production, decomposition, nutrient and carbon cycling, bioturbation, filtration, and energy transfer, with consequences for ecosystem productivity and resilience. We further identify ecosystem signaling as an emerging but underappreciated dimension of plastic pollution. MPs and their additives disrupt chemical, microbial, and sensory communication by altering semiochemicals, pheromones, quorum sensing, predator–prey recognition, host–microbiome interactions, and plant–soil feedbacks, thereby modifying behaviors and ecological processes that regulate ecosystem dynamics. Climate change further amplifies these effects through warming, altered hydrology, hypoxia, ocean acidification, ultraviolet radiation, and extreme weather events, which increase plastic fragmentation, additive release, bioavailability, and organismal susceptibility. We propose an integrated conceptual framework linking structural, functional, and signaling pathways to explain how MPs reshape ecosystem resilience under global change. Recognizing ecosystem signaling alongside ecosystem structure and function provides a more comprehensive framework for predicting ecosystem responses and identifying priorities for future research, conservation, and environmental management.</p>","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gcb.71025","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148767559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prioritizing Shark, Ray, and Chimaera Conservation in Rapidly Changing Polar Waters","authors":"Vanessa B. Bettcher, Amanda Batlle‐Morera, Peter M. Kyne, Ryan Charles, Emiliano García‐Rodríguez, Christoph A. Rohner, Asia O. Armstrong, Margaret O’Leary Amsler, Natalia V. Chernova, Brynn M. Devine, Andrey V. Dolgov, Meghan M. Donovan, Johanna Faure, Brittany Finucci, Jonathan A. D. Fisher, Rachel A. S. Forbes, Kevin J. Hedges, Phil R. Hollyman, Nigel E. Hussey, Romaric Jac, David W. Kulka, Alexei M. Orlov, Clara Péron, Matthias Schaber, Eric Ste‐Marie, Simon Weigmann, Rima W. Jabado","doi":"10.1111/gcb.71041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.71041","url":null,"abstract":"Climate‐driven alterations in sea‐ice dynamics and shifting fishing activity are reshaping ecosystems across the Arctic and Antarctic, yet conservation‐relevant information for chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, and chimaeras) remains limited. We present the first assessment of Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) across Polar Waters, integrating species distributions, extinction risk, critical habitat evidence, spatial protection coverage, apparent fishing effort (2013–2018 vs. 2019–2024), and sea‐ice concentration trends. Of 86 chondrichthyan species reported from Polar Waters, only 15 (17.4%) had sufficient evidence to meet the ISRA Criteria, and 28 (32.6%) are threatened with extinction. We identified 35 ISRAs (27 Arctic; 8 Antarctic) covering 0.75% of the Polar Waters region. ISRAs were delineated predominantly based on data from scientific fishing surveys and harvest fisheries. Most Antarctic ISRAs were delineated under Criterion B—Range Restricted, reflecting endemism and scarce life‐history evidence. Major knowledge gaps persist, particularly for highly adapted Polar Species (10 species) and deepwater taxa (72.1% of regional chondrichthyan fauna). Between 2013 and 2024, the spatial footprint of fishing expanded in both poles for trawlers and longliners, despite stable or declining fishing hours in some fleets. Concurrent areas of increasing fishing effort and decreasing sea‐ice concentration remained minimal. However, apparent fishing effort overlapped with most ISRAs, indicating ongoing fishing pressure in critical habitats. Marine Protected Area (MPA) coverage remains uneven: 8.2% of Arctic ISRA spatial extent overlaps MPAs (0.8% no‐take), compared with 43.8% in the Antarctic (14.8% no‐take), with insufficient effective coverage in areas beyond national jurisdiction. These results reveal substantial mismatches between chondrichthyan critical habitats, fishing exposure, and existing protection measures. Integrating ISRAs into existing management frameworks, such as Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, High Seas Treaty mechanisms, and fisheries governance bodies, will be essential to safeguard vulnerable polar chondrichthyans as sea‐ice concentration declines and exposure risk increases.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Brood Chamber Carbonate Chemistry in the oyster Ostrea edulis Is Dynamically Shaped by Warming, Acidification, and Ventilation","authors":"Matthew Gray, Lore Van Acker, David Carmele‐Rescant, Jon Havenhand, Alexandra Kinnby, Pierre De Wit","doi":"10.1111/gcb.71007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.71007","url":null,"abstract":"Brooding organisms can modify the chemical environment experienced by developing offspring, potentially altering their exposure to climate change. In marine systems, however, the carbonate chemistry of brood chambers, and the mechanisms governing it, remain poorly resolved. Here, we combine high‐resolution pH and CO <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> measurements of the empty brood chamber (i.e., mantle cavity above gills) in the European flat oyster ( <jats:italic>Ostrea edulis</jats:italic> ) while also tracking valve gape to quantify how warming, ocean acidification, and ventilation interact to shape the internal environment experienced by larvae during incubation. Brood chamber pH was consistently lower than that of the surrounding seawater and responded to external conditions in a state‐dependent manner governed by ventilation and respiration. When oysters were actively ventilating, brood chamber chemistry tracked ambient seawater with a persistent offset, whereas valve closure led to rapid CO <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> accumulation and pronounced declines in pH. These dynamics generated highly variable and behaviorally mediated exposure regimes, in which metabolic processes distorted ambient chemical signals over short timescales. Paired pH and CO <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> measurements provided preliminary constraints on aragonite saturation state (Ωar), revealing that brood chambers can remain undersaturated (Ωar &lt; 1) for prolonged periods even in ventilating oysters and while overlying seawater remains favorable. Together, these results demonstrate that brood chambers function as dynamic microenvironments in which larval exposure to ocean acidification is governed not only by external conditions, but also by behavior. Because warming enhances metabolic CO <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> production and intensifies acidification within the chamber, future climate change is likely to amplify both the magnitude and variability of larval exposure. These findings help explain the apparent resilience of brooding species to ocean acidification, while also highlighting potential limits as environmental conditions move beyond historical bounds.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"49 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temperate Forest Floors: Ecosystem Hubs in Transition?","authors":"Friederike Lang, Jörg Prietzel, Frank Hagedorn, Klaus Kaiser, Stefanie Schulz, Mathias Mayer, Lars Vesterdal, Jürgen Bauhus, Maï Bergmann, Sebastian Bibinger, Martin I. Bidartondo, Jingxuan Olivia Chen, Philipp de Jong, Trung Hieu Doan, Simon Haberstroh, Jonas Hahn, Peter Hartmann, Anis Mahmud Khokon, Martin Kohler, Laura M. Suz, Ina C. Meier, Richard Neumann, Heinke Paulsen, Heike Puhlmann, Helmer Schack‐Kirchner, Stefan Scheu, Lexie Schilling, Patrick Schleppi, Michael Schloter, Kai Schwärzel, Kenton P. Stutz, Gabriela Villalba, Melissa Wannenmacher, Markus Weiler, Nicole Wellbrock, Christiane Werner, Jörg Niederberger","doi":"10.1111/gcb.71033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.71033","url":null,"abstract":"The forest floor (FF) plays a key role in carbon, nutrient, and water cycling. It is the biologically most active compartment of forest soils, highly responsive to environmental conditions. Yet, its response to current changes in environmental conditions and forest management is understudied. Temperate forests are among the best studied ecosystems globally, providing the necessary ecological and biogeochemical background information to assess FF changes. Here, we focus on identifying existing knowledge and gaps in our understanding of the functioning of the FF. Interactions between FF biota and abiotic FF components show multifactorial dependencies with environmental conditions and drive FF turnover. Vice versa, the turnover of FF regulates carbon, nutrient, and water cycling. With slow litter decomposition and limited bioturbation, organic matter accumulates, nutrients cycle tightly within the FF, and water passes through this layer partly along preferential pathways. With rapid litter decomposition and intense bioturbation, FF accumulation is little, the mineral soil is the main nexus for plant nutrient uptake and organic matter transformation, and water infiltrates the mineral soil more homogeneously. The interconnectedness with the adjacent ecosystem compartments is a crucial feature of the FF, feeding back to its functioning and making it a central hub of forest processes. The FF morphology reflects these processes and therefore has untapped potential as an indicator of soil and ecosystem health. Under forest change, the FF might lose its functionality, with negative impacts on nutrient provision, water storage, and carbon sequestration. Consequences for forest growth could be strong and even detrimental. Hence, improved knowledge of FF characteristics and their linkages to mineral soils and aboveground ecosystem compartments is crucial for assessing forest resilience to progressing environmental changes.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"39 1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nutrient Enrichment Increases Grassland Biomass Sensitivity to Interannual Precipitation Variation","authors":"Ingrid J. Slette, Eric W. Seabloom, Carlos Alberto Arnillas, Jonathan D. Bakker, Dana Blumenthal, Jane A. Catford, Scott L. Collins, Nico Eisenhauer, Philip A. Fay, Magda Garbowski, Sylvia Haider, W. Stanley Harpole, Kevin P. Kirkman, Johannes M. H. Knops, Kimberly J. Komatsu, Andrew D. B. Leakey, Andrew S. MacDougall, Jason P. Martina, Sally A. Power, Anita C. Risch, Christiane Roscher, Melinda D. Smith, Michelle Tedder, Elizabeth T. Borer","doi":"10.1111/gcb.71053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.71053","url":null,"abstract":"Primary production underpins much of ecosystem functioning and is often limited by nutrient and water availability. Ongoing global increases in nutrient inputs and interannual precipitation variability are thus likely to impact primary production, with unclear consequences for interannual variability in plant biomass. We used data from 35 grasslands in the Nutrient Network coordinated fertilization experiment to test if nutrient addition alters the response of plant biomass to year‐to‐year variation in growing season precipitation, and whether the effects of nutrient addition vary with factors such as site aridity or plant community composition. Nutrient addition increased biomass (by an average of 46% across sites), rain‐use efficiency (by 48%), and the sensitivity of biomass to interannual variation in precipitation (i.e., larger increase in biomass in wet years; by 13%), but did not change the strength of the interannual precipitation‐biomass correlation. Both sensitivity and correlation strength were higher in more arid sites, regardless of nutrient addition. These results suggest that grassland ecosystem functioning may become more variable from year to year as nutrient enrichment increases biomass sensitivity to precipitation and precipitation becomes more variable.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"162 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil Moisture Thresholds for the Temperature Sensitivity of Ecosystem Respiration","authors":"Qin Zhang, Song Wang, Qinyu Zheng, Jinsong Wang, Chuixiang Yi, Shuli Niu","doi":"10.1111/gcb.71066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.71066","url":null,"abstract":"Ecosystem respiration (ER) is the largest source of biogenic CO <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> to the atmosphere, and its temperature sensitivity (Q <jats:sub>10</jats:sub> ) before reaching maximum values is crucial for understanding land–climate feedback. However, despite decades of studies showing that Q <jats:sub>10</jats:sub> varies considerably across space, time, and biomes, the mechanisms underlying this variability remain unresolved. Here we demonstrate that global variation in Q <jats:sub>10</jats:sub> can be reconciled within a unified hydrothermal framework. Using data from 142 eddy covariance sites around the world, we show that Q <jats:sub>10</jats:sub> exhibits unimodal responses to soil moisture. At each site, Q <jats:sub>10</jats:sub> first increases with soil moisture, peaks at a threshold (SM <jats:sub>th</jats:sub> ), and then declines. This SM <jats:sub>th</jats:sub> is ecosystem‐specific, which consistent with mechanisms involving plant–soil–microbial interactions, shaped by long‐term hydroclimatic regimes and soil physical constraints. Global mapping of SM <jats:sub>th</jats:sub> shows that about 25% of the planet's vegetated land currently operates above SM <jats:sub>th</jats:sub> , including many carbon‐rich peatlands and tropical forests, where moderate drying may amplify temperature sensitivity and accelerate carbon loss. By identifying soil moisture thresholds as a first‐order control on Q <jats:sub>10</jats:sub> , our study provides a unifying mechanism that links hydrological state to the thermal sensitivity of carbon fluxes. This framework offers a predictive basis for anticipating respiration responses to climate change by explicitly resolving whether shifts in soil moisture move ecosystems toward or away from these critical thresholds.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sea‐Level Rise Constrains the Carbon Permanence of Global Mangrove Restoration","authors":"Jincheng Wu, Zhe Zhao, Philippe Ciais, Shanshan Song, Chenyi Yuan, Guanghui Lin, Bertrand Guenet, Annemiek Stegehuis, Xiaoshan Zhu, Ruili Li, Ruikun Gou, Yuchen Meng, Minxuan Sun, Wei Li","doi":"10.1111/gcb.71060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.71060","url":null,"abstract":"Mangroves are characterized by high carbon sequestration rates, and future changes in mangrove biomass will be impacted by factors such as climate change, sea level rise, and management strategies. Here, we produce a map of present‐day global mangrove aboveground biomass (AGB) based on extensive field observations and satellite data, giving a global mangrove AGB of 1.76 Pg dry matter (DM). After accounting for potential growth to maturity, future changes in climatic and hydrological conditions, possible restoration strategies, and sea‐level rise, the global total mangrove AGB is projected to increase by 16.7% under the low‐warming scenario (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 1 and Representative Concentration Pathway 2.6, SSP126) and decrease by 19.3% under the high‐warming scenario (SSP585) by 2100. Sea‐level rise encroaching upon the growth space of mangroves will cause a biomass loss of 41.6% in the high‐warming scenario, whereas restoration strategies would only increase AGB by 2.0%. Our study shows that sea‐level rise limits the potential of mangrove restoration to maintain carbon stocks, and regions less constrained by sea‐level rise offer greater potential for the long‐term permanence.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Terrestrial Arthropod Responses to Arctic Cryosphere Degradation","authors":"Mark A. K. Gillespie, Toke T. Høye","doi":"10.1111/gcb.71062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.71062","url":null,"abstract":"The Arctic cryosphere is undergoing dramatic changes, including declines in sea ice extent and thickness, ice sheets and glaciers, snow cover and duration and permafrost depth. These changes are having alarming direct and indirect consequences for terrestrial species, habitats and ecosystems. Such impacts are well documented and discussed for plants, birds and mammals, and we are beginning to understand the extent of links between cryospheric changes and terrestrial systems generally. However, terrestrial arthropods are rarely included in studies and reviews on this topic despite their taxonomic diversity and importance to ecosystem functions. In this mini‐review, we aim to redress this imbalance and raise awareness of the impact of ice and snow decline on terrestrial arthropods and the ecological functions they perform. In addition, we highlight the recent methodological advances for arthropod monitoring and discuss their use in addressing gaps in our understanding of responses to multiple stressors.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"202 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aboveground Biomass Accumulation Over Two Decades Across a Gradient of Tropical Forest Restoration Interventions","authors":"Francis H. Joyce, Rakan A. Zahawi, Leland K. Werden, Sebastian Zarges, Matheus Pinheiro Ferreira, Angélica M. Almeyda Zambrano, Eben N. Broadbent, Juan Abel Rosales, Karen D. Holl","doi":"10.1111/gcb.71054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.71054","url":null,"abstract":"Tropical forest restoration is an important nature‐based solution that can sequester carbon as a means to mitigate climate change. Restoration approaches range from natural regeneration to intensive tree planting, but few studies have compared aboveground biomass (AGB) stocks over decadal time scales across multiple restoration treatments implemented at the same sites. Here we leverage data from a two‐decade restoration experiment in southern Costa Rica; in 2004–2006, we established restoration plots representing a gradient of intervention intensity: natural regeneration (no planting), applied nucleation (planting tree clusters), and plantation (full planting). We compare 18–20 years of AGB across treatments of the four planted tree species and naturally recruited trees. We also examine the relationships between AGB pools and structural metrics derived from UAV‐borne LiDAR data collected after 16–18 years. Because most AGB was in planted trees, AGB was about 6.5 times greater in plantations compared to natural regeneration, and double in plantations compared to applied nucleation after two decades, despite substantial mortality of planted trees. However, the plantation treatment suppressed naturally recruited AGB and accumulated only half the amount of the natural regeneration treatment. Natural recruits comprised four times the proportion of AGB in applied nucleation compared to plantation. LiDAR‐quantified LAI was more tightly correlated with total AGB in natural regeneration plots, whereas canopy height was more strongly correlated with planted biomass in plantation and applied nucleation. Our results highlight that tree planting accelerates AGB accumulation at degraded sites and illustrate that practitioners should select species with complementary life history strategies that enable carbon to be sequestered beyond the first decade. Given the tradeoff between planted tree biomass and naturally recruited biomass, spatially patterned methods that plant fewer trees may better balance restoration goals beyond carbon accumulation, leading to more structurally and biologically diverse reforested systems.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbial Decomposition of Lignin to Methane Reduces Net Blue Carbon Benefit Across China's Saltmarshes","authors":"Leilei Xiao, Chuancheng Fu, Isaac R. Santos, Carlos M. Duarte, Jian Liu, Lifeng Zhou, Meng Zhou, Run Dang, Jinkuo Lin, Kai Xiao, Yongming Luo, Guangxuan Han","doi":"10.1111/gcb.71059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.71059","url":null,"abstract":"CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> emissions from mangrove, saltmarsh, and seagrass ecosystems partially offset carbon sequestration, potentially diminishing the climate mitigation capacity of these blue carbon habitats. However, a mechanistic understanding of the processes governing CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> production potential across large spatial scales remains limited. By integrating incubation‐based measurements from 116 sites, we reveal significant ecosystem‐specific differences in CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> production potential, with saltmarshes emerging as CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> production hotspot relative to mangroves and seagrass meadows. Using an integrated analytical approach encompassing more than 30 environmental, biogeochemical, and microbial parameters, we demonstrate that CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> production potential converges on sediment organic carbon availability, particularly plant‐derived carbon, as a key regulatory axis. Additionally, metagenome‐assembled genomes (MAGs) recovered from saltmarshes show a functional bias toward lignin degradation, thereby fueling downstream CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> production via methylotrophic pathways. Lignin‐addition and stable carbon isotope experiments further provide supportive evidence that lignin decomposition enhances Chinese saltmarsh CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> production potential, revealing a pathway that may reduce net blue carbon benefit. Together, these findings underscore that saltmarsh plant‐derived lignin is less stable than conventionally assumed, as microbial processing redirects stored carbon toward CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> production, challenging current blue carbon accounting frameworks at a continental scale within China.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}