Science of the Total Environment最新文献

{"title":"Development and in-vitro assessment of novel oxygen-releasing feed additives to reduce enteric ruminant methane emissions.","authors":"Alison Graham, Camilla Thorn, Michael McDonagh, Caroline O'Donnell, Stephen Nolan, Stuart F Kirwan, Sandra O'Connor, Corine O Nzeteu, Alejandra C V Montoya, Andrew Bartle, Alison Hall, Cathy Abberton, Ruairi Friel, Sinead M Waters, Vincent O'Flaherty","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177598","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177598","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ruminant livestock contribute significantly to global methane production and mitigation of which is of utmost importance. Feed additives represent a cost-effective means of achieving this. A potential target for such additives is rumen Oxidative Reduction Potential (ORP), a parameter which influences CH₄ production rates, with methanogenesis occurring optimally at ORPs below -300 mV. Thus, a controlled elevation of rumen ORP represents a potentially benign means of methanogen suppression. This research involved assessing a range of oxygen-releasing compounds for their ability to increase rumen ORP and inhibit methanogenesis, using the in-vitro rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC). Seven potential CH₄ inhibitors were tested in a 21-day trial monitoring biogas volume, CH₄ content, ORP, digestibility, ammonia, and volatile fatty acids concentration. The additives evaluated included: liquid peroxide (H₂O₂) and urea hydrogen peroxide (UHP), as well as slower reacting species (calcium and magnesium peroxide), in addition to encapsulated liquid H₂O₂ for controlled, slow release. Consistent CH₄ reductions of >50 % were observed from all additives. Reduced neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility and a reduction in total volatile fatty acids (VFAs) was observed for some treatments, but MgO₂ and encapsulated H₂O₂ reduced CH₄ volume by 62 % and 58 %, respectively, and had no detrimental effects on digestibility (p > 0.05) or on VFA production. Ex-situ ORP measurements demonstrated significant increases in ORP upon addition of the additives, with MgO₂ and encapsulated H₂O₂ inducing a more moderate effect suggesting a controlled additive release was achieved with the slow-release format of encapsulated liquid H₂O₂. Thus, potential slow-release forms deemed suitable to progress to bolus or pellet format in-vivo were identified and could enable a longer-lasting suppression of methanogens within the rumen, facilitating application in both intensive and pasture-based production systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":" ","pages":"177598"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142685597","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":"Recruitment of specific rhizosphere microorganisms in saline-alkali tolerant rice improves adaptation to saline-alkali stress.","authors":"Jintian Lei, Haidong Gu, Zhuxiu Liu, Xiaojing Hu, Zhenhua Yu, Qingjie Guan, Jian Jin, Xiaobing Liu, Guanghua Wang, Junjie Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178413","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Increasing annual soil salinization poses a major threat to global ecological security. Soil microorganisms play an important role in improving plant adaptability to stress tolerance, however, the mechanism of saline-alkali tolerance to plants associated with rhizosphere microbiome is unclear. We investigated the composition and structure of the rhizospheric bacteria and fungi communities of the saline-alkali tolerant (Oryza sativa var. Changbai-9) and sensitive (Oryza sativa var. Kitaake) rice grown in saline-alkali and non-saline-alkali soils. The results demonstrated that the saline-alkali tolerant rice enriched the rhizosphere bacteria taxa, including Hydrogenophaga, Pseudomonas, and Aeromonas, and fungi taxa, such as Chaetomium, Cladosporium and Tausonia, which may facilitate rice growth and enhance rice saline-alkali tolerance. Saline-alkali tolerant rice reduced the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio and improved rice yield by enhancing the stability of co-occurrence network associated with recruiting bacterial and fungal keystone species. The rhizosphere bacteria of the saline-alkali tolerant rice exhibited a markedly elevated expression of functions related to the saline-alkali tolerance, including the ABC transporter and the two-component system, compared to sensitive rice under saline-alkali stress. Overall, the saline-alkali tolerant rice responds to saline-alkali stress by recruiting keystone rhizosphere microorganisms to enhance rice saline-alkali tolerance. This study provides a theoretical basis for using specific microorganisms to improve plant tolerance in saline-alkali soils.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"963 ","pages":"178413"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142998062","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":"Quantitative analysis of the polar cod (Boreogadus saida) hepatic proteome highlights interconnected responses in cellular adaptation and defence mechanisms after dietary benzo[a]pyrene exposure.","authors":"O A Karlsen, J D Rasinger, M Brattås, K E Tollefsen, A Goksøyr, J Nahrgang","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178510","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178510","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Increased industrial offshore activities in northern waters raise the question of impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on key Arctic marine species. One of these is the ecologically important polar cod (Boreogadus saida), which is the primary food source for Arctic marine mammals and seabirds. In the present work, we have conducted the first comprehensive proteomics study with this species by exploring the effects of dietary PAH exposure on the hepatic proteome, using benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) as a PAH model-compound. Functional annotation and pathway analyses of the proteins affected by BaP revealed a concerted cellular response for handling and adopting to its exposure, involving numerous interconnected signalling pathways and metabolic processes. In accordance with BaP being a strong aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) agonist, a prominent activation of the canonical Ahr signalling pathway was observed, including upregulation of Ahr target proteins like cytochrome P450 enzymes and microsomal glutathione transferase. Furthermore, cellular pathways for handling oxidative stress, protein misfolding and degradation, as well as endoplasmic reticulum stress and calcium homeostasis, were also activated by BaP, possibly as a result of the formation of harmful and redox reactive BaP metabolites via phase I metabolism. Activation of proteins that participate in the acute-phase response was also observed, suggesting prevalent tissue- and cellular damage that triggers the immune system and inflammatory responses. Our results at the protein level aligns well with previous analyses on the effects of BaP on the polar cod liver transcriptome and support that exposure to BaP and structural similar PAHs can cause adverse effects on polar cod physiology. Although more data is required for demonstrating how these molecular responses propagate to higher levels of biological organisation, increased knowledge about the initial cellular and molecular mechanisms that induce toxicity is a key-step towards a mechanistically informed impact assessment of PAH pollutants in the Arctic.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"963 ","pages":"178510"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142998097","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":"Phenyl salicylate induces neurotoxicity and early Alzheimer's disease-like symptoms through ndrg1-regulated myelin damage, increasing bace1 in zebrafish.","authors":"Siyu Liu, Xinjia Li, Shouqing Jiao, Yuanteng Zheng, Lijie Xia, Yanier Nuñez Figueredo, Kechun Liu, Meng Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178664","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178664","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Phenyl salicylate, an important industrial raw material, is widely used in plastics, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. However, little is known about its neurotoxicity on wildlife. Here, we exposed zebrafish embryos at 4 hours post-fertilization (hpf) to 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/L of phenyl salicylate up to 144 hpf and found its developmental- and neuro-toxicity. Specifically, a dose-dependent increase in mortality and malformation in zebrafish were revealed. Phenyl salicylate also adversely affected the development of monoaminergic neurons, cerebral blood vessels, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB), as well as induced cerebral hemorrhages and locomotion change. RNA-sequencing results combined with verification data showed that phenyl salicylate downregulated the expression of the N-myc downstream regulated gene-1 (ndrg1), caused myelin damage in zebrafish, and then increased expression of beta-secretase 1 (bace1), which ultimately led to early Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like symptoms, including BBB leakage, bleeding in the brain, and upregulation of the glial fibrillary acidic protein gene (gfap) and cholinergic system-related gene (chrna7a). In conclusion, phenyl salicylate exposure triggered developmental toxicity and neurotoxicity in zebrafish, which has a potential risk for the development of AD. Given the effects of phenyl salicylate exposure to ecosystem, the safety usage limit should be treated with caution.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"965 ","pages":"178664"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143078389","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":"Nonlinear influences of climatic, vegetative, geographic and soil factors on soil water use efficiency of global karst landscapes: Insights from explainable machine learning.","authors":"Chao Li, Shiqiang Zhang, Yongjian Ding, Siyu Ma, Hanying Gong","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178672","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178672","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soil Water Use Efficiency (SWUE) represents a vital metric for assessing the relationship between carbon acquisition and soil moisture (SM) depletion in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the elucidation of time-lagged and cumulative effects, nonlinear influences, and indirect contributions of explanatory variables, including climate and vegetation characteristics, on SWUE in global karst landscapes remains limited. In this study, we analyzed the time-lagged and cumulative effects of climatic and biological factors on SWUE in global karst landscapes using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model. By comparing nine machine learning models, we further revealed the nonlinear effects, as well as the direct and indirect contributions of climatic, geographic, soil, and biological explanatory variables on SWUE across varying aridity, using the Random Forest Model, SHapley Additive exPlanations, Generalized Additive Model, and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings suggested that precipitation and wind speed exert the most substantial time-lagged and cumulative impacts on SWUE in global karst landscapes, respectively. The Random Forest model outperforms eight other machine learning models, including CatBoost, LightGBM, and XGBoost, in accurately simulating SWUE. In global karst landscapes, SWUE was significantly affected by the positive contributions of evapotranspiration, leaf area index, and temperature, as well as the negative impacts of latitude and longitude. These influences exhibited varying degrees of nonlinearity across the aridity gradient. Using PLS-SEM based on the 'geo-climatic-soil-biological' cascade effect, it was found that gross primary production directly and significantly influences karst SWUE under both drought-prone and water-abundant conditions, significantly exceeding the impact of SM. Geographic, climatic, and biological factors indirectly influenced karst SWUE by affecting gross primary production. The impact of soil type, soil carbon and nitrogen content, and rootable depth on SWUE was minimal. This study enhances our understanding of carbon sinks and the water‑carbon cycle, providing valuable insights into resource use efficiency within karst environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"965 ","pages":"178672"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143073233","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":"Identification of pollutant markers in rural mountainous areas of China by combining non-targeted analysis with zebrafish embryo toxicity tests.","authors":"Jiaqi Li, Min Zhou, Zhongli Chen, Jinsong Guo, Fang Fang, Andreas Schäffer, Ying Shao","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178625","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178625","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Emerging pollutants (EPs) are increasingly found around the world, yet their composition and the risks pose to soil environments remain unclear, making a challenge to EP management, particularly in mountainous rural areas. In this study, we collected soils from three types of mountainous villages, each representing different levels of economic development: an industrial village, an ecotourism village, and an agricultural village. We analyzed these samples using non-target analysis and Danio rerio embryotoxicity test (ZET). A total of 216 compounds (level 2) were identified by matching with mzCloud database, with 149, 107, and 157 found in YY (industrial village), DX (ecotourism village) and LH (agricultural village), respectively. Interestingly, 78 compounds were present in all three villages, while the number of unique substances ranged from 7 to 47 in each village, serving as potential pollution markers. The most prevalent substances identified were aliphatics, heterocyclics, and aromatics. The ZET results showed that all soil extracts had significant acute toxic effects. Further analysis revealed a correlation between the toxic substances and the economic types of the villages. Specifically, linear chain dicarboxylic acids, drugs, and oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs) were the primary toxicants in the industrial village, whereas phthalate esters dominated in the other two villages. These findings provide valuable insights for effective monitoring of EPs in mountainous rural areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"965 ","pages":"178625"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143073248","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 drivers of biogeochemical cycles in deep sediments of the Kathiawar Peninsula Gulfs of India.","authors":"Chandrashekar Mootapally, Parth Sharma, Siddhant Dash, Manish Kumar, Shiksha Sharma, Ramesh Kothari, Neelam Nathani","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178609","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178609","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Deep marine sediments are rich in microbial diversity, which holds metabolic repertoire to modulate biogeochemical cycles on a global scale. We undertook the environmental microbiome inhabiting the Gulf of Kathiawar Peninsula as a model system to understand the potential involvement of the deep marine sediment microbial community and as a cohort in the carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur biogeochemical cycles. These gulfs are characterized by dynamic tidal variations, diverse sediment textures, and nutrient-rich waters, driven by coastal processes and the interaction between natural coastal dynamics and anthropogenic inputs that shape its microbial community diversity. Our findings suggest that carbon fixation was carried out by Gamma-proteobacteria with CBB cycle-related genes or by microbial participants with Wood-Ljungdahl pathway-related genes. Microbial communities involved in nitrogen metabolism were observed to be rich and diverse, and most microbial communities potentially contribute to the nitrogen cycle via processing nitrogen oxides. Bacteria belonging to the KSB1 phylum were also found to fix nitrogen. The sulfur cycle was spread throughout, with Verrucomicrobiota phylum being a major contributor. The varying napAB genes, significantly lower in the Gulf of Kutch compared to the Gulf of Cambay and the Arabian Sea, mediated nitrate reduction. Dynamics between these pathways were mutually exclusive, and organic carbon oxidation was widespread across the microbial community. Finally, the proteobacteria phylum was highly versatile and conceivably contributed to biogeochemical flux with exceptionally high abundance and the ability to form metabolic networks to survive. The work highlights the importance of critical zones and microbial diversity therein, which needs further exploration.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"965 ","pages":"178609"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143073224","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":"Response of soil organic carbon stocks and soil microbial biomass carbon to natural grassland conversion: A global meta-analysis.","authors":"Yijun Cai, Yuwen Yang, Jinlin Jiang, Tao Long, Xueyuan Gu, Yang Guo, Ming Li, Yufeng Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178481","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178481","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Natural grasslands worldwide are increasingly being converted into other land-use types, such as cropland and forest, thereby impacting soil carbon cycles and stocks. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is essential for regulating soil properties and microbial communities, while microbial biomass carbon (MBC) is the most active fraction of the SOC pool, both of which play pivotal roles in the global carbon cycle. Here, we performed a meta-analysis on 623 and 85 individual observations from 85 peer-reviewed articles to quantitatively evaluate the effect of grassland conversion on SOCS and MBC. Overall, conversions significantly reduced SOCS and MBC by 10.11 % and 30.63 %, respectively. Notably, the impact varied by conversion type: converting grassland to forest, cropland, and plantation reduced SOCS by 7.69 %, 16.47 %, and 20.55 %, respectively. Meanwhile, converting grassland to cropland and abandoned land decreased MBC by 47.80 % and 38.74 %, respectively. Environmental factors such as mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP), soil total nitrogen (TN), and soil carbon-to‑nitrogen ratio (C/N) influenced these changes. SOCS and MBC were positively correlated with MAT, soil C/N and TN. Specifically, when the C/N or TN of the converted soil exceeded 1.21 or 1.11 times that of the original grassland, SOCS would exhibit a trend of carbon sequestration. Our findings provide valuable insights for global soil carbon sequestration and land use management policies.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"965 ","pages":"178481"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143073235","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":"Facilitated transport of cadmium by biochar colloids aged with ultraviolet-irradiation in saturated paddy soils.","authors":"Ming Chen, Lei He, Dengjun Wang, Limei Xie, Yue Zhang, Nan Xu, Jing Jiang, Bowen Li","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178693","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178693","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Little is known about the transport of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd(II)) with aged biochar colloids in natural soils. Herein, we investigated the cotransport behaviors of Cd(II) with ultraviolet-irradiation aged biochar colloids pyrolyzed at 400 °C (ABC400) and 700 °C (ABC700) in saturated paddy soils. Pristine biochar colloids were included for comparison. Our results showed that Cd(II) transport was significantly facilitated by pristine and aged biochar colloids in saturated paddy soils, compared to the negligible breakthrough of Cd(II) without biochar colloids. This is likely because biochar colloids acted as vehicles carrying adsorbed Cd(II) during cotransport. Compared with pristine biochar colloids, the aged biochar colloids (especially ABC400) exhibited a greater enhancement effect, with 1.4-3.7 times Cd(II) transport in soils, likely due to stronger sorption affinity and higher mobility of aged biochar colloids towards Cd(II). Synergistic transport of aged biochar colloids with Cd(II) was relatively lower in the red soil than that in the huangni soil, probably related to the higher content of iron oxides, larger specific surface area, and lower content of soil organic matter in the red soil. A two-site kinetic retention model was employed to successfully simulate the cotransport of aged biochar colloids with Cd(II) in paddy soils. Our findings illustrate that light irradiation could accelerate the mobility of biochar colloids, as well as their synergistic carrier of Cd(II). This could trigger the potential cotransport risks when biochar is applied for field remediation of Cd-contaminated soils over a long period of time.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"965 ","pages":"178693"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143073245","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":"Impact of silicon nitride nanoparticles on soil organic carbon dynamics in subtropical evergreen forest ecosystems of China: An incubation study.","authors":"Fasih Ullah Haider, Ahmad Latif Virk, Shuyidan Zhou, Noor Ul Ain, Luis Carlos Ramos Aguila, Kadambot H M Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Yuelin Li","doi":"10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178682","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178682","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ensuring the stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) is vital for effective long-term carbon storage in forest ecosystems. While nanoparticles (NPs) have shown the potential to enhance SOC stability and reduce cumulative carbon mineralization rates (CCMR) in agricultural soils, their effects on forest soils remain largely unexplored. This study addresses this gap through an incubation experiment that evaluated the impact of silicon nitride nanoparticles (Si₃N₄-NPs) at varying concentrations [control, 0 mg kg^-1 (NP₀); 50 mg kg^-1 (NP₁); 100 mg kg^-1 (NP₂)] on SOC stability, CCMR, enzymatic activities, and microbial diversity across three forest ecosystems in the Dinghushan region of Guangdong, China: coniferous forest (CF), mixed conifer-broadleaf forest (MCBF), and monsoon evergreen broadleaf forest (MEF). The results revealed that Si₃N₄-NP application at the NP₂ concentration significantly reduced CCMR by 40.82 % compared to the control (NP₀). Moreover, NP₂ substantially decreased the activities of key soil enzymes: β-glucosidase by 13.81 %, N-acetylglucosaminidase by 32.62 %, cellobiohydrolase by 59.12 %, and phenol oxidase by 26.40 %, relative to NP₀. The NP₂ treatment also enhanced total SOC retention by 24.62 % compared to NP₀. Within SOC fractions, NP₂ significantly impacted the less labile (C3) and non-labile (C4) fractions, which increased by 46.83 % and 57.84 %, respectively, compared to NP₀. Meanwhile, the very labile C (C1) and labile C (C2) fractions showed non-significant changes. Furthermore, the Si₃N₄-NP applications induced distinct shifts in bacterial (Actinobacteriota) and fungal (Ascomycota) microbiomes, which correlated significantly with CCMR and total SOC. These findings indicate that Si₃N₄-NPs improve SOC stability and reduce mineralization in forest soils. However, field-scale validation is essential to assess the long-term impacts of Si₃N₄-NPs on microbial communities and overall ecosystem functioning. This study highlights the significance of NP concentration and forest type in developing effective strategies for SOC management to mitigate climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":422,"journal":{"name":"Science of the Total Environment","volume":"965 ","pages":"178682"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143073251","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}