Applied Soil Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Crown-to-ground: Above- and below-ground links mediated by arboreal ants and host tree modify soil aggregation scaling, infiltration, and chemistry","authors":"Nicholas Medina ,&nbsp;Lauren Schmitt ,&nbsp;Ivette Perfecto ,&nbsp;John Vandermeer","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106828","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106828","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soils are increasingly recognized as complex systems, emphasizing the need to study properties such as long-tailed scaling laws and the role of indirect interactions among arboreal soil invertebrates. However, few studies consider the above-below-ground connections mediated by invertebrate activity. Given previous work showing that arboreal ants can affect ground foragers as well as alter foraging behavior on different host trees, it is plausible that ground ant exclusion mediated by persistent above-ground ant nesting could affect soil properties including structure and chemistry. This study analyzes soil aggregation, water infiltration, and macro-chemical data associated with longer-term arboreal ant nesting in tropical agroforest. Results show that, 1) ant nesting maintained scaling law exponents or fractal dimensions of soil aggregate size distributions, and was significantly associated with larger micro-aggregate diameters and log-normal variance in macro-aggregate size distributions, suggesting more consistent aggregation processes similar to host tree effects; 2) areas around trees with dominant ant nests had three-times faster water infiltration than areas around trees without dominant ant nests; and 3) changes in soil carbon and nitrogen stocks by one-quarter depending on host tree. These patterns are consistent with expected effects of ground ant suppression by a keystone arboreal ant, and are supported by previous studies reporting positive ground ant nest effects on soil chemistry and documenting ground ant foraging as a source of soil aggregate fragmentation. This study presents new ecological processes affecting ecosystem-scale functions, and underscores the need for research on indirect interaction cascades to advance fundamental understanding of whole-ecosystem processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 106828"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seasonal responses of soil bacteria, fungi and protists to nitrogen and phosphorus addition in a subtropical forest","authors":"Yanji Liu ,&nbsp;Hang-Wei Hu ,&nbsp;Yong Zheng ,&nbsp;Zi-Kai Liu ,&nbsp;Lige Zhang ,&nbsp;Ju-Pei Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106876","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106876","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Protists are ubiquitous in soils and play vital roles in biogeochemical cycling in forest ecosystems. While their sensitivity to nitrogen (N) addition is well-documented, the responses to phosphorus (P) enrichment remain less understood. In this study, we examined the seasonal (i.e., spring and autumn) variations in six-year simulated N and P addition, including control, N, P and NP treatments, on the diversity and community composition of soil bacteria, fungi and protists in a subtropical forest. Results showed a significant increase in the α-diversity of soil protists with N or P addition across both seasons, while bacterial and fungal α-diversity remained unchanged compared to the control. Principal coordinate analysis revealed significant differences in microbial community structure across treatments and seasons. Consumer protists dominated the community (90% of total abundance), with their relative abundance showing seasonally consistently positive responses to both N and P additions. Phylum Cercozoa dominated the protistan community in both seasons, with its relative abundance showing a seasonally stable increase in the N treatment compared to the control. The relative abundances of the classes Sarcomonadea and Imbricatea were significantly higher in the samples with N addition. Random forest and structural equation modelling analyses identified soil nutrients (i.e., NH₄⁺-N, available P, and total P) as significant drivers of protist community compositions in both seasons. These findings revealed seasonal sensitivity of soil protists to nutrient addition, indicating their divergent resource-use strategies and adaptive plasticity in response to environmental disturbance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 106876"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146185694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insights into the synergistic mechanism of petroleum-degrading bacterial consortium and Mirabilis jalapa L. combined remediation of crude oil-contaminated saline-alkali soil","authors":"Xinying Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuchen Wan ,&nbsp;Zongze Chen ,&nbsp;Beibei Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Liu ,&nbsp;Wenjing Yang ,&nbsp;Ying Hao ,&nbsp;Chuanhua Wang ,&nbsp;Ling Yuan ,&nbsp;Yongqi Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106879","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106879","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objective of this study was to investigate the synergistic mechanism of petroleum-degrading bacterial consortium and <em>Mirabilis jalapa</em> L. in the remediation of crude oil-contaminated saline-alkali soil. Key indicators, including TPHs degradation rate, plant biomass, soil salinity and EC, soil enzyme activity, microbial community structure and TPHs metabolism degradation functional genes were evaluated by comparing four different treatment groups (CK: control treatment; PR: phytoremediation treatment; MR: microbial remediation treatment; MPR: Microbial-phytoremediation treatment). The results showed that the MPR treatment achieved a 54.79% TPHs degradation rate, which was the highest among all treatment groups and exceeded that of the CK (7.83%). Combined remediation effectively reduced soil salinity from 4.83 g kg⁻¹ to 4.39 g kg⁻¹. In MPR treatment, the above-ground biomass and plant height of plants increased by 32.89% and 35.23%, respectively, while root biomass and root length increased by 10.7% and 19.8%, respectively. At the microbial level, combined remediation promoted the enrichment of specialized oil-degrading microorganisms (<em>Chloroflexi</em>, <em>Actinobacteria</em> and <em>Proteobacteria</em>) and optimized the microbial community structure. The system significantly enhanced soil enzyme activities. The FDA hydrolysis activity in MPR increased by 30.54% compared with that in CK, and the phosphatase activity in MPR was 93.04% higher than that in CK. Combined remediation not only optimized the community structure but specifically overcame the metabolic inhibition caused by salinity. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the rhizosphere of <em>M. jalapa</em> significantly upregulated key functional genes involved in both alkane (e.g., <em>ladA</em>, <em>xyl</em>) and aromatic hydrocarbon degradation (e.g., <em>bph</em>, <em>dmp</em>). The system enriched specific metabolic pathways (e.g., benzoate degradation [ko00362] and naphthalene degradation [ko00643]), indicating a plant-bacteria interaction-induced metabolic shift towards more efficient pollutant breakdown. These findings provide novel mechanistic insights into how <em>M. jalapa</em> recruits and activates specific functional groups to remediate crude oil in saline-alkali environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 106879"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146186019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insight into the long-term impact of fire in dry pine forests on biological soil crust and underlying soil","authors":"Kinga Szafrańska ,&nbsp;Karolina Chowaniec ,&nbsp;Hubert Dul ,&nbsp;Joanna Zalewska-Gałosz ,&nbsp;Kaja Skubała","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106837","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106837","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although the impact of wildfires on vegetation and soil properties is well documented, long-term effects on biocrusts and underlying soils in dry temperate pine forests remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine microbiological parameters of biocrusts and characteristics of two underlying soil layers in a post-fire area 12 years after the wildfire, relative to an unburned forest. The wildfire caused long-lasting effects on biocrusts, leading to altered species composition and reduced species richness of lichens and bryophytes. Biocrusts from the post-fire area had lower chlorophyll <em>a</em> and <em>a</em> <em>+</em> <em>b</em> levels, indicating slow recovery of photosynthetic biomass. Although microbial activity, as reflected by dehydrogenase activity, was lower in soil after the fire than in the control forest, elevated concentrations of exopolysaccharides (EPS) were found. This suggests reduced EPS degradation due to suppressed microbial activity and/or selective enrichment of EPS-producing microorganisms following fire. The increased content of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in the 1–5 cm soil layer indicates that wildfire can promote a long-lasting accumulation of C and N in the studied ecosystem. Soil pH was significantly higher in the post-fire area, while conductivity showed the opposite trend, but only for soil directly below biocrust. Despite reduced microbial activity and EPS production, post-fire biocrusts showed a stronger influence on underlying soils, as reflected by a significantly higher soil-to-biocrust microbial activity ratio. Finally, local site conditions strongly influenced soil microbiological and chemical parameters, highlighting the importance of accounting for environmental heterogeneity in post-fire management. Consequently, restoration practices should focus on enhancing biocrust functions to accelerate ecosystem recovery, while adapting approaches to site-specific conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 106837"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146186074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and bacterial communities across selective logging, low-flooded forest and conserved Mayan Forest","authors":"Carlos Alberto Puch-Hau ,&nbsp;Martin Hassan Polo-Marcial ,&nbsp;Bruno Tomio Goto ,&nbsp;Mercedes Amparo Quintanilla-Mena ,&nbsp;Mayra Alejandra Cañizares-Martínez ,&nbsp;Diana E. Adame-Castro ,&nbsp;Brisni Z. Pérez-Garfias ,&nbsp;Alfredo F. Yanez-Montalvo ,&nbsp;Silvia G. Granados-Puerto ,&nbsp;Edgar González-Godoy ,&nbsp;Magdalena Márquez-Santos ,&nbsp;Luis Alberto Lara-Pérez","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106880","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106880","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Promoting biological conservation requires expanding our understanding of species distributions, biodiversity, and their responses to anthropogenic impacts, including unexplored environments that could serve as biological refugia. In the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, forestry relies on selective logging practiced under sustainable communal management that is biologically interconnected with seasonally flooded forests. Despite being an important environment for specialized flora, fauna, and carbon storage, soil biodiversity remains insufficiently understood. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the diversity and community composition of bacterial and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) across contrasting environments within a vegetation gradient: selectively logged, (six years post-harvest), conserved, and seasonally flooded low-stature forests by integrating environmental DNA analyses (16S and 18S rRNA genes for bacteria and AMF, respectively) with morphological characterization of AMF glomerospores. AMF community composition (environmental DNA sequences) significantly differed between selective logging and low-flooded forests. Bacterial diversity was similar across sites, but richness was higher in the selective logging. Conserved forest had higher Actinobacteria abundance, while low-flooded forest had more Verrucomicrobia. Additionally, selective logging showed higher Chloroflexi diversity. Despite these differences, bacterial and glomerospores community structures were similar across sites. Redundancy analysis revealed no significant differences between soil chemistry and microbial community structure. Our findings suggest that selective logging maintains soil microbial diversity. Furthermore, seasonally flooded forests harbor distinct AMF assemblages, potentially including undescribed taxa, highlighting their value as unique reservoirs of belowground biodiversity. These microbial patterns may influence key soil functions, such as nutrient cycling and soil carbon dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 106880"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146185693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nitrogen addition and expansion of Ligularia virgaurea drive decoupling between ammonia and nitrite oxidation","authors":"Miao Zhang ,&nbsp;Anning Zhang ,&nbsp;Zi Yang ,&nbsp;Wanyu Xia ,&nbsp;Xuanchen Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaoxuan Jiang ,&nbsp;Xia Zhao ,&nbsp;Hanwen Cui ,&nbsp;Guoliang Sha ,&nbsp;Sa Xiao ,&nbsp;Shuyan Chen ,&nbsp;Beat Frey","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106831","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106831","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil nitrification is affected by anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition and vegetation changes, yet the consequences of their interaction for nitrification and the underlying microbial mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated how N addition, plant expansion (<em>Ligularia virgaurea</em>) and their interaction alter the two-step nitrification process through changes in the nitrifiers. We found that N addition increased potential ammonia oxidation (PAO) but not potential nitrite oxidation (PNO), indicating a decoupling of the nitrification processes. Moreover, <em>L. virgaurea</em> expansion amplified this decoupling by mitigating N-addition effect on PAO while leading to a positive N-addition effect on PNO. Most importantly, we discovered that the richness and identity (i.e., community composition) of nitrifiers played a critical role in driving nitrification. These two consecutive processes are governed by different factors: the number of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) taxa (richness difference) drove changes in PAO, while the members of AOB (replacement) drove changes in PNO. Moreover, co-occurrence network analysis further confirmed that nitrite oxidation was controlled by the identity of specific AOB keystone taxa (<em>Nitrosomonadaceae_MND1</em>), and revealed that <em>L. virgaurea</em> buffered the N-induced simplification of nitrifier networks. Our study highlights the intensification of the decoupling of the nitrification processes with the interplay of multiple drivers, which can be attributed to differential dependencies on shifts of nitrifying communities. This insight is critical for predicting the nitrogen cycle under ongoing environmental change, meaning that preserving both microbial diversity and keystone taxa may be essential for maintaining nitrification functionality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 106831"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146185692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"End-point distribution of petroleum hydrocarbon-carbon in soil carbon pools during biodegradation is worthy of attention","authors":"Xiumin Li","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106836","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106836","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>For decades, research on the bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soil has primarily emphasized efficient decontamination strategies, focusing predominantly on the quantitative reduction of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). The conventional view often presupposes that petroleum hydrocarbon-carbon (PHs-C) is almost entirely mineralized to CO₂, overlooking its end-point distribution within soil carbon pools. In petroleum-contaminated environments, substantial microbial populations utilizing hydrocarbons as a carbon source proliferate. Through the regulatory action of the “microbial carbon pump” (MCP), these microbes assimilate PHs-C into microbial biomass carbon (MBC). Microorganisms utilize metabolic activities to decompose PHs-C into small molecules, which can be combined with soil minerals to form mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC). Following the death of microorganisms, their residues and secretions characterized by specific chemical structures and resistance interact with soil minerals to form MAOC. Unlike MAOC, particulate organic carbon (POC) is mainly derived from plant residues, microbial aggregates, and decomposition byproducts, and it is more readily utilized by microorganisms. Quantifying the contribution of PHs-C to soil carbon pools enables a deeper understanding of these carbon transformations. This understanding based on the elimination of negative environmental effects is of great significance for establishing a predictive model of carbon cycle in anthropogenically impacted soils, optimizing bioremediation protocols to enhance carbon sequestration, and integrating remediated lands into broader carbon budgeting frameworks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 106836"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146185856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nitrifier denitrification contributes substantially to nitrous oxide production in calcareous farmland soils","authors":"Na Gao ,&nbsp;Zifan Wang ,&nbsp;Hongguang Pang ,&nbsp;Lei Li ,&nbsp;Yue Zhang ,&nbsp;Dawei Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106867","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106867","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intensively managed agricultural soils are a major source of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, yet the N₂O production pathways in calcareous soils remain unclear. Using sterilization assays, ¹⁵N<img>¹⁸O tracing, and qPCR analysis, we quantified the contributions of abiotic and microbial processes to N₂O production in calcareous farmland soils under long-term plastic film mulching and varying nitrogen (N) fertilization regimes. The results showed that abiotic contributions to N₂O production were negligible (&lt;4%), but these contributions were higher in the no-N control than in the N-fertilized soils. Among microbial pathways, nitrifier denitrification (ND) dominated total N₂O production (13.9–93.2%), followed by nitrifier nitrification (NN) and nitrification-coupled denitrification (NCD), with heterotrophic denitrification (HD) being minor (&lt;13.5%). Long-term film mulching significantly reduced N₂O productions, accompanied by decreased potential nitrification rate (PNR), denitrification enzyme activity (DEA), and functional gene abundances (AOB <em>amoA</em>, <em>nirK</em>, and (<em>nirK</em> + <em>nirS</em>)/<em>nosZ</em> ratio), but maintained the dominant N₂O production pathways.Under film mulching, N fertilization significantly increased the contributions of ND and NCD while reducing those of NN and HD relative to the no N control, though no significant differences were observed among the N-fertilization regimes (moderate N rate-F₂₂₅, high N rate-F₃₈₀, moderate N plus manure-F_225+M). N₂O fluxes strongly correlated (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01) with NN, ND, NCD, soil TN, SOC, DON, NO₃⁻, and microbial parameters (AOB <em>amoA</em>, <em>nosZ</em>, PNR, DEA). These findings indicate the predominance of ND in the studied calcareous farmland soils and reveal how agricultural practices regulate N₂O production at both process and molecular levels, providing insights for targeted mitigation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 106867"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146186040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Arbuscular mycorrhizal field colonization and nursery responsiveness of the Canary endemic Artemisia thuscula along contrasting volcanic island soils","authors":"Marta Selma Garzón-Molina,&nbsp;María C. Jaizme-Vega,&nbsp;Mónica González-González","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106832","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106832","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can enhance establishment of native shrubs on young volcanic soils, but their functioning is strongly context dependent. Here we provide the first integrated field-nursery assessment (to our knowledge) of how volcanic island soils act as edaphic filters for AM expression in endemic Canarian <em>Artemisia</em>, explicitly contrasting mycorrhizal field colonization with early mycorrhizal responsiveness under standardized conditions. We combined field surveys and a nursery inoculation experiment to assess how volcanic soils filter AM colonization and mycorrhizal responsiveness in three Canary Island <em>Artemisia</em> taxa: the endemics <em>A. thuscula</em> and <em>A. ramosa</em>, and the native <em>A. reptans.</em> Field sampling at four sites on Tenerife spanned strong gradients in soil texture, salinity and soil organic carbon, and we quantified AM colonization, soil properties and leaf nutrients. In parallel, <em>A. thuscula</em> seedlings were grown in volcanic substrate with or without <em>Funneliformis mosseae</em>. Field AM colonization ranged from very low in <em>A. thuscula</em> on finer, more acidic northern soils and in coastal <em>A. ramosa</em> to intermediate in <em>A. reptans</em> and highest in <em>A. thuscula</em> on coarse, moderately saline southern soils, with foliar composition mirroring these gradients (higher K and P in southern <em>A. thuscula</em>, higher Na and Mg in coastal taxa). In the nursery, a single AM inoculation at sowing almost doubled <em>A. thuscula</em> seedling biomass (+93% total dry mass), increased height and stem diameter, and enhanced foliar K, Na and Zn under otherwise similar substrate conditions. These results show that volcanic soils act as edaphic filters for AM symbiosis in insular <em>Artemisia</em>, and that <em>A. thuscula</em> exhibits high mycorrhizal responsiveness when symbiosis is expressed, suggesting that integrating soil filters and AM inoculation into site selection and nursery protocols may improve restoration of endemic shrubs on young volcanic landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 106832"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146076981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nondecomposer-mediated nutrient transfer in soils: experimental evidence from Drosophila","authors":"Yunchao Luo ,&nbsp;Run Liu ,&nbsp;Tingting Cao ,&nbsp;Jiayue Zhang ,&nbsp;Mengna Zhao ,&nbsp;Ke Li ,&nbsp;Zunian Ran ,&nbsp;Lin Wang ,&nbsp;Xingjun Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106830","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106830","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Animal movement behaviour involves material cycles and energy flows among ecosystems and is fundamental to ecosystem function and species survival. However, apart from material redistribution, such as seed dispersal and excreting faeces, the mechanisms by which animal movements as an energy source affect soil ecosystems remain unclear. In this study, <em>Drosophila</em> was used as a model to simulate the effects of movement during the life cycle of arthropods on the transfer of matter and energy through microcosm experiments. The results showed that <em>Drosophila</em> intentionally select egg-laying sites and remove organic N in situ when they emerge and leave the incubation site. <em>Drosophila</em> leaving the experimental system after emergence significantly reduced the total soil N and NAG enzyme activity in the litter decomposition experiment. A reduced soil nitrogen content affects microbial community structures, decelerating the rate of litter decomposition. However, <em>Drosophila</em> emerged adults that were killed by freezing significantly increased the BG enzyme activity and NAG hotspot areas. The results revealed that small-scale nutrient transfers, i.e., energy movement from nondecomposers, strongly influence soil carbon cycling. Given that nondecomposers occupy a large proportion of ecosystems, further study of this ecological function based on the movement behaviour of animals is crucial.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 106830"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}