Applied Soil Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Sequential biostimulation and bioaugmentation treatments of a diesel-contaminated soil: effect on hydrocarbon degradation and soil bacterial communities","authors":"Pietro Greco Lucchina ,&nbsp;Valentina Catania ,&nbsp;Daniele Di Trapani ,&nbsp;Elisa Maria Petta ,&nbsp;Laura Sciré Calabrisotto ,&nbsp;Giovanni Vinti ,&nbsp;Paola Quatrini ,&nbsp;Gaspare Viviani","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106802","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106802","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bioremediation is considered a safe, economical and environmentally friendly approach for the treatment of contaminated soils. In this study, two aerobic biostimulation processes, landfarming (LF) and bioventing (BV), associated with nutrient addition (N) and followed by bioaugmentation (BA), were compared to assess the remediation of a contaminated soil. The experimental study was conducted over a 180-day period, with 120 days of biostimulation followed by 60 days of bioaugmentation, with a selected consortium of hydrocarbon (HC) degrading Actinobacteria, for 60 days. Microbiological analyses were carried out to characterize the diversity and composition of the microbial communities by cultivation on HC, and by 16S rDNA Illumina-MiSeq sequencing. Total petroleum HC (TPH), measured by Gas-Chromatography FID, was progressively reduced up to 40.8% in the LF_NBA microcosm, after 180 days of landfarming and nutrient biostimulation followed by bioaugmentation. The quality of the treated soil was assessed by a phytotoxicity test that confirmed a progressive reduction of phytotoxicity. The contaminated soil was dominated by Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Alphaproteobacteria. HC degrading bacteria were isolated and identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. After 180 days of treatment, an increase of Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Bacilli in BV microcosms was observed, while TM7–3 and Gammaproteobacteria phyla increased in LF treatment. More than 40% of the bacteria detected in LF and BV microcosms were affiliated to HC degrading genera. Molecular investigations confirmed the presence of the alkane monooxygenase encoding gene, <em>alkB</em> for alkane biodegradation. The achieved results showed the feasibility of biostimulation coupled with bioaugmentation for the removal of hydrocarbons in contaminated soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106802"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973999","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":"Maize straw-driven phosphorus mobilization in two alkaline soils: Microbial community shifts and agronomic implications","authors":"Aminu Darma ,&nbsp;Yang Jianjun ,&nbsp;Liu Jin ,&nbsp;Sun Meili ,&nbsp;Chen Jiaqi ,&nbsp;Elke Bloem ,&nbsp;Chen Tianwen","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106780","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106780","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Straw incorporation enhances soil fertility; however, a clear gap remains regarding how varying rates of maize straw incorporation simultaneously influence P mobilization and the dynamics of P-solubilizing bacterial communities in alkaline soils. Therefore, a pot trial was conducted to examine the impacts of 1 % and 2 % maize straw (MS) application on soil P availability, bacterial community composition, and uptake by wheat crops in an irrigation (XA) and industrial (XI) alkaline polluted soils. The study findings demonstrated that incorporating 2 % MS considerably (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) increased soil P availability in both soil types, rising from 21.91 to 22.91 mg kg⁻¹ in XIM-2 % and from 25.15 to 34.73 mg kg⁻¹ in XAM-2 %. The 2 % MS application promoted the proliferation of key P-solubilizing bacterial groups, specifically <em>Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Arthrobacter</em> and <em>Bacillus</em> in both soils, indicating strong microbial shifts associated with MS decomposition. These shifts in bacterial consortium were associated with increased production of dissolved organic carbon and pH fluctuations, facilitating P solubilization. This, therefore, enhanced grain P uptake in XIM-2 % (169.42 mg kg⁻¹) and XAM-2 % (338.82 mg kg⁻¹), suggesting that 2 % MS application can effectively promote bacterial functions to improve P transformation and its uptake by wheat grains. These chemical and bacterial improvements produced clear agronomic gains, with the 2 MS% amendments enhancing wheat yield components compared with the control. The ranking of different MS application rates using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method (XIM-2 % = 1.00; XAM-2 % = 1.00) reinforced that 2 % MS is the optimal application rate for augmenting the bioavailability of P in these soil systems. These offer an important perspective for the emergence of viable residue management practices to optimize P availability and enhance soil fertility in alkaline agricultural systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106780"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974063","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":"Microplastics disrupt the nitrogen-fixing bacterial community with consequences for plant growth","authors":"Tingting Zhao ,&nbsp;Yudi M. Lozano ,&nbsp;Guanlin Li ,&nbsp;Daniel R. Lammel ,&nbsp;John F. Quensen ,&nbsp;Matthias C. Rillig","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106772","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106772","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastic pollution is a global environmental concern in terrestrial ecosystems, yet less is known about microplastic effects on nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities and rhizobia nodulation, the interactions between bacterial communities, nodulation, and soil properties, and how these effects influence plant growth. To address this gap, we conducted a greenhouse experiment using red clover (<em>Trifolium pratense</em> L.) as a phytometer grown in soils amended with microplastic fibres (polyamide, polyester, and polypropylene; 0.4 % <em>w</em>/w). At harvest, we assessed soil physicochemical properties, total and nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities, nodulation, root traits, and plant growth. Our results show that the effects of microplastics ranged from positive to negative on these parameters, as a function of polymer type. For example, polyamide and polypropylene impacted positively soil carbon (10.38 % and 11.48 %, respectively) but negatively specific root length (51.73 % and 58.63 %, respectively), whereas polyester negatively affected both soil aggregation (17.93 %) and nodule number (71.11 %). Relative importance analysis revealed that soil nitrogen, root and nodule mass, and the abundance of <em>Azospirillum</em> and <em>Pelobacter</em> were the strongest predictors of shoot growth. Microplastics further modified the direction and strength of correlations among root, soil, and microbial variables, for instance, most necessarily converting the weak association between shoot mass and <em>Azospirillum</em> abundance into a strong positive relationship. These findings reveal that microplastics restructure plant–soil–microbe interactions by altering nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities and nodulation, emphasizing the complex, context-dependent interactions within the plant–soil–microbe system and highlighting the importance of considering microplastic polymer-specific effects when assessing their ecological impact.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106772"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974139","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":"DNDC-RF framework based regional soil organic carbon modeling and carbon sequestration potential prediction under climate and farm management scenarios","authors":"Yue Zhang ,&nbsp;Zenghui Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106754","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106754","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Context&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Accurate farmland soil organic carbon (SOC) modeling in space and time, and the prediction of its future carbon sequestration potential, can help improve soil quality, increase grain yield, and plan farm management strategies in response to climate changes.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Research question&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Process-based models simulate soil carbon at the site scale, while the widely applied machine learning (ML) based digital soil mapping (DSM) techniques cannot incorporate the carbon cycle process on the land surface. Therefore, reliable monitoring of spatio-temporal SOC storage in agricultural soils remains constrained.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;In this study, we collected 249 paired SOC observations under different farm managements from 35 published articles conducted in the Central Jilin Province of China during 1980–2004, to evaluate SOC simulation results from the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model. Furthermore, a total of 1947 farmland SOC data (0–20 cm) was collected in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2024. Twenty-one environmental variables including topography, climate, soil, parent material, vegetation, and farm management, were selected as the covariates for the random forest (RF) model. Then, the DNDC-RF framework was established by integrating the annual DNDC outputs (e.g., SOC and CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) into the RF model, extending the site-scale simulations to the spatio-temporal dynamics of farmland SOC over the period of 2005–2024. Based on the DNDC-RF results, SOC sequestration potential was predicted under two future climate scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) and diverse farm managements, spanning the period from 2025 to 2100. Four management categories were designed for these future SOC predictions, including tillage [no tillage (NT), reduced tillage (RT), and deep tillage (DT)], straw return (SR), manure fertilization (MF), and chemical fertilization (CF).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results and conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The DNDC-RF framework exhibited good prediction accuracies in the spatio-temporal SOC prediction, with relatively high R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; values (0.78, 0.75, 0.80, 0.85, and 0.79) and low root-mean-square error (RMSE) (1.15, 1.21, 1.09, 0.99, and 1.09 g kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;) for the validation dataset in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2024, respectively. Under different managements, MF and its related practices showed the highest increasing rates of SOC under future climate scenarios from 2025 to 2100. The highest increasing rate was observed under MF + CF + SR, with 1386–4999, 640–2099, and 494–1622 kg C ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; yr&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; for short-term (&lt;3 y), mid-term (3–10 y), and long-term (&gt;10 y) periods, respectively.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Significance&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Our hybrid framework improved the spatio-temporal soil carbon mapping approach in terms of physical mechanism and spatial extension. These findings highlighted the importance of selecting optimal management strategies to enhance soil carbon ","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106754"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923267","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":"Impact of cover cropping on root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) and nematode communities in Narcissus fields","authors":"Vongai Chekanai ,&nbsp;Roy Neilson ,&nbsp;David Roberts ,&nbsp;Simon G. Edwards ,&nbsp;Matthew A. Back","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106779","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cover crops offer numerous benefits to the soil, including pest, pathogen suppression and enhanced fertility. Focussing on fields used for <em>Narcissus</em> production as a model, the potential of different cover crop treatments to suppress plant-parasitic nematodes while safeguarding beneficial nematode communities was evaluated. The root lesion nematode species, <em>Pratylenchus penetrans</em>, is known to significantly reduce <em>Narcissus</em> yields, a challenge further exacerbated by limited chemical control options and restricted land availability to deploy effective crop rotation. French marigold, oilseed radish, <em>Phacelia</em>, Japanese oats, alfalfa, and forage chicory were evaluated in two experiments under greenhouse conditions to assess their suitability as hosts for <em>P. penetrans</em> based on the nematode reproduction factor (Rf). <em>Phacelia</em> and Japanese oat were rated as maintenance hosts (1 &lt; Rf &lt; 2) while the remaining cover crops were identified as poor hosts (0.15 &lt; Rf &lt; 1). Thereafter, three field experiments assessed the effects of the same cover crop treatments, plus Indian mustard, on the abundance of <em>Pratylenchus</em>, <em>Aphelenchus, Aphelenchoides</em> spp., and bacterivore nematodes. Sampling occurred before sowing of the cover crop, three months after sowing and six weeks post-incorporation of the mature cover crop. Four of the tested cover crops (French marigold, oilseed radish, forage chicory and alfalfa) significantly reduced the abundance of <em>Pratylenchus</em> spp., by 53–75 % across all three experiments. <em>Phacelia</em> and Japanese oats had no effect, while Indian mustard increased the abundance of <em>Pratylenchus</em> spp., by 113–319 % across all experiments. Oilseed radish and Indian mustard increased the abundance of bacterivore nematodes, with oilseed radish showing the greatest increase of 335 %. Using 18S rRNA amplicon sequencing, cover crops showed no adverse effects on alpha and beta nematode diversity, while cover crop incorporation resulted in higher enrichment and lower structure indices. These findings strongly suggest that French marigold, oilseed radish, forage chicory, and alfalfa are potential options for managing <em>Pratylenchus</em> spp. without adverse effects on non-target beneficial soil nematode communities. Understanding cover crop–nematode interactions can expand their use beyond current production systems. This study offers a first step towards selecting cover crops that maintain/promote beneficial nematodes, support soil health restoration, and suppress <em>Pratylenchus</em> spp. in crops that form a typical UK arable rotation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106779"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923333","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":"Yield and nitrogen use efficiency jointly shape the soil microbial community and networks of pitaya orchards in Hainan, China","authors":"Jing Hu ,&nbsp;Zhiliang Chen ,&nbsp;Jie Ma ,&nbsp;Meng Gu ,&nbsp;Binghui Zhou ,&nbsp;Haoxuan Jiang ,&nbsp;Ying Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106749","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106749","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microorganisms are pivotal for soil health. However, few studies have examined how microbial communities and networks respond to the combined factors of crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), which are critical indicators for sustainable agriculture that balance productivity and environmental concerns. To analyze the microbial communities and networks in relation to healthy soil under sustainable agricultural practices, we collected soil samples from six typical pitaya orchards in Hainan Province, China. The composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities was analyzed using high-throughput sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA and ITS regions, respectively, and the co-occurrence networks were constructed to evaluate the complexity and stability. High NUE was positively correlated with yield and microbial diversity, but negatively correlated with soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available potassium. Soil bacterial networks displayed greater complexity in high-yield orchards, whereas fungal networks exhibited increased stability in low-yield orchards. Nutrient inputs varied among yield–NUE groups. The bacterial community exhibited higher diversity and complexity in the high yield–high NUE (HH) group and the low yield–high NUE group, whereas fungal diversity was similar in all groups. The relative abundance of specific bacterial phyla differed between the HH and the low yield–low NUE groups, whereas fungal abundance showed no significant variation. Soil bacterial networks showed significant differences in co-occurrence patterns among yield–NUE groups, with the HH group displaying higher complexity and cohesion. In contrast, fungal networks were consistent among all groups. The results highlight that HH agricultural practices, through the synergistic effect of high yield and high NUE, not only enhance pitaya productivity and nutrient uptake, but also improve the complexity of the soil microbial community and network. This enhancement has the potential to fortify soil–plant–microorganism interactions, thereby playing a crucial role in improving soil health and promoting sustainable agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106749"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923371","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":"Bamboo-sourced liquid microbial fertilizer improves soil quality and ecological multifunctionality via regulating microbial necromass carbon","authors":"Qiaoling Li ,&nbsp;Zhiyuan Huang ,&nbsp;Fangyuan Bian ,&nbsp;Zheke Zhong ,&nbsp;Xiaoping Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106774","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106774","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The carbon sequestration capacity of Moso bamboo plantations plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change and enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. However, the impacts of replacing chemical fertilizers with microbial fertilizers on soil nutrients and health remain poorly understood. Bamboo-sourced liquid microbial fertilizers (BLMFs), produced from bamboo growth-promoting bacteria and bamboo shoot processing wastewater, offer a promising replacement to chemical fertilizers for promoting SOC fixation. However, the mechanisms by which active microorganisms influence the formation and decomposition of microbial necromass carbon (MNC), a key indicator of soil quality assessment, remain poorly understood. This study conducted a field experiment in a Moso bamboo plantation to investigate the relationships between soil stoichiometry ratios, enzyme activities, MNC, soil quality index (SQI), and ecological multifunctionality (EMF) under three BLMF treatments: <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> ACP81 (ACP81), <em>Terribacillus goriness</em> CS3 (CS3), and mixed ACP81 + CS3 (A + C). The results showed that BLMF treatments significantly reduced pH, total nitrogen (TN), C-acquiring enzyme activity, and enzyme stoichiometry ratios (C:Neea, C:Peea). ACP81 and CS3 led to significant declines in SOC (14.01 % and 12.76 %) and MNC (15.81 % and 23.22 %) compared to CK, while A + C significantly increased SOC (14.38 %) and MNC (7.91 %; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, A + C resulted in higher SQI and EMF values than ACP81 and CS3. Correlation analysis and random forests modeling identified MNC as the most important predictor of SQI and EMF. PLS-PM further revealed that BLMF treatments affected SQI directly by regulating MNC and EMF, and indirectly through changes in SOC, enzyme activities, and stoichiometry ratios. Overall, the combined BLMF application exhibited more positive impact on soil health development than single-strain treatments. MNC emerged as a critical indicator for soil quality assessment and should be incorporated into soil health evaluation frameworks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106774"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923372","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":"Metagenomic insights into the influence of soil habitat on rhizosphere microbial function and element cycling in ephemeral plants","authors":"Mengwen Peng ,&nbsp;Meng Jiang ,&nbsp;Cheng Wang ,&nbsp;Zhen'an Yang ,&nbsp;Hao He","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106700","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106700","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To evaluate the microbial functions of ephemeral plants and their role in nutrient cycling across different habitats, metagenomic sequencing was employed to analyse the functions of rhizosphere microorganisms and the abundance of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling genes in <em>Malcolmia scorpioides</em> and <em>Isatis violascens</em> grown in two soil types: aeolian soil (AS) and grey desert soil (GS). The relationship between these functions and soil factors was also explored. The alignment of metagenomic data with the NR database indicated that bacteria accounted for a large proportion of the microbial community and played a dominant role. Different soil habitats influenced their abundance and community composition. Functional annotation based on the CAZy database revealed that genes associated with glycosyltransferases (GTs) and glycoside hydrolases (GHs) were relatively abundant, followed by those related to carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs). GHs were the primary differential function in GS, whereas GTs and CBMs dominated in AS. Genes related to translation, ribosomal structure, energy production, signal transduction and unique metabolic pathways also varied between the two habitats. The abundance of C, N and P cycling genes differed significantly across groups. Specifically, genes involved in C fixation, such as <em>korA</em>, <em>rbcL</em>, <em>mct</em> and <em>pccA</em>, were more abundant in AS, whereas those associated with N cycling were more prevalent in GS. Additionally, organic P mineralisation genes were more abundant in AS. Soil factors showed the strongest correlation with N cycle genes, followed by C cycle genes, and had a weaker association with P cycle genes. Partial least squares path modelling indicated that available nutrients positively influenced the expression of functional genes, particularly those related to the C and N cycles. This study highlights the influence of soil habitat on the composition and function of rhizosphere microorganisms and the dynamics of C, N and P cycling genes, driven by the physicochemical properties of the soil.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106700"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883057","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":"Integrated plant-soil-microbiome responses mediate greenhouse gas emissions in the restoration of a semiarid steppe","authors":"Zhen Wang ,&nbsp;Xiaojiang Yang ,&nbsp;Paul C. Struik ,&nbsp;Muhammad Nadeem Ashraf ,&nbsp;Carmeron N. Carlyle ,&nbsp;Scott X. Chang ,&nbsp;Yuanheng Li ,&nbsp;Wenbo Zhang ,&nbsp;Riliga Wu ,&nbsp;Baoming Ji ,&nbsp;Ke Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106743","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106743","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Restoring natural grasslands alters the soil microbiome and biogeochemical processes, particularly carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. One of the primary ways to restore degraded grasslands is to restrict grazing for a period so that the ecosystem can recover. We examined the relationship between changes in soil microbiome composition and function with greenhouse gas emissions and soil properties during the restoration of a semiarid steppe in China. Grazing exclusion for 15 years increased CO₂ and N₂O emissions and CH₄ uptake compared with those for 6 or 37 years. A 15- and 37-year grazing exclusion led to higher soil organic carbon levels, which correlated with increased bacterial populations and genes associated with the decomposition of carbon-rich substrates and elevated CO₂ emissions. After 15 years of grazing exclusion, the abundance of methanotrophic microbes was higher, and the abundance of methanogenic microbes was lower, increasing CH₄ uptake compared to continuous grazing (the control). Compared to the control (continuous grazing), 15 years of grazing exclusion resulted in elevated methanotrophic populations, depressed methanogenic populations, and consequently, enhanced CH₄ uptake. Emissions of N₂O increased with following increases in denitrification genes <em>norB.</em> Structural equation modeling revealed that grazing exclusion's effects on CO₂, N₂O, and CH₄ fluxes were mediated by changes in plant community characteristics, soil fertility, and soil microbiomes. Further research on the microbial drivers of recovery could lead to improved management practices and ecosystem restoration and resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106743"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923269","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":"How is the carbon use efficiency of microbial communities distributed within the soil pore network","authors":"Maëlle Maestrali ,&nbsp;Xavier Raynaud ,&nbsp;Haotian Wu ,&nbsp;Steffen A. Schweizer ,&nbsp;Ines Guillot ,&nbsp;Thomas Lerch ,&nbsp;Stéphane Paolillo ,&nbsp;Naoise Nunan","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106771","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106771","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soils play a key role in mitigating global warming due to their capacity to sequester CO₂, a process likely impacted by the efficiency with which microbial communities transform organic matter into biomass. The activity of microbes is affected by the conditions they find themselves in (moisture, oxygen, etc.). Soils are characterized by a network of pores of different sizes, which create a variety of microenvironments that can influence resource availability, microbial activity and soil C dynamics. However, the influence of conditions at the pore-scale on microbial carbon use efficiency remains poorly quantified. In this study, we conducted short-term incubations using a mixture of ¹³C-labelled compounds to assess the carbon use efficiency of microbial communities residing in pores with maximum neck diameters between 15 and 30 μm and between 75 and 200 μm. The study was carried out in an agricultural soil (Eutric Cambisol) under three different management practices and a grassland (Sandy Cambisol) in order to have a range of pore structures, C contents, pH and different microbial communities. Our findings show that microbial mineralization of added substrate was higher in the large pores but that the carbon utilization efficiency was lower. The differences across pore sizes were likely due to the different constraints at the microenvironment scale (moisture, predation, available space, substrate abundance, etc.). These results suggest that microbes adopt distinct carbon processing strategies and functional roles, depending on pore size.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 106771"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883058","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}