Tradeoffs among microbial life history strategies influence the fate of microbial residues in subtropical forest soils

Threshold conditions for the accumulation of microbial residues in terrestrial ecosystems

“…Carbon (C) is the primary energy source of microorganisms and nitrogen (N) is an important nutrient, closely related to the growth and development of microorganisms in the biogeochemical cycle 50 . In an ecosystem with limited nutrients and resources, microorganisms tend to synthesize extracellular enzymes, and decompose and release complex organic matter 51 . This weakens the efficiency of MCP and ultimately reduces the relative contribution of microbial residues to SOC 20 .…”

“…In an ecosystem with limited nutrients and resources, microorganisms tend to synthesize extracellular enzymes, and decompose and release complex organic matter 51 . This weakens the efficiency of MCP and ultimately reduces the relative contribution of microbial residues to SOC 20 . The contribution of microbial-derived carbon to the SOC pool could be promoted by application of fertilizers with a high N content to alleviate environmental pressure 52,53 .…”

“…Moreover, microorganisms modify environmental factors in ecosystems. For example, the deterioration of environmental conditions (by aridity aggravation or nutrient reduction) reduces the activity of microorganisms, thereby reducing the utilization efficiency of substrates 19,20 . Similarly, a higher quality plant litter increases the metabolic activity of microorganisms and enhances their ability to decompose organic carbon 20,21 .…”

“…For example, the deterioration of environmental conditions (by aridity aggravation or nutrient reduction) reduces the activity of microorganisms, thereby reducing the utilization efficiency of substrates 19,20 . Similarly, a higher quality plant litter increases the metabolic activity of microorganisms and enhances their ability to decompose organic carbon 20,21 . Thus, changes in soil properties and climate can lead to changes in microbial characteristics, and thereby affect the storage of SOC 20,[22][23][24] .…”

“…Similarly, a higher quality plant litter increases the metabolic activity of microorganisms and enhances their ability to decompose organic carbon 20,21 . Thus, changes in soil properties and climate can lead to changes in microbial characteristics, and thereby affect the storage of SOC 20,[22][23][24] . However, little is known about the optimal environmental conditions for microbial carbon accumulation.…”