Diverse forests help soil microbes store more carbon as temperatures rise
Duan P, Ye C, Yang X, Wang C, Wanek W
Soil Health
Every mixed-species planting in your yard or neighborhood, from a backyard food forest to a street lined with diverse trees, quietly makes the soil beneath it more resilient at locking away carbon as temperatures rise.
Scientists studied soils from forests with different numbers of tree species and found something striking: where more tree species grew together, the tiny microbes in the soil got better at holding onto carbon instead of releasing it as warming increased. This happens because diverse forests produce a richer mix of leaf litter and root material, which is easier for microbes to break down, letting them spend less energy on digestion and more on growth. The upshot is that planting or preserving diverse forests, rather than monocultures, could help soils act as a stronger carbon sponge as the climate warms.
Key Findings
High tree species diversity strengthened microbial carbon use efficiency under warming, meaning microbes retained more carbon rather than releasing it as CO2.
Diverse forests reduced soil organic matter stability (higher lability), lowering the energy microbes spend on enzyme production and shifting communities toward faster-growing r-selected bacteria.
The effect was measured over a 365-day incubation using 18O-water labeling to directly track microbial growth and respiration, providing robust quantification of the diversity-CUE link.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Forests with more tree species help soil microbes store more carbon under warming conditions, rather than releasing it as CO2. The greater the tree diversity, the more the soil microbial community shifts toward retaining carbon, offering a natural buffer against climate change.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
High Tree Species Diversity Promotes Thermal Enhancement Response of Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency.
Predicting soil carbon dynamics under warming is constrained by limited understanding of microbial thermal adaptation, particularly whether microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) can adapt to warmin...
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