Thinner roots were more efficient to increase soil organic carbon and benefited fungal necromass in an alpine meadow

Clicks: 17
ID: 327437
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Steady

Ranked #99 of 151 articles by views in journal of plant ecology

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 151 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Microbial necromass is a key regulator of soil organic carbon (SOC) stability in terrestrial ecosystems, and its formation is directly linked to microbial life cycles. Soil microbes are closely associated with plant community composition and the related root functional traits. However, how these latter two modulate microbial life-history strategies and thereby affect SOC and microbial necromass formation remains unclear. We conducted a plant functional group removal experiment (graminoids, forbs, legumes) in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to reveal the pathways through which root functional traits mediate SOC change, microbial community strategies (r- vs. K-strategists), and the formation of fungal and bacterial necromass C. The results showed that plant communities with thinner roots and higher specific root length exhibited greater net SOC accumulation than those with coarser roots. This high efficiency of increasing SOC of thinner roots supply triggered a dual microbial response, simultaneously increasing the abundance of fast-growing r-strategist bacteria and slow-growing K-strategist fungi. The changes in r-strategist bacteria negatively correlated with bacterial necromass C accumulation, while K-strategist fungi likely contributed to fungal necromass C accumulation. These findings indicated that thinner roots play a critical role in SOC persistence by enhancing net SOC accumulation, probably via root-induced C inputs, and promoting K-strategist fungal necromass. This study highlights the importance of root functional traits in mediating microbial life strategies and the consequent C sequestration, which improves our understanding of soil C dynamics with shifts in vegetation composition and root functional traits under scenarios of global change.
Reference Key
openalex_W7207580466 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Sihan Chen, Lingyan Hu, 周显辉 Zhou Xianhui, Hui Guo, Peng Wang
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal journal of plant ecology
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/jpe/rtag211
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtag211
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.