Anthropogenic land-use driven changes in soil stoichiometry reduce microbial carbon use efficiency

authored by: Xinle Tong, Lichao Fan, Mingda Wang, Jingjing Guo, Lei Bao, Lingzhi Hui, Yichao Chen, Zhengrong Li, Shuai Qian, Xiaodong Xu, Lin Ma, Xiangtian Meng, Xuechen Zhang, Kazem Zamanian, Manoj Shukla, Xiaohong Tian, Maxim Dorodnikov
Abstract: Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) is a crucial parameter for characterizing soil organic carbon (C) dynamics. However, the response of microbial CUE to land-use change and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we estimated CUE using a biogeochemical equilibrium model across three paired natural and anthropogenic land-use systems. We found that the conversion from natural to anthropogenic ecosystems reduces CUE and increases microbial C limitation. Through a combination of variation partitioning modeling, random forest analysis, and partial least squares path modeling, we showed that elemental stoichiometry was up to 4.2 times more important in determining CUE than soil physiochemical properties and microbial physiological characteristics, and the microbial C to nitrogen ratio had a key positive effect on CUE. Therefore, the role of microbial eco-physiological traits (e.g., fungi:bacteria) in improving CUE and thus mitigating C loss from anthropogenic ecosystems requires consideration in land management strategies for C sequestration.
Organisation(s): Institute of Earth System Sciences
External Organisation(s): Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China
Xi’an Infrasture Investment Construction Co., Ltd.
Xi’an Municipal Road and Bridge Construction Group Co., Ltd.
Oregon State University
University of Münster
Type: Article
Journal: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
Volume: 392
ISSN: 0167-8809
Publication date: 15.10.2025
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Ecology, Animal Science and Zoology, Agronomy and Crop Science
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 13 - Climate Action, SDG 15 - Life on Land
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.109766 (Access: Closed)