Publication
Title
Latitudinal shifts of soil microbial biomass seasonality
Author
Abstract
Soil microbes ultimately drive the mineralization of soil organic carbon and thus ecosystem functions. We compiled a dataset of the seasonality of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and developed a semi-mechanistic model to map monthly MBC across the globe. MBC exhibits an equatorially symmetric seasonality between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In the Northern Hemisphere, MBC peaks in autumn and is minimal in spring at low latitudes (<25 degrees N), peaks in the spring and is minimal in autumn at mid-latitudes (25 degrees N to 50 degrees N), while peaks in autumn and is minimal in spring at high latitudes (>50 degrees N). This latitudinal shift of MBC seasonality is attributed to an interaction of soil temperature, soil moisture, and substrate availability. The MBC seasonality is inconsistent with patterns of heterotrophic respiration, indicating that MBC as a proxy for microbial activity is inappropriate at this resolution. This study highlights the need to explicitly represent microbial physiology in microbial models. The interactive controls of environments and substrate on microbial seasonality provide insights for better representing microbial mechanisms in simulating ecosystem functions at the seasonal scale.
Language
English
Source (journal)
PNAS Nexus
Publication
2022
DOI
10.1093/PNASNEXUS/PGAC254
Volume/pages
1 :5 (2022) , p. 1-11
Article Reference
pgac254
ISI
001063395200043
Pubmed ID
36712352
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 30.10.2023
Last edited 25.04.2024
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