Tech & Engineering
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 8-Apr-2026 14:16 ET (8-Apr-2026 18:16 GMT/UTC)
Soil microbes in Colombia’s páramo and tropical forests respond to seasonal shifts
Higher Education PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
Soil-dwelling microbes play vital roles in ecosystem functioning, but little is known about how their communities respond to climatic changes in tropical regions. Now, a study by Professor Diana López-Alvarez has demonstrated that microbial communities in the soil of Colombia’s tropical forests and high-altitude páramos are significantly influenced by seasonal changes, particularly during the dry season.
- Journal
- Soil Ecology Letters
Fifteen-year cattle manure application reshapes phoD- and gcd-harboring microbiomes, enhancing vegetable yields
Higher Education PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
Long-term cattle manure application significantly influences soil phosphorus (P) cycling and associated microbial communities in agricultural systems. However, the mechanisms by which P-transforming microbial communities and their ecological networks mediate P cycling and crop productivity under sustained organic amendment remain poorly understood.
- Journal
- Soil Ecology Letters
Distinctive mechanisms of soil priming in different stages and its response to nitrogen addition along a temperate forest elevation gradient
Higher Education PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
The input of fresh carbon can either enhance or suppress the mineralization rate of native soil organic carbon (SOC), a process known as the priming effect. The priming effect plays a crucial role in terrestrial carbon cycling. Although previous studies have attempted to elucidate its mechanisms and responses to nitrogen (N) addition, existing findings remain inconsistent.
- Journal
- Soil Ecology Letters
Protists revealed as key players in soil carbon storage: Dual role uncovered in long-term study
Higher Education PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
Microbial necromass plays a crucial role in soil organic carbon (SOC) formation, yet the underlying abiotic and biotic factors remain poorly understood, particularly the trophic interactions between protists and fungi/bacteria that drive soil fungal and bacterial necromass accumulation. A groundbreaking 27-year field study reveals that how soil protists differentially control fungal and bacterial necromass accumulation—a key process governing SOC storage. These findings, published in Soil Ecology Letters, redefine our understanding of soil carbon dynamics.
- Journal
- Soil Ecology Letters
Green initiatives can increase emissions but still benefit the climate
Aarhus UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
New research shows that the green transition in agriculture is more complex than first assumed. The research indicates that green political decisions need to take the entire system into account.
- Journal
- Agricultural Systems
Unoccupied termite mounds host diverse soil fauna in tropical forests
Higher Education PressTermites play a key ecological role in many tropical and subtropical ecosystems. By building and maintaining their nests and mounds, they substantially affect bioturbation levels, soil properties, and nutrient distribution.
- Journal
- Soil Ecology Letters