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Aims <p>Land-use legacies profoundly influence soil carbon (C) cycling, yet their quantitative effects on priming effects (PE) and temperature sensitivity (Q<sub>10</sub>) remain poorly understood.</p> Methods <p>Using a 90-day incubation experiment across contrasting temperatures (5&#xa0;°C and 15&#xa0;°C), we examined century-scale land-use transitions—grassland, cropland, and bare fallow—on soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. By integrating long-term positioning experiments with microbial ecological strategy analysis, this study revealed the pivotal role of microbial functional communities in regulating C cycle responses.</p> Results <p>Grassland soils sustained the highest cumulative PE (668&#xa0;μg C g⁻<sup>1</sup> soil) and Q<sub>10</sub>-SOM (1.8), exceeding cropland and bare fallow by 50–220% and 21–23%, respectively. The enhanced PE in grasslands was attributed to greater microbial metabolic efficiency–supported by increased microbial biomass C and elevated hydrolases–and dominance by resource-acquisitive <i>Actinobacteriota</i> (A-strategists) forming key consortia with <i>Proteobacteria</i> for oxidative decomposition. Path analysis attributed 74% of SOM variance to nutrient availability and microbial traits. Consequently, while grasslands store soil C reserves (343 Pg C) globally, they demonstrate high vulnerability to warming, with meta-analysis indicating a PE increase of 1.05&#xa0;μg C g⁻<sup>1</sup> soil day⁻<sup>1</sup> per 0.1&#xa0;°C warming. In contrast, cropland and fallow systems, displayed suppressed microbial functionality, prolonged metabolic lag phases, and attenuated PE (-57%) under warming. Thus, despite approximately 20% lower soil organic C stocks in croplands compared to grasslands, their residual C exhibits greater thermal stability.</p> Conclusions <p>These findings highlight a critical trade-off between SOC storage and stability, with important implications for predicting C-climate feedbacks in agricultural ecosystems.</p> Graphical Abstract <p>Graphical summary of key findings illustrating the linkages between soil biochemical properties, biological traits, microbial traits (diversity, life-history strategies), soil priming effect (PE), and temperature sensitivity (Q<sub>10</sub>-SOM) under different land use types.</p> <p></p>

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Trade-offs between stock and stability: Reversing land-use for soil carbon sequestration in a warming world

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月10日

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  • Wenhao Feng,
  • Yingxin Lu,
  • Chunyan Liu,
  • Khatab Abdalla,
  • Wentao Zhang,
  • Kazem Zamanian,
  • Lingling Shi,
  • Haishui Yang,
  • Feng-Min Li,
  • Jie Zhou,
  • Kevin Z. Mganga

摘要

Aims

Land-use legacies profoundly influence soil carbon (C) cycling, yet their quantitative effects on priming effects (PE) and temperature sensitivity (Q10) remain poorly understood.

Methods

Using a 90-day incubation experiment across contrasting temperatures (5 °C and 15 °C), we examined century-scale land-use transitions—grassland, cropland, and bare fallow—on soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. By integrating long-term positioning experiments with microbial ecological strategy analysis, this study revealed the pivotal role of microbial functional communities in regulating C cycle responses.

Results

Grassland soils sustained the highest cumulative PE (668 μg C g⁻1 soil) and Q10-SOM (1.8), exceeding cropland and bare fallow by 50–220% and 21–23%, respectively. The enhanced PE in grasslands was attributed to greater microbial metabolic efficiency–supported by increased microbial biomass C and elevated hydrolases–and dominance by resource-acquisitive Actinobacteriota (A-strategists) forming key consortia with Proteobacteria for oxidative decomposition. Path analysis attributed 74% of SOM variance to nutrient availability and microbial traits. Consequently, while grasslands store soil C reserves (343 Pg C) globally, they demonstrate high vulnerability to warming, with meta-analysis indicating a PE increase of 1.05 μg C g⁻1 soil day⁻1 per 0.1 °C warming. In contrast, cropland and fallow systems, displayed suppressed microbial functionality, prolonged metabolic lag phases, and attenuated PE (-57%) under warming. Thus, despite approximately 20% lower soil organic C stocks in croplands compared to grasslands, their residual C exhibits greater thermal stability.

Conclusions

These findings highlight a critical trade-off between SOC storage and stability, with important implications for predicting C-climate feedbacks in agricultural ecosystems.

Graphical Abstract

Graphical summary of key findings illustrating the linkages between soil biochemical properties, biological traits, microbial traits (diversity, life-history strategies), soil priming effect (PE), and temperature sensitivity (Q10-SOM) under different land use types.