Mats P. Björkman, Jan Dietrich, Mabel L. Gray, Argus Pesqueda, Mario Rudner, Laura Rasmussen, Joel D. White, Bo Elberling, Robert G. Björk
Arctic tundra soils can act as an important sink for atmospheric methane (CH 4 ). However, the role and magnitude of this process, and how it will change during future climate scenarios, are poorly understood. The vegetation is changing with a warmer Arctic climate, with taller plants, more shrubs, and altered vegetation patterns. These changes are predicted to be strongest in moist to wet regions, areas usually associated with CH 4 production. Additionally, these changes in growth patterns can increase evapotranspiration rates, leading to enhanced soil aeration, favouring CH 4 oxidation. Here, we investigate CH 4 dynamics within long‐term (> 25 years) passive air warming treatments, using five plant communities with contrasting soil moisture and nutrient regimes. These treatments reveal a strong increase in atmospheric CH 4 oxidation in two dry ecosystems (140.4% ± 8.1% and 204.2% ± 19.3% for a Dry Heath and Dry Meadow, respectively), and a strong reduction of CH 4 emissions (91.2% ± 18.6%) in a Tussock Tundra community. In contrast, our investigation of Mesic and Wet Meadows showed no significant treatment effects, with only limited CH 4 exchange in the Wet Meadow. Furthermore, when inhibiting CH 4 oxidation in the surface soil, we found evidence of CH 4 production even at the driest site (Dry Heath), indicating a potential for CH 4 production throughout the landscape. Although soil temperature and moisture have been put forward as strong regulators of CH 4 fluxes, they did not consistently explain our observed changes. Instead, we argue for interactions between vegetation change and near‐surface soil characteristics. The observed shift in plant composition and increased vegetation height, along with warmer air temperatures, enhanced evapotranspiration and surface soil aeration, thereby stimulating methanotrophy and leading to increased CH 4 oxidation. This vegetation‐induced climate feedback would aid the predicted temperature‐dependent increase of CH 4 oxidation in the Arctic, potentially mediating CH 4 emissions from the region.
{"title":"Increased CH 4 Oxidation in Arctic Tundra Ecosystems Caused by Vegetation‐Mediated Soil Drying","authors":"Mats P. Björkman, Jan Dietrich, Mabel L. Gray, Argus Pesqueda, Mario Rudner, Laura Rasmussen, Joel D. White, Bo Elberling, Robert G. Björk","doi":"10.1111/gcb.70810","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70810","url":null,"abstract":"Arctic tundra soils can act as an important sink for atmospheric methane (CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> ). However, the role and magnitude of this process, and how it will change during future climate scenarios, are poorly understood. The vegetation is changing with a warmer Arctic climate, with taller plants, more shrubs, and altered vegetation patterns. These changes are predicted to be strongest in moist to wet regions, areas usually associated with CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> production. Additionally, these changes in growth patterns can increase evapotranspiration rates, leading to enhanced soil aeration, favouring CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> oxidation. Here, we investigate CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> dynamics within long‐term (> 25 years) passive air warming treatments, using five plant communities with contrasting soil moisture and nutrient regimes. These treatments reveal a strong increase in atmospheric CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> oxidation in two dry ecosystems (140.4% ± 8.1% and 204.2% ± 19.3% for a Dry Heath and Dry Meadow, respectively), and a strong reduction of CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> emissions (91.2% ± 18.6%) in a Tussock Tundra community. In contrast, our investigation of Mesic and Wet Meadows showed no significant treatment effects, with only limited CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> exchange in the Wet Meadow. Furthermore, when inhibiting CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> oxidation in the surface soil, we found evidence of CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> production even at the driest site (Dry Heath), indicating a potential for CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> production throughout the landscape. Although soil temperature and moisture have been put forward as strong regulators of CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> fluxes, they did not consistently explain our observed changes. Instead, we argue for interactions between vegetation change and near‐surface soil characteristics. The observed shift in plant composition and increased vegetation height, along with warmer air temperatures, enhanced evapotranspiration and surface soil aeration, thereby stimulating methanotrophy and leading to increased CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> oxidation. This vegetation‐induced climate feedback would aid the predicted temperature‐dependent increase of CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> oxidation in the Arctic, potentially mediating CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> emissions from the region.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"51 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147507845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ralph J. M. Temmink, Benjamin M. Delory, Max Rietkerk, Alfons J. P. Smolders, Leon P. M. Lamers, Avni Malhotra, Line Rochefort, Gustaf Granath, John Couwenberg, Gerbrand Koren, Bjorn J. M. Robroek
Extensive knowledge exists on plant‐species traits and functions, but we understand less about how population‐ or community‐level emergent traits influence ecosystem functioning. This knowledge gap is important for ecosystems like peatlands, arid drylands, salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and mangroves, where emergent traits of plant communities can create plant‐environment feedbacks that amplify or dampen ecosystem processes. Recent insights from restoration ecology suggest that these feedbacks can critically influence restoration success. Despite growing recognition of emergent trait‐driven feedbacks in other ecosystems, they remain underexplored in peatland restoration, the world's most carbon‐dense ecosystem. Here, we review emergent self‐amplifying and self‐dampening feedbacks with net positive effects for peat moss‐dominated systems. We show how these feedbacks can promote key physical, chemical, and biological processes that enhance peat moss growth, increase water retention, and reduce microbial decomposition of organic matter. Understanding and fostering these feedbacks offers a promising framework to accelerate peatland restoration across diverse degradation states.
{"title":"Fostering Peat Moss Feedbacks to Accelerate Peatland Restoration","authors":"Ralph J. M. Temmink, Benjamin M. Delory, Max Rietkerk, Alfons J. P. Smolders, Leon P. M. Lamers, Avni Malhotra, Line Rochefort, Gustaf Granath, John Couwenberg, Gerbrand Koren, Bjorn J. M. Robroek","doi":"10.1111/gcb.70788","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70788","url":null,"abstract":"Extensive knowledge exists on plant‐species traits and functions, but we understand less about how population‐ or community‐level emergent traits influence ecosystem functioning. This knowledge gap is important for ecosystems like peatlands, arid drylands, salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and mangroves, where emergent traits of plant communities can create plant‐environment feedbacks that amplify or dampen ecosystem processes. Recent insights from restoration ecology suggest that these feedbacks can critically influence restoration success. Despite growing recognition of emergent trait‐driven feedbacks in other ecosystems, they remain underexplored in peatland restoration, the world's most carbon‐dense ecosystem. Here, we review emergent self‐amplifying and self‐dampening feedbacks with net positive effects for peat moss‐dominated systems. We show how these feedbacks can promote key physical, chemical, and biological processes that enhance peat moss growth, increase water retention, and reduce microbial decomposition of organic matter. Understanding and fostering these feedbacks offers a promising framework to accelerate peatland restoration across diverse degradation states.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147507839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Felicity L. Newell, Ian J. Ausprey, Scott K. Robinson
Phenological shifts are a pervasive response to climate change but remain poorly understood in the hyperdiverse tropics. Combining comprehensive multitrophic datasets and in situ meteorological data, we test classic hypotheses linking reproduction to the timing and magnitude of rainfall across trophic levels in tropical birds. In low‐latitude mountains, breeding was primarily seasonal and varied based on diet. Consistent with the regional timing of wet and dry seasons, bird species that consume primarily nectar or fruit timed breeding to dry season flowering or wet season fruiting with limited variation across elevation and rainfall gradients. In contrast, species that consume arthropods shifted breeding locally, five months in less than a hundred kilometers, as the intensity of the dry season increased. Spatially asynchronous reproduction was repeated in more than 30 insectivore species as the main nesting season switched from before to after the dry season at a threshold in dry‐season insects. Reversed seasonality magnified the short‐term effects of drought as insectivore communities that nested after the dry season reduced reproductive effort—skipping breeding during resource‐limited dry years—whereas communities that nested before the dry season adapted by breeding up to one month earlier. Strong spatial to temporal variation at a ratio of 5:1 suggests limited short‐term behavioral flexibility within restricted breeding seasons timed based on the long‐term magnitude of seasonal rainfall. At higher trophic levels, similar within‐group but different between‐group responses to rainfall magnitude demonstrate quasi‐independent trophic pathways for how tropical food webs link to rainfall. Cumulatively, these results support an ecological tipping point tied to dry season intensity in which rainfall‐mediated ecological constraints compartmentalized functional groups into vertical trophic modules, which responded differently to changing rainfall. Compared with the seasonal stability of nectar‐fruit consumers, the rapid response of insectivores provides an early warning for changing rainfall.
{"title":"Changing Rainfall Drives Locally Asynchronous Reproduction of Tropical Birds via Modular Trophic Pathways","authors":"Felicity L. Newell, Ian J. Ausprey, Scott K. Robinson","doi":"10.1111/gcb.70790","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70790","url":null,"abstract":"Phenological shifts are a pervasive response to climate change but remain poorly understood in the hyperdiverse tropics. Combining comprehensive multitrophic datasets and in situ meteorological data, we test classic hypotheses linking reproduction to the timing and magnitude of rainfall across trophic levels in tropical birds. In low‐latitude mountains, breeding was primarily seasonal and varied based on diet. Consistent with the regional timing of wet and dry seasons, bird species that consume primarily nectar or fruit timed breeding to dry season flowering or wet season fruiting with limited variation across elevation and rainfall gradients. In contrast, species that consume arthropods shifted breeding locally, five months in less than a hundred kilometers, as the intensity of the dry season increased. Spatially asynchronous reproduction was repeated in more than 30 insectivore species as the main nesting season switched from before to after the dry season at a threshold in dry‐season insects. Reversed seasonality magnified the short‐term effects of drought as insectivore communities that nested after the dry season reduced reproductive effort—skipping breeding during resource‐limited dry years—whereas communities that nested before the dry season adapted by breeding up to one month earlier. Strong spatial to temporal variation at a ratio of 5:1 suggests limited short‐term behavioral flexibility within restricted breeding seasons timed based on the long‐term magnitude of seasonal rainfall. At higher trophic levels, similar within‐group but different between‐group responses to rainfall magnitude demonstrate quasi‐independent trophic pathways for how tropical food webs link to rainfall. Cumulatively, these results support an ecological tipping point tied to dry season intensity in which rainfall‐mediated ecological constraints compartmentalized functional groups into vertical trophic modules, which responded differently to changing rainfall. Compared with the seasonal stability of nectar‐fruit consumers, the rapid response of insectivores provides an early warning for changing rainfall.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147507835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Buzzoni, A. Van Nynatten, R. Cunning, J. K. Baum
Obligate endosymbioses between eukaryotes and their single‐celled inhabitants form the basis of many ecosystems, yet little is known about the long‐term impacts of climate change on them. On coral reefs, extensive studies have shown that climate change‐driven heatwaves and other environmental stressors can disrupt the obligate symbiosis between reef‐building corals and Symbiodiniaceae, with consequences for coral fitness and survival. However, despite coral symbioses playing a fundamental role in reef resilience to climate change, whether, and at what rate, they recover following heatwave disruption is largely unknown. We used ITS2 DNA metabarcoding to characterise symbiont assemblages in colonies ( n = 237; 598 samples) of the brain coral Platygyra ryukyuensis over a decade (2014–2023), spanning from before to long after the 2015–2016 El Niño at its epicentre, Kiritimati, in the central equatorial Pacific. Although before the heatwave only P. ryukyuensis colonies exposed to high levels of chronic local disturbance were dominated by stress‐tolerant Durusdinium symbionts, surviving colonies around the atoll transitioned during the heatwave from Cladocopium dominance to Durusdinium dominance. Here, we show that nearly eight years after this transition, these symbiotic partnerships had not recovered, but rather Durusdinium remained entrenched in virtually all (92%) Platygyra colonies. Recovery of symbionts in the genus Cladocopium was severely limited and restricted to taxa distinct from their ‘C3’ and ‘C50a’ pre‐heatwave congenerics. Moreover, in the three immediate post‐heatwave years, many tracked corals, and especially those at low local disturbance, high in‐water visibility sites, hosted transient symbiont assemblages codominated by Durusdinium and the previously rare genus Symbiodinium . Our results demonstrate that heatwave‐driven symbiont transitions can persist for longer than the average heatwave return time, potentially impairing coral resilience to future extreme weather events.
{"title":"Persistent Legacy Effects of Marine Heatwaves on Coral Symbioses","authors":"D. Buzzoni, A. Van Nynatten, R. Cunning, J. K. Baum","doi":"10.1111/gcb.70818","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70818","url":null,"abstract":"Obligate endosymbioses between eukaryotes and their single‐celled inhabitants form the basis of many ecosystems, yet little is known about the long‐term impacts of climate change on them. On coral reefs, extensive studies have shown that climate change‐driven heatwaves and other environmental stressors can disrupt the obligate symbiosis between reef‐building corals and Symbiodiniaceae, with consequences for coral fitness and survival. However, despite coral symbioses playing a fundamental role in reef resilience to climate change, whether, and at what rate, they recover following heatwave disruption is largely unknown. We used ITS2 DNA metabarcoding to characterise symbiont assemblages in colonies ( <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 237; 598 samples) of the brain coral <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>Platygyra ryukyuensis</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> over a decade (2014–2023), spanning from before to long after the 2015–2016 El Niño at its epicentre, Kiritimati, in the central equatorial Pacific. Although before the heatwave only <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"> <jats:italic>P. ryukyuensis</jats:italic> </jats:styled-content> colonies exposed to high levels of chronic local disturbance were dominated by stress‐tolerant <jats:italic>Durusdinium</jats:italic> symbionts, surviving colonies around the atoll transitioned during the heatwave from <jats:italic>Cladocopium</jats:italic> dominance to <jats:italic>Durusdinium</jats:italic> dominance. Here, we show that nearly eight years after this transition, these symbiotic partnerships had not recovered, but rather <jats:italic>Durusdinium</jats:italic> remained entrenched in virtually all (92%) <jats:italic>Platygyra</jats:italic> colonies. Recovery of symbionts in the genus <jats:italic>Cladocopium</jats:italic> was severely limited and restricted to taxa distinct from their ‘C3’ and ‘C50a’ pre‐heatwave congenerics. Moreover, in the three immediate post‐heatwave years, many tracked corals, and especially those at low local disturbance, high in‐water visibility sites, hosted transient symbiont assemblages codominated by <jats:italic>Durusdinium</jats:italic> and the previously rare genus <jats:italic>Symbiodinium</jats:italic> . Our results demonstrate that heatwave‐driven symbiont transitions can persist for longer than the average heatwave return time, potentially impairing coral resilience to future extreme weather events.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147506766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuanyuan Li, Jiahui Liao, Peter B. Reich, Yu Fang, Jiajie Cao, Juanping Ni, Tingting Ren, Guobing Wang, Xiaoming Zou, Honghua Ruan, Han Y. H. Chen
Earthworms play a dual role in the global carbon cycle: they accelerate organic matter decomposition yet are often associated with greater soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. However, uncertainty regarding the mechanisms and magnitudes through which earthworms concurrently influence SOC mineralization and stabilization has limited the integration of soil fauna into carbon models. Here, we synthesize 696 paired observations from 122 studies worldwide to resolve this uncertainty. On average, earthworms increase SOC by 5.4% (95% CI: 2.2%–9.1%), with effects strengthening over time under sustained plant‐derived carbon inputs. Earthworms enhance mineral‐associated organic carbon (MAOC) by 21.2%, while particulate organic carbon (POC) remains unchanged. These patterns suggest that earthworm activity promotes a transition from short‐term carbon mineralization to long‐term stabilization, likely mediated by the coupling of microbial processing and physical protection. Specifically, epigeic earthworms boost microbial biomass carbon, whereas endogeic species enhance macroaggregate formation, facilitating the incorporation of microbial necromass into MAOC. The magnitude and direction of these effects depend on sustained carbon inputs and earthworm functional type. Collectively, these results reconcile decades of conflicting evidence and provide the first quantitative global synthesis showing that earthworms increased soil carbon over time under sustained plant carbon inputs. This microbial–mineral formation pathway has direct implications for climate‐smart land management, soil biodiversity conservation, and the representation of earthworm bioturbation in global carbon models.
{"title":"Earthworms Enhance Global Soil Carbon Storage Through Microbial–Mineral Stabilization","authors":"Yuanyuan Li, Jiahui Liao, Peter B. Reich, Yu Fang, Jiajie Cao, Juanping Ni, Tingting Ren, Guobing Wang, Xiaoming Zou, Honghua Ruan, Han Y. H. Chen","doi":"10.1111/gcb.70815","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70815","url":null,"abstract":"Earthworms play a dual role in the global carbon cycle: they accelerate organic matter decomposition yet are often associated with greater soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. However, uncertainty regarding the mechanisms and magnitudes through which earthworms concurrently influence SOC mineralization and stabilization has limited the integration of soil fauna into carbon models. Here, we synthesize 696 paired observations from 122 studies worldwide to resolve this uncertainty. On average, earthworms increase SOC by 5.4% (95% CI: 2.2%–9.1%), with effects strengthening over time under sustained plant‐derived carbon inputs. Earthworms enhance mineral‐associated organic carbon (MAOC) by 21.2%, while particulate organic carbon (POC) remains unchanged. These patterns suggest that earthworm activity promotes a transition from short‐term carbon mineralization to long‐term stabilization, likely mediated by the coupling of microbial processing and physical protection. Specifically, epigeic earthworms boost microbial biomass carbon, whereas endogeic species enhance macroaggregate formation, facilitating the incorporation of microbial necromass into MAOC. The magnitude and direction of these effects depend on sustained carbon inputs and earthworm functional type. Collectively, these results reconcile decades of conflicting evidence and provide the first quantitative global synthesis showing that earthworms increased soil carbon over time under sustained plant carbon inputs. This microbial–mineral formation pathway has direct implications for climate‐smart land management, soil biodiversity conservation, and the representation of earthworm bioturbation in global carbon models.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"146 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147477978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP), often referred as Earth's “Third Pole,” is warming nearly twice the global average, potentially amplifying carbon–climate feedbacks to a greater extent than in most other regions. However, substantial uncertainties remain regarding the magnitude, spatial distribution, and environmental controls of the region's soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Here we compiled a comprehensive dataset of 2442 soil profiles across the QTP and integrated it with high‐resolution (90 m) environmental covariates to generate spatially explicit, depth‐resolved SOC stock estimates using machine learning models. Independent validation using newly collected whole‐profile SOC measurements ( n = 53) demonstrated substantially improved predictive accuracy compared to existing global and regional mapping products (e.g., SoilGrids, HWSD, and WISE). Specifically, our estimates reached coefficients of determination ( R2 ) of 0.63 and 0.49 for the 0–0.3 m topsoil and 0.3–1.0 m subsoil, respectively; while the existing mapping products only reached a R2 of 0.01–0.35 in the topsoil and 0.01–0.15 in the subsoil. Across the QTP, our results estimated a total SOC stock of 62.0 (95% confidence interval: 54.9–69.1) Pg C within the top 2 m of soil, with more than 60% stored below 0.3 m depth. This value is much larger than most of the existing estimates in the same region. Alpine meadows ecosystems accounted for approximately 38% of the total SOC stock, primarily due to their extensive coverage, while swamp meadow ecosystems exhibited the highest SOC densities. Spatial uncertainty was highest in the sparsely sampled northwestern QTP. Contemporary climate and paleoclimate factors collectively contributed over 50% to the explained variance in SOC distribution across the soil profile, highlighting the dominant role of climatic factors on SOC spatial pattern. This spatially explicit, high‐resolution SOC mapping provides a baseline for constraining carbon–climate feedback assessments on the QTP and underscores the region's heightened vulnerability to ongoing climate warming.
{"title":"Much Larger Whole‐Profile Soil Organic Carbon Stocks on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Than Previously Reported","authors":"Jiajun Mao, Shuai Zhang, Mingming Wang, Wu Yu, Feng Liu, Yuanhe Yang, Mishra Umakant, Zhou Shi, Zhongkui Luo","doi":"10.1111/gcb.70808","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70808","url":null,"abstract":"The Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP), often referred as Earth's “Third Pole,” is warming nearly twice the global average, potentially amplifying carbon–climate feedbacks to a greater extent than in most other regions. However, substantial uncertainties remain regarding the magnitude, spatial distribution, and environmental controls of the region's soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Here we compiled a comprehensive dataset of 2442 soil profiles across the QTP and integrated it with high‐resolution (90 m) environmental covariates to generate spatially explicit, depth‐resolved SOC stock estimates using machine learning models. Independent validation using newly collected whole‐profile SOC measurements ( <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 53) demonstrated substantially improved predictive accuracy compared to existing global and regional mapping products (e.g., SoilGrids, HWSD, and WISE). Specifically, our estimates reached coefficients of determination ( <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sup>2</jats:sup> ) of 0.63 and 0.49 for the 0–0.3 m topsoil and 0.3–1.0 m subsoil, respectively; while the existing mapping products only reached a <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sup>2</jats:sup> of 0.01–0.35 in the topsoil and 0.01–0.15 in the subsoil. Across the QTP, our results estimated a total SOC stock of 62.0 (95% confidence interval: 54.9–69.1) Pg C within the top 2 m of soil, with more than 60% stored below 0.3 m depth. This value is much larger than most of the existing estimates in the same region. Alpine meadows ecosystems accounted for approximately 38% of the total SOC stock, primarily due to their extensive coverage, while swamp meadow ecosystems exhibited the highest SOC densities. Spatial uncertainty was highest in the sparsely sampled northwestern QTP. Contemporary climate and paleoclimate factors collectively contributed over 50% to the explained variance in SOC distribution across the soil profile, highlighting the dominant role of climatic factors on SOC spatial pattern. This spatially explicit, high‐resolution SOC mapping provides a baseline for constraining carbon–climate feedback assessments on the QTP and underscores the region's heightened vulnerability to ongoing climate warming.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147465659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nitrogen (N) management is critical for ensuring food security and mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In rice paddies, the effectiveness of N management in maximizing yields and minimizing N losses is highly dependent on local environmental conditions and thus varies widely across regions. However, the influence of optimized, site‐specific N management on methane (CH 4 ) emissions remains poorly quantified and is not reflected in current IPCC Tier 1 methodologies. Here, we synthesize data from multiregional field experiments and conduct a meta‐analysis to show that locally optimized N management practices—such as delayed fertilizer application, reduced N input, and deep placement—reduce CH 4 emissions from rice paddies by 16%–21%. The experiments further show that these practices suppress CH 4 emissions by lowering soil N availability and organic matter decomposition, thereby limiting substrates for methanogenesis. Combining survey data from 155 counties with machine learning models, we estimate that implementing optimized N strategies across China's rice‐growing regions could reduce CH 4 emissions by 16% while simultaneously increasing rice yields by 7%. These findings underscore the dual benefits of locally optimized N management for agricultural productivity and climate change mitigation, and provide a foundation for improving CH 4 emission estimates under diverse management regimes.
{"title":"Large Potential for CH 4 Mitigation and Yield Improvement in China's Paddies Through Locally Optimized N Management","authors":"Haoyu Qian, Zhengqi Yuan, Xiangcheng Zhu, Yuanfa Huang, Min Li, Jiarui Li, Yuxin Ren, Jinfei Feng, Shan Huang, Wenjun Dong, Feng Jin, Jiping Gao, Qiang Xu, Ting Peng, Bin Zhang, Taotao Yang, Ming Zhang, Xiaoning Hang, Wanjun Ren, Ziyin Shang, Jinyang Wang, Jianwen Zou, Songhan Wang, Zhenghui Liu, Ganghua Li, Quanzhi Zhao, Fengbo Li, Weijian Zhang, Yanfeng Ding, Kees Jan van Groenigen, Yu Jiang","doi":"10.1111/gcb.70801","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70801","url":null,"abstract":"Nitrogen (N) management is critical for ensuring food security and mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In rice paddies, the effectiveness of N management in maximizing yields and minimizing N losses is highly dependent on local environmental conditions and thus varies widely across regions. However, the influence of optimized, site‐specific N management on methane (CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> ) emissions remains poorly quantified and is not reflected in current IPCC Tier 1 methodologies. Here, we synthesize data from multiregional field experiments and conduct a meta‐analysis to show that locally optimized N management practices—such as delayed fertilizer application, reduced N input, and deep placement—reduce CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> emissions from rice paddies by 16%–21%. The experiments further show that these practices suppress CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> emissions by lowering soil N availability and organic matter decomposition, thereby limiting substrates for methanogenesis. Combining survey data from 155 counties with machine learning models, we estimate that implementing optimized N strategies across China's rice‐growing regions could reduce CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> emissions by 16% while simultaneously increasing rice yields by 7%. These findings underscore the dual benefits of locally optimized N management for agricultural productivity and climate change mitigation, and provide a foundation for improving CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> emission estimates under diverse management regimes.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147465600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant functional traits and their comprehensive characterization, namely the plant economics space (PES), are increasingly recognized to play a key role in shaping ecosystem functioning. However, how plant functional traits regulate the effect of living roots on soil carbon decomposition (known as rhizosphere priming effect, RPE) across plants with diverse species, phylogenetic, and functional diversity remains unclear. By synthesizing 639 global RPE observations from 103 species planted in 120 mineral soils, we show that plant belowground biomass, plant functional traits along the PES collaboration gradient (from do‐it‐yourself to outsourcing ), and soil C/N ratio jointly drive global variation in RPE magnitude, with the former two showing positive correlations and the latter showing a negative correlation with RPE. We thus propose a “biomass‐nitrogen‐traits” model of RPE, in which large‐biomass plants with thick roots ( outsourcing strategy) in low C/N soils promote soil C decomposition more strongly than small‐biomass plants with thin roots ( do‐it‐yourself strategy) in high C/N soils. These findings provide a new perspective that the PES collaboration gradient can affect microbial decomposition and biogeochemical cycles and can help better predict belowground ecosystem functioning due to changes in species composition and functional traits of plant community under global change.
{"title":"Biomass and Functional Traits of Plants and Soil Carbon‐to‐Nitrogen Ratio Jointly Control the Effect of Living Roots on Soil Carbon Decomposition","authors":"Jiguang Feng, Mengguang Han, Biao Zhu","doi":"10.1111/gcb.70803","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70803","url":null,"abstract":"Plant functional traits and their comprehensive characterization, namely the plant economics space (PES), are increasingly recognized to play a key role in shaping ecosystem functioning. However, how plant functional traits regulate the effect of living roots on soil carbon decomposition (known as rhizosphere priming effect, RPE) across plants with diverse species, phylogenetic, and functional diversity remains unclear. By synthesizing 639 global RPE observations from 103 species planted in 120 mineral soils, we show that plant belowground biomass, plant functional traits along the PES collaboration gradient (from <jats:italic>do‐it‐yourself</jats:italic> to <jats:italic>outsourcing</jats:italic> ), and soil C/N ratio jointly drive global variation in RPE magnitude, with the former two showing positive correlations and the latter showing a negative correlation with RPE. We thus propose a “biomass‐nitrogen‐traits” model of RPE, in which large‐biomass plants with thick roots ( <jats:italic>outsourcing</jats:italic> strategy) in low C/N soils promote soil C decomposition more strongly than small‐biomass plants with thin roots ( <jats:italic>do‐it‐yourself</jats:italic> strategy) in high C/N soils. These findings provide a new perspective that the PES collaboration gradient can affect microbial decomposition and biogeochemical cycles and can help better predict belowground ecosystem functioning due to changes in species composition and functional traits of plant community under global change.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147465598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Giovanna Wolswijk, Behara Satyanarayana, Nur Hannah Abd Rahim, Che Mohd Kamarul Anuar Che Abdullah, Ahmad Nazila Ali, Louise Wolswijk, Mohamad Khalies Hami Hamzah, Stefano Cannicci, Farid Dahdouh‐Guebas
The carbon sequestration potential of mangroves, especially at sediment level, is known to be higher than other forest types. Sediment depth effects, however, have rarely been considered and carbon stock beyond 6 m depth has never been reported. The aim of this study is to account for deep sediment carbon storage to build a novel and more complete data set comprising all important ecosystem components, such as sediments, vegetation biomass, leaf litter and dead wood. For the first time, cores to a depth of 10 m were collected from the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR) in Malaysia. The 30‐year silvicultural rotation, with two thinnings and a final clear‐felling, enabled comparison of total carbon across different aged managed mangrove stands and the unmanaged. 3 protected forest, highlighting the impact of silviculture on carbon stocks. Our analysis suggests that the total carbon stock for the entire MMFR, when estimated to 10 m depth, is on the order of five times greater than earlier assessments, amounting to 107.34 Tg C. The carbon pool in the sediments was still around 100 Mg C ha −1 at depths beyond 3–4 m, where most of the carbon was stored. Compared to the managed forest, the protected forest showed the highest sediment carbon pool (> 3000 Mg C ha −1 ), proving that its unique set of biotic interactions, represented by flourishing burrowing crab communities and large amounts of decaying material on the sediment surface, allow the sediment to store at least 10% more carbon. On the other hand, the results from the managed stands showed the impact of clear‐felling and thinning activities, with a loss of 456.7 and 284.8 Mg C ha −1 , respectively. Our deep coring approach complements the use of standard sampling techniques for mangrove sediment carbon estimation and highlights the importance of better assessments for future blue carbon projects worldwide.
众所周知，红树林的固碳潜力，特别是在沉积物水平，比其他森林类型更高。然而，沉积物深度的影响很少被考虑，超过6米深度的碳储量也从未被报道过。本研究的目的是考虑深层沉积物碳储量，建立一个新的、更完整的数据集，包括所有重要的生态系统成分，如沉积物、植被生物量、凋落叶和枯木。首次从马来西亚的马唐红树林保护区（MMFR）收集了深度为10米的岩心。30年的造林轮作，包括两次疏林和最后一次砍伐，可以比较不同年龄的管理红树林和未管理红树林的总碳。3 .保护森林，突出造林对碳储量的影响。我们的分析表明，当估计到10 m深度时，整个MMFR的总碳储量大约是先前评估的5倍，达到107.34 Tg C。沉积物中的碳库在深度超过3-4 m时仍然在100 Mg C ha - 1左右，大部分碳都储存在那里。与有管理的森林相比，保护林显示出最高的沉积物碳库（> 3000 Mg C ha−1），证明其独特的生物相互作用，以繁盛的穴居蟹群落和沉积物表面大量腐烂物质为代表，使沉积物至少多储存10%的碳。另一方面，管理林分的结果显示了砍伐和间伐活动的影响，分别损失了456.7和284.8 Mg C ha−1。我们的深取样方法补充了红树林沉积物碳估算的标准采样技术，并强调了更好地评估全球未来蓝碳项目的重要性。
{"title":"Deep Coring Shows That Mangrove Sediments in Matang (Malaysia) Store up to Five Times More Carbon Than Previously Estimated","authors":"Giovanna Wolswijk, Behara Satyanarayana, Nur Hannah Abd Rahim, Che Mohd Kamarul Anuar Che Abdullah, Ahmad Nazila Ali, Louise Wolswijk, Mohamad Khalies Hami Hamzah, Stefano Cannicci, Farid Dahdouh‐Guebas","doi":"10.1111/gcb.70773","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70773","url":null,"abstract":"The carbon sequestration potential of mangroves, especially at sediment level, is known to be higher than other forest types. Sediment depth effects, however, have rarely been considered and carbon stock beyond 6 m depth has never been reported. The aim of this study is to account for deep sediment carbon storage to build a novel and more complete data set comprising all important ecosystem components, such as sediments, vegetation biomass, leaf litter and dead wood. For the first time, cores to a depth of 10 m were collected from the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR) in Malaysia. The 30‐year silvicultural rotation, with two thinnings and a final clear‐felling, enabled comparison of total carbon across different aged <jats:italic>managed</jats:italic> mangrove stands and the unmanaged. 3 protected forest, highlighting the impact of silviculture on carbon stocks. Our analysis suggests that the total carbon stock for the entire MMFR, when estimated to 10 m depth, is on the order of five times greater than earlier assessments, amounting to 107.34 Tg C. The carbon pool in the sediments was still around 100 Mg C ha <jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> at depths beyond 3–4 m, where most of the carbon was stored. Compared to the <jats:italic>managed</jats:italic> forest, the <jats:italic>protected</jats:italic> forest showed the highest sediment carbon pool (> 3000 Mg C ha <jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> ), proving that its unique set of biotic interactions, represented by flourishing burrowing crab communities and large amounts of decaying material on the sediment surface, allow the sediment to store at least 10% more carbon. On the other hand, the results from the <jats:italic>managed</jats:italic> stands showed the impact of clear‐felling and thinning activities, with a loss of 456.7 and 284.8 Mg C ha <jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> , respectively. Our deep coring approach complements the use of standard sampling techniques for mangrove sediment carbon estimation and highlights the importance of better assessments for future blue carbon projects worldwide.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"80 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147465596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Heng Huang, Jinyun Tang, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Peter B. Reich, Thomas W. Crowther, Jinshi Jian, Kun Zhang, Lingli Liu, Jin Wu
Soil respiration ( Rs ) is the second largest terrestrial carbon flux and therefore its temporal dynamics exert a significant influence on the soil carbon budget. While the seasonal and annual dynamics of Rs and its temperature sensitivity have been well documented, the diel Rs dynamics remain poorly understood. Earth system models (ESMs) typically assume a constant temperature response of Rs over the diel cycle, thereby predicting lower Rs at night than during the warmer daytime. Here, by analyzing extensive in situ Rs datasets from 36 global forest sites, we reveal an unexpectedly widespread pattern of higher nighttime than daytime Rs , which is likely driven by the hourly temporal lag between recent photosynthetic assimilation and Rs associated with the transportation of recent photosynthates to the roots. Moreover, applying daytime Rs ‐temperature relationships systematically underestimates nighttime Rs by 2.5% to 28.7% across 31 sites, due to the significant diel difference in the temperature response of Rs . However, ESMs predict lower Rs at night than during the day, largely resulting from the significant underestimation of nighttime root respiration dynamics. Our findings demonstrate significant diel Rs patterns across forest ecosystems, suggesting that daytime and nighttime Rs may respond distinctly to future climatic changes. Incorporating these diel dynamics is essential for improving predictions of terrestrial carbon‐climate feedbacks under global warming.
{"title":"Widespread Higher Soil Respiration Rates at Nighttime Than Daytime Across Global Forest Ecosystems","authors":"Heng Huang, Jinyun Tang, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Peter B. Reich, Thomas W. Crowther, Jinshi Jian, Kun Zhang, Lingli Liu, Jin Wu","doi":"10.1111/gcb.70798","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70798","url":null,"abstract":"Soil respiration ( <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> ) is the second largest terrestrial carbon flux and therefore its temporal dynamics exert a significant influence on the soil carbon budget. While the seasonal and annual dynamics of <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> and its temperature sensitivity have been well documented, the diel <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> dynamics remain poorly understood. Earth system models (ESMs) typically assume a constant temperature response of <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> over the diel cycle, thereby predicting lower <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> at night than during the warmer daytime. Here, by analyzing extensive in situ <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> datasets from 36 global forest sites, we reveal an unexpectedly widespread pattern of higher nighttime than daytime <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> , which is likely driven by the hourly temporal lag between recent photosynthetic assimilation and <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> associated with the transportation of recent photosynthates to the roots. Moreover, applying daytime <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> ‐temperature relationships systematically underestimates nighttime <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> by 2.5% to 28.7% across 31 sites, due to the significant diel difference in the temperature response of <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> . However, ESMs predict lower <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> at night than during the day, largely resulting from the significant underestimation of nighttime root respiration dynamics. Our findings demonstrate significant diel <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> patterns across forest ecosystems, suggesting that daytime and nighttime <jats:italic>R</jats:italic> <jats:sub>s</jats:sub> may respond distinctly to future climatic changes. Incorporating these diel dynamics is essential for improving predictions of terrestrial carbon‐climate feedbacks under global warming.","PeriodicalId":175,"journal":{"name":"Global Change Biology","volume":"19 1","pages":"e70798"},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147447582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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