An integrated fast–slow plant and nematode economics spectrum predicts soil organic carbon dynamics during natural restoration

Chongzhe Zhang, Tongbin Zhu, Uffe N. Nielsen, Ian J. Wright, Na Li, Xiaoyun Chen, Manqiang Liu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

• Aboveground and belowground attributes of terrestrial ecosystems interact to shape carbon (C) cycling. However, plants and soil organisms are usually studied separately, leading to a knowledge gap regarding their coordinated contributions to ecosystem C cycling. 

• We explored whether integrated consideration of plant and nematode traits better explained soil organic C (SOC) dynamics than plant or nematode traits considered separately. Our study system was a space-for-time natural restoration chronosequence following agricultural abandonment in a subtropical region, with pioneer, early, mid and climax stages. 

• We identified an integrated fast–slow trait spectrum encompassing plants and nematodes, demonstrating coordinated shifts from fast strategies in the pioneer stage to slow strategies in the climax stage, corresponding to enhanced SOC dynamics. Joint consideration of plant and nematode traits explained more variation in SOC than by either group alone. Structural equation modeling revealed that the integrated fast–slow trait spectrum influenced SOC through its regulation of microbial traits, including microbial C use efficiency and microbial biomass. 

• Our findings confirm the pivotal role of plant-nematode trait coordination in modulating ecosystem C cycling and highlight the value of incorporating belowground traits into biogeochemical cycling under global change scenarios.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages13
JournalNew Phytologist
Early online date4 Oct 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 4 Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.

Keywords

  • carbon cycling
  • economics spectrum
  • functional traits
  • nature-based solutions
  • plant–soil organism interactions
  • vegetation regeneration

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