Dead or alive: Microorganisms in soil shape the global carbon cycle

That is the topic of a new review by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists and collaborators. The article, appearing in, describes how living and dead microorganisms strongly influence terrestrial biogeochemistry by forming and decomposing soil organic matter—the planet's largest terrestrial stock of organic carbon and nitrogen, and a primary source of other crucial macronutrients and micronutrients.

The soil microbiome is the most diverse community in the biosphere, holding at least a quarter of Earth's total biodiversity. Tens of millions of species of bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses and microeukaryotes coexist below ground, although only a few hundred thousand have been characterized in detail. A single gram of surface soil can contain more than 109 bacterial and archaeal cells, trillions of viruses and tens of thousands of protists.

"Dead microorganisms accrete in soil as their cellular remains stick to the mineral matrix. Their dead biomass can make up as much as much as 50% of the soil organic matter pool. This means that dead microbial biomass in soil is one of the largest stocks of organic carbon on the planet," said Jennifer Pett-Ridge, LLNL project lead and head of the Department of Energy's Office of Science"Microbes Persist" Soil Microbiome Scientific Focus Area .

New advances in DNA sequencing and isotope tracing are allowing the LLNL team to understand the unique attributes of soil microbes—even those that cannot be cultivated in the laboratory. Though analysis of genetic and biochemical signatures, the team can infer the ecological relationships that control who live, and who die, in complex soil food webs.

Because soil microbial necromass represents one of the most globally significant pools of carbon and other nutrients, the authors report that the mechanism and rate of microbial death likely impact terrestrial—an idea they are currently testing in a suite of experiments that are part of LLNL's Soil Microbiome SFA. The SFA team also is establishing experiments to study how different traits of microorganisms affect organic matter cycling in soils.

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Using cremated remains, this Houston artist makes dead loved ones come alive through his artThe artist mixes the ashes with a resin and the occasional slur of pigment to create a granular material that can be applied to a canvas. Umm… OK.
Source: HoustonChron - 🏆 609. / 51 Read more »

N.J. afternoon shooting leaves 1 dead, 1 wounded, authorities sayNo arrests were reported after the attack Tuesday. Where was this
Source: njdotcom - 🏆 282. / 63 Read more »

Russia-Ukraine updates: At least 21 dead, 112 wounded in Kharkiv shelling, says governorFollow the latest news updates of the war in Ukraine with the New York Post’s live coverage.
Source: nypost - 🏆 91. / 67 Read more »

14 Ukrainian Children Dead—and Countless More SufferingUkrainian officials said Saturday that 116 children have been injured and 14 have died during the invasion. An AP photographer on Sunday witnessed the death of a 6-year-old girl. The Free-World Can't Let Putin Prevail Свободный мир не может позволить Путину победить Horrible 😔 danielme1980 What an awful thing.
Source: thedailybeast - 🏆 307. / 63 Read more »

Juvenile dead after allegedly opening fire on plainclothes officers in South Philadelphia'This kid fires a shot right into the rear passenger's side window. We're really lucky that we don't have an officer seriously injured or killed right now,' said Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp. Wait, who's lucky? The people? That can't be right, our guy missed.
Source: 6abc - 🏆 250. / 63 Read more »

2 Downstate Illinois Children Dead Despite Prior DCFS Involvement With Families, Raising New Questions About AgencyThey were supposed to be protected by the Department of Children and Family Services, but instead, two children from downstate Illinois have died in the last month. Horrible. Cases are from Bloomington and Lincoln, Illinois. The cases are from Bloomington and Lincoln, Illinois.
Source: cbschicago - 🏆 546. / 51 Read more »