Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 10, 2025

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning
Published on: March 21, 2025
Soil Biogeochemical Cycle Couplings Inferred from a Function-Taxon Network
Bin Ma1,2,3, Erinne Stirling1,2,4, Yuanhui Liu1,2
1Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Abstract:
Soil biogeochemical cycles and their interconnections play a critical role in regulating functions and services of environmental systems. However, the coupling of soil biogeochemical processes with their mediating microbes remains poorly understood. Here, we identified key microbial taxa regulating soil biogeochemical processes by exploring biomarker genes and taxa of contigs assembled from metagenomes of forest soils collected along a latitudinal transect (18° N to 48° N) in eastern China. Among environmental and soil factors, soil pH was a sensitive indicator for functional gene composition and diversity. A function-taxon bipartite network inferred from metagenomic contigs identified the microbial taxa regulating coupled biogeochemical cycles between carbon and phosphorus, nitrogen and sulfur, and nitrogen and iron. Our results provide novel evidence for the coupling of soil biogeochemical cycles, identify key regulating microbes, and demonstrate the efficacy of a new approach to investigate the processes and microbial taxa regulating soil ecosystem functions.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
What are Biogeochemical Cycles?
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
The Soil Ecosystem
Carbon-dioxide Fixation
The Carbon Cycle
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs

