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Updated: Sep 7, 2025
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Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
Published on: March 13, 2014
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Global pattern of soil priming effect intensity and its environmental drivers
Fei Mo1, Chengjie Ren1, Kailiang Yu2
1College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Ecology
|June 19, 2022
Summary
Microbial priming, the decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC) triggered by plant inputs, is globally significant. Litter additions enhance SOC decomposition, with effects varying by latitude and land use, impacting climate feedbacks.
Area of Science:
- Soil Science
- Microbiology
- Biogeochemistry
Background:
- Microbial priming, the decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC) induced by plant inputs, is a key factor in SOC dynamics.
- Understanding the drivers and variability of priming across ecosystems is crucial for predicting climate feedbacks under global change.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize global data on microbial priming effects.
- To quantify the impact of litter additions on native SOC decomposition.
- To identify environmental and substrate drivers of priming in natural and agricultural ecosystems.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of 18,919 observations of CO2 effluxes from 802 soils worldwide.
- Calculation of log response ratios (RR) to assess the relative effects of litter additions.
- Statistical analysis to identify dominant environmental and substrate drivers of priming.
Main Results:
- Globally, litter additions significantly enhanced native SOC decomposition (RR = 0.35).
- Priming effects were stronger at lower latitudes and in agricultural soils (RR = 0.43) compared to uncultivated soils (RR = 0.28).
- In natural ecosystems, soil pH and microbial composition (bacteria:fungi ratio) were key drivers; in agricultural systems, litter quality (C:N ratio) and soil substrate properties dominated.
Conclusions:
- Microbial priming is a ubiquitous process with significant global implications for carbon cycling.
- Altered litter inputs due to global change will likely affect SOC dynamics and climate feedbacks.
- Understanding ecosystem-specific drivers is essential for accurate predictions of soil carbon responses.
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