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| Open AccessPhysiological basis for atmospheric methane oxidation and methanotrophic growth on air
Atmospheric methane-oxidizing bacteria constitute the sole biological sink for atmospheric methane. Here, Schmider et al. assess the ability and strategies of seven methanotrophic species to grow with air as sole energy, carbon, and nitrogen source, showing that these bacteria can grow on the trace concentrations of methane, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen present in air.
- Tilman Schmider
- , Anne Grethe Hestnes
- & Alexander T. Tveit
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Article
| Open AccessAmmonium-derived nitrous oxide is a global source in streams
NH4+-derived pathways, rather than NO3--derived pathway, are the dominant hyporheic N2O sources in lower-order streams. These findings provide insights into better estimation of N2O emissions in global models of riverine ecosystems and emphasize the importance of managing ammonium.
- Shanyun Wang
- , Bangrui Lan
- & Yong-Guan Zhu
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Article
| Open AccessAlpha-glucans from bacterial necromass indicate an intra-population loop within the marine carbon cycle
Phytoplankton blooms provoke bacterioplankton blooms, from which bacterial biomass (necromass) is released via zooplankton grazing and viral lysis. Here, Beidler et al. show that the bacterial biomass, including alpha-glucan polysaccharides generated from the consumption of algal organic matter, is reused by microbes in vitro and during a diatom-dominated bloom.
- Irena Beidler
- , Nicola Steinke
- & Thomas Schweder
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| Open AccessHigh carbon dioxide emissions from Australian estuaries driven by geomorphology and climate
Australian estuaries shown to emit more CO2 per unit area than global estuaries due to the dominance of macrotidal subtropical and tropical tidal systems, while disturbance effects were minimal due to low overall disturbance.
- Jacob Z.-Q. Yeo
- , Judith A. Rosentreter
- & Bradley D. Eyre
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| Open AccessOverlooked shelf sediment reductive sinks of dissolved rhenium and uranium in the modern ocean
The sources and sinks of Re and U in the modern ocean may be imbalanced, according to sedimentary porewater analysis and assessment of reductive Re and U removal on the continental shelf
- Qingquan Hong
- , Yilin Cheng
- & Tianyu Chen
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| Open AccessGlobal census of the significance of giant mesopelagic protists to the marine carbon and silicon cycles
Rhizaria are abundant protists in the ocean and likely important to biogeochemical cycling. In this study the authors assess the global distribution, biomass and biogeochemical significance of Rhizaria, finding that they play an important role in carbon flux attenuation and dominate silicon cycling in the mesopelagic zone.
- Manon Laget
- , Laetitia Drago
- & Tristan Biard
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Article
| Open AccessLand conversion to agriculture induces taxonomic homogenization of soil microbial communities globally
Agricultural land-use change affects belowground biodiversity. Here, the authors compare soil microbial communities from natural ecosystems and agricultural systems, finding that agricultural conversion leads to taxonomic and functional homogenisation.
- Ziheng Peng
- , Xun Qian
- & Shuo Jiao
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Article
| Open AccessSulfur oxidation and reduction are coupled to nitrogen fixation in the roots of the salt marsh foundation plant Spartina alterniflora
The mechanisms underlying plant-microbe interactions in coastal ecosystems are little explored. Here, the authors use multi-omics and biogeochemical measurements to investigate the saltmarsh cordgrass root microbiome and its role in coupling nitrogen fixation and sulfur cycling.
- J. L. Rolando
- , M. Kolton
- & J. E. Kostka
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Article
| Open AccessModerate greenhouse climate and rapid carbonate formation after Marinoan snowball Earth
When the Marinoan snowball Earth deglaciated, the ocean’s chemistry determined the strength and duration of the ensuing supergreenhouse climate, while the sudden warming and biological activity could have led to a rapid formation of cap dolostones.
- Lennart Ramme
- , Tatiana Ilyina
- & Jochem Marotzke
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| Open AccessWarming drives dissolved organic carbon export from pristine alpine soils
The temperature-sensitivity of soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) export is widely debated but limited by the duration of observations. New data from environmental archives supports a pronounced sensitivity between soil DOC leaching and warming.
- Andrew R. Pearson
- , Bethany R. S. Fox
- & Adam Hartland
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| Open AccessMetabolic coupling between soil aerobic methanotrophs and denitrifiers in rice paddy fields
Microbial denitrification in rice paddy fields reduces N use efficiency. Here, the authors use field samples from major rice producing areas in China and identify microbial taxa involved in the metabolic couplings between aerobic CH4 oxidation and denitrification in rice paddy fields.
- Kang-Hua Chen
- , Jiao Feng
- & Yu-Rong Liu
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Article
| Open AccessStrong linkage between benthic oxygen uptake and bacterial tetraether lipids in deep-sea trench regions
Xiao et al. uncover a strong linkage between marine bacterial tetraether lipids and benthic oxygen uptake in deepsea trench regions, indicating their potential for assessing microbial diagenetic activity and organic carbon degradation.
- Wenjie Xiao
- , Yunping Xu
- & Ronnie N. Glud
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Comment
| Open AccessAll-inclusive nitrifiers in Antarctic soils
Multidisciplinary culture-dependent and -independent techniques elucidate the unique microbial nitrogen cycle in nutrient-poor coastal Antarctica soils and reveal the contribution of novel key microbes to their nitrogen budget.
- Maximiliano Ortiz
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| Open AccessUnveiling unique microbial nitrogen cycling and nitrification driver in coastal Antarctica
This study reveals a unique microbial nitrogen cycling process in Antarctica’s coastal regions, with nitrification playing a significant role. The research notably identifies comammox Nitrospira clade B as a key driver of this process.
- Ping Han
- , Xiufeng Tang
- & Guitao Shi
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Article
| Open AccessThe deepwater oxygen deficit in stratified shallow seas is mediated by diapycnal mixing
Oxygen deprivation in the marine environment is likely to be exacerbated by climate change. We present data to show the potential impact of changing weather patterns in the development of a seasonal oxygen deficit in seasonally stratifying shelf seas.
- Tom Rippeth
- , Sijing Shen
- & Jonathan Sharples
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Article
| Open AccessMaximizing carbon sequestration potential in Chinese forests through optimal management
The authors show China’s forests can sequester 172.3 million tons of carbon per year in biomass by 2100, with an additional 28.1 million tons from improved management practices, but neglecting wood harvest impacts will distort long-term future projections.
- Zhen Yu
- , Shirong Liu
- & Evgenios Agathokleous
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReply to: Rectifying misinformation on the climate intervention potential of ocean afforestation
- Lennart T. Bach
- , Veronica Tamsitt
- & Philip W. Boyd
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Article
| Open AccessIntermediate soil acidification induces highest nitrous oxide emissions
Intermediate soil acidification alters the denitrifier community composition and induces high nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which contributes to the observed acceleration of N2O emissions from global soils
- Yunpeng Qiu
- , Yi Zhang
- & Shuijin Hu
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Article
| Open AccessMeta-analysis shows the impacts of ecological restoration on greenhouse gas emissions
International initiatives set ambitious targets for ecological restoration. Here, the authors conduct a meta-analysis to quantify the impacts of ecological restoration on greenhouse gas emissions and find that forest, grassland, and wetland restoration reduce global warming potential.
- Tiehu He
- , Weixin Ding
- & Quanfa Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessNitrogen and phosphorus trends in lake sediments of China may diverge
Nutrient levels in Chinese lakes have rapidly increased since 1950 but future trends in lacustrine nitrogen and phosphorus across China will differentiate, according to projections up to 2100.
- Panpan Ji
- , Jianhui Chen
- & Fahu Chen
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Article
| Open AccessTreeline displacement may affect lake dissolved organic matter processing at high latitudes and altitudes
Shifts in the treeline may induce changes in organic matter composition of lakes at high altitude and latitude. Here, the authors experimentally unravel effects of soil-derived DOM for lake carbon biogeochemistry and bacterial carbon use efficiency.
- Núria Catalán
- , Carina Rofner
- & Hannes Peter
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| Open AccessWidespread extracellular electron transfer pathways for charging microbial cytochrome OmcS nanowires via periplasmic cytochromes PpcABCDE
How do cells put electrons to rest? Using a minimal pathway to get rid of excess metabolic electrons, diverse environmentally important microbes overcome large spatial, kinetic, and thermodynamic barriers in order to survive in extreme anoxic conditions.
- Pilar C. Portela
- , Catharine C. Shipps
- & Nikhil S. Malvankar
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Article
| Open AccessElevation-dependent pattern of net CO2 uptake across China
The authors employed 203 eddy covariance towers to reveal a negative and varying elevation dependent pattern of CO2 uptake, under changes in Earth’s climate and human activities.
- Da Wei
- , Jing Tao
- & Xiaodan Wang
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Article
| Open AccessHigh hydrostatic pressure stimulates microbial nitrate reduction in hadal trench sediments under oxic conditions
Hadal trenches are the deepest oceanic ecosystems, with water depth over 6000 m, and are among the least explored habitats on Earth. This research demonstrates that high hydrostatic pressure enhances denitrification activity under oxic conditions, potentially making hadal trenches fixed nitrogen loss hotpots.
- Na Yang
- , Yongxin Lv
- & Yu Zhang
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| Open AccessReconciling ice core CO2 and land-use change following New World-Old World contact
Ice core records of gradually declining atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) for the period 1450–1700 CE support modelled scenarios of large-scale reorganisation of land use in the Americas following New World-Old World contact.
- Amy C. F. King
- , Thomas K. Bauska
- & Matthew B. Osman
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Article
| Open AccessViral potential to modulate microbial methane metabolism varies by habitat
The role of viruses in environmental methane cycling is still largely unclear. Here, Zhong et al. analyse metagenomics data to identify auxiliary metabolic genes related to methane metabolism within viral contigs. They found that the potential viral impacts on methane production and oxidation varies by habitat.
- Zhi-Ping Zhong
- , Jingjie Du
- & Matthew B. Sullivan
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Article
| Open AccessGeographic range of plants drives long-term climate change
The geographic spread of plants exerted an important control over ancient climate change by modifying continental weathering and carbon burial rates. This effect is investigated using a new coupled vegetation-climate-biogeochemical model.
- Khushboo Gurung
- , Katie J. Field
- & Benjamin J. W. Mills
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Article
| Open AccessMyriad Mapping of nanoscale minerals reveals calcium carbonate hemihydrate in forming nacre and coral biominerals
A new carbonate phase calcium carbonate hemihydrate was recently discovered and characterized, but exclusively as a synthetic material. Here the authors find that it exists in nature, albeit transiently, on the surface of growing nacre and coral skeletons, and show that 2 amorphous and 2 metastable crystalline nano-minerals form before biominerals settle into their stable crystals.
- Connor A. Schmidt
- , Eric Tambutté
- & Pupa U.P.A. Gilbert
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReply to: Field experiments show no consistent reductions in soil microbial carbon in response to warming
- Guillaume Patoine
- , Nico Eisenhauer
- & Carlos A. Guerra
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessField experiments show no consistent reductions in soil microbial carbon in response to warming
- Chao Yue
- , Jinshi Jian
- & Ben Bond-Lamberty
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Article
| Open AccessAnthropogenic carbon pathways towards the North Atlantic interior revealed by Argo-O2, neural networks and back-calculations
Large emissions of anthropogenic carbon dioxide have been partly absorbed by the oceans. Here, the authors use Argo-O2 floats combined with existing methods to study the distribution of this anthropogenic CO2 in the North Atlantic Ocean.
- Rémy Asselot
- , Lidia I. Carracedo
- & Fiz F. Pérez
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Article
| Open AccessTransition from positive to negative indirect CO2 effects on the vegetation carbon uptake
It is unclear how indirect CO2 effect – via associated climate change – on vegetation carbon uptake changes globally. Here, the authors show that such initial positive effect has declined recently, shifting to negative in the early 21st century.
- Zefeng Chen
- , Weiguang Wang
- & Alessandro Cescatti
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Article
| Open AccessPatterns in the temporal complexity of global chlorophyll concentration
For satellite data, noisy observations can often be ignored in favour of smooth trends and signals. Here, the authors developed a method to quantify the complexity of chlorophyll-α time series on a global scale, which led to the discovery of greater differences among regions than previously recognized.
- Vitul Agarwal
- , Jonathan Chávez-Casillas
- & Colleen B. Mouw
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Article
| Open AccessA triple increase in global river basins with water scarcity due to future pollution
Here the authors find one third of global sub-basins will face severe clean water scarcity in 2050. Nitrogen pollution aggravates water scarcity in >2,000 sub-basins thus 3 billion more people will be posed with severe water scarcity in 2050.
- Mengru Wang
- , Benjamin Leon Bodirsky
- & Maryna Strokal
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Article
| Open AccessIncreased nitrous oxide emissions from global lakes and reservoirs since the pre-industrial era
Modeling shows that N2O emissions from global lakes and reservoirs have doubled since the pre-industrial era, this was mainly caused by widespread agricultural nitrogen application.
- Ya Li
- , Hanqin Tian
- & Shufen Pan
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Article
| Open AccessAtmospheric deposition and river runoff stimulate the utilization of dissolved organic phosphorus in coastal seas
Increasing deposition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in coastal oceans through the atmosphere and rivers exacerbate the deficiency of phosphate which stimulates the utilization of dissolved organic phosphorus by phytoplankton.
- Haoyu Jin
- , Chao Zhang
- & Huiwang Gao
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal distribution of surface soil organic carbon in urban greenspaces
Using observed data, Guo et al. present a comprehensive assessment of soil organic carbon density and stock in global urban greenspaces. This study elucidates the global distribution of soil organic carbon in urban greenspaces and provides a baseline for future projection.
- Hongbo Guo
- , Enzai Du
- & Robert B. Jackson
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Article
| Open AccessRevealing the hidden carbon in forested wetland soils
A large proportion of wetland extent is not mapped in currently available national datasets. Incorporating newly revealed wetlands into soil carbon mapping methods increases estimates of wetland soil carbon stock by 482%.
- Anthony J. Stewart
- , Meghan Halabisky
- & L. Monika Moskal
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Article
| Open AccessSalinity causes widespread restriction of methane emissions from small inland waters
Small inland water bodies are widely seen as important sources of methane to the atmosphere. This study demonstrates that hardwater ecosystems emit less of this potent greenhouse gas than predicted due to complex biogeochemical controls
- Cynthia Soued
- , Matthew J. Bogard
- & Paige Kowal
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Article
| Open AccessDrought may exacerbate dryland soil inorganic carbon loss under warming climate conditions
Drought is shown to enhance the temperature sensitivity of soil inorganic carbon dissolution but to weaken that of soil organic carbon decomposition, indicating that drought may exacerbate dryland soil carbon loss from inorganic carbon under warming.
- Jinquan Li
- , Junmin Pei
- & Ming Nie
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| Open AccessThermal responses of dissolved organic matter under global change
The response of organic molecules to climate change is linked to warming, nutrient loading, and greenhouse gas emissions, according to an indicator developed to quantify the aggregated thermal response of individual organic molecules.
- Ang Hu
- , Kyoung-Soon Jang
- & Jianjun Wang
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Article
| Open AccessManaging urban development could halve nitrogen pollution in China
Here the authors demonstrate how managed urbanization in China could halve reactive nitrogen pollution to both the atmosphere and water resources. Investing 61 billion USD could provide 245 billion USD in benefits, while contributing to multiple SDG goals.
- Ouping Deng
- , Sitong Wang
- & Baojing Gu
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Article
| Open AccessKnowledge-guided machine learning can improve carbon cycle quantification in agroecosystems
Existing models to estimate agroecosystem C cycle have large uncertainties. Here, the authors propose a knowledge-guided machine learning framework that improves C cycle quantification in agroecosystems by integrating process-based and machine learning models, and multi-source high-resolution data.
- Licheng Liu
- , Wang Zhou
- & Zhenong Jin
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Article
| Open AccessMicrobially mediated mechanisms underlie soil carbon accrual by conservation agriculture under decade-long warming
Agricultural soil C dynamics under climate change are difficult to predict. Here, the authors report that experimental warming increases soil organic C stocks in conservation agriculture but not in conventional agriculture, which appears driven by soil microbial responses to no tillage and C inputs from the crops.
- Jing Tian
- , Jennifer A. J. Dungait
- & Jizhong Zhou
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Article
| Open AccessSevere 21st-century ocean acidification in Antarctic Marine Protected Areas
Biodiversity in established or proposed Antarctic Marine Protected Areas is threatened by climate change. The authors show that projected ocean acidification is severe in Antarctic coastal waters due to strong vertical mixing of anthropogenic carbon.
- Cara Nissen
- , Nicole S. Lovenduski
- & Judith Hauck
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Article
| Open AccessProjected soil carbon loss with warming in constrained Earth system models
Large uncertainties remain in Earth system models in predicting soil carbon-climate feedbacks. Here, the authors constrained projected soil carbon changes in ESMs using observation-derived data, and found that global soil will become a carbon source under future warming.
- Shuai Ren
- , Tao Wang
- & Shilong Piao
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Article
| Open AccessUniversal microbial reworking of dissolved organic matter along environmental gradients
Soils combat climate change by storing carbon but lose considerable amounts of carbon into downstream waters. Here a general process for how microbes transform carbon across soil-to-stream to impact its persistence in the natural environment is demonstrated.
- Erika C. Freeman
- , Erik J. S. Emilson
- & Andrew J. Tanentzap
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Article
| Open AccessThe blue carbon of southern southwest Atlantic salt marshes and their biotic and abiotic drivers
This study provides a comprehensive characterization of blue C for South American Atlantic salt marshes and reveals that environmental and biological variables are important for an understanding of blue C storage leading to lower global estimates.
- Paulina Martinetto
- , Juan Alberti
- & Raymond Ward
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Article
| Open AccessMetallic micronutrients are associated with the structure and function of the soil microbiome
Soil micronutrients may be important for belowground biota and associated functions. Here, the authors identify the relationships between metallic micronutrients and soil microbial communities and functions across 180 sites, and validate them in a soil incubation experiment.
- Zhongmin Dai
- , Xu Guo
- & Jianming Xu