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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Compositional stability of peat in ecosystem-scale warming mesocosms

Peatlands historically have acted as a C sink because C-fixation rates exceeded the rate of heterotrophic decomposition. Under future warmer conditions predicted for higher latitudes, however, that balance may shift towards higher rates of heterotrophic respiration leading to the release of previously stored C as CO 2 and CH 4 . The Spruce and Peatlands Response Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) experiment is designed to test the response of peatlands to climate forcing using a series of warmed enclosures in combination with peat below-ground heating from 0 to +9°C above ambient conditions. This experimental design allowed a test of chemical changes occurring within peatland soils following five years of warming. We analyzed samples in the uppermost 2m of peat using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) to quantify the relative abundance of carbohydrate and aromatic compounds in the peat. The peat soils were subjected to deep peat heating (DPH) beginning in June of 2014 followed by whole ecosystem warming (WEW) in August of 2015. We found that the relative amounts of labile and recalcitrant chemical compound groups across the full peat depth interval did not significantly change after five years of exposure to warming. This appears the case even though previous studies have shown that net C losses and loss of bulk peat mass to be instability over that time period. Results suggest that the current store of carbon in peatlands are largely compositionally stable leading to no changes the in the ratio of chemical moieties on the initial four-year timescale of this experiment.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Warming induces divergent stomatal dynamics in co-occurring boreal trees

Abstract Climate warming will alter photosynthesis and respiration not only via direct temperature effects on leaf biochemistry but also by increasing atmospheric dryness, thereby reducing stomatal conductance and suppressing photosynthesis. Our knowledge on how climate warming affects these processes is mainly derived from seedlings grown under highly controlled conditions. However, little is known regarding temperature responses of trees growing under field settings. We exposed mature tamarack and black spruce trees growing in a peatland ecosystem to whole-ecosystem warming of up to +9°C above ambient air temperatures in an ongoing long-term experiment (SPRUCE: Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments). Here, we report the responses of leaf gas exchange after the first two years of warming. We show that the two species exhibit divergent stomatal responses to warming and vapor pressure deficit. Warming of up to 9°C increased leaf N in both spruce and tamarack. However, higher leaf N in the warmer plots translate into higher photosynthesis in tamarack but not in spruce, with photosynthesis being more constrained by stomatal limitations in spruce than in tamarack under warm conditions. Surprisingly, dark respiration did not acclimate to warming in spruce, and thermal acclimation of respiration was only seen in tamarack once changes in leaf N were considered. Our results highlight how warming can lead to differing stomatal responses to warming in co-occurring species, with consequent effects on both vegetation carbon and water dynamics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Differential effects of press vs. pulse seawater intrusion on microbial communities of a tidal freshwater marsh

Abstract Tidal freshwater marshes (TFMs) are threatened by seawater intrusion, which can affect microbial communities and alter biogeochemical processes. Here, we report on a long‐term, large‐scale manipulative field experiment that investigated continuous (press) and episodic (pulse, 2 months/yr) inputs of brackish water on microbial communities in a TFM. After 2.5 yr, microbial diversity was lower in press treatments than in control (untreated) plots whereas diversity in pulse plots was unaffected by brackish water additions. Sulfate reducer abundance increased in response to both press and pulse treatments whereas methanogens did not differ among treatments. Our results, along with other lab and field measurements that show reduced soil respiration and extracellular enzyme activity suggest that continuous seawater intrusion will decrease macrophyte C inputs that reduce bacterial diversity in ways that also diminish ecosystem carbon cycling.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Raw soil carbon dioxide, moisture, temperature and micrometeorological data in the East River Watershed, Colorado June 2021-June 2024. (DE-SC0021139)

This dataset contains raw data from four tripod stations along an elevation gradient on Snodgrass Mountain in the East River Watershed, CO, USA. Each station contains a datalogger connected to 3 soil Carbon Dioxide CO2 gas probes, 3 soil temperature/moisture sensors and a micrometeorological station. Sensors are scanned every minute, and the 30 minute average is reported. The file snodgrass_soil_ESS.csv contains raw data, a row of column descriptors, and units of measurements. some data processing and QA/QC was done to filter out data from sensors that went bad and extreme outliers. CO2 sensors that went bad were replaced with new sensors as soon as possible. This research was performed to investigate the ecohydrological linkages of belowground carbon processes in the East River watershed forested communities to better understand how these ecosystems will respond to a changing cold-season moisture input. This is the second version of this data set and was modified on 10/01/2024. The primary change in the data was the addition of data from the fall of 2022 to June of 2024. In addition, minor QA/QC was done to filter out data from sensors that went bad and extreme outliers. THe filtered data are now NA's in this data frame and primarily the CO2 sensors. Limited to no QA/QC has been done on the other environmental data. This is now the third version of the data set, and was modified 03/25/2026. The primary change in the data was the addition of data from the June of 2024 to December 2025. Further r QA/QC was done with the new data to filter out bad data from faulty sensors and extreme outliers. The filtered data are now NA's in this data frame and primarily the CO2 sensors. Limited to no QA/QC has been done on the other environmental data. ##This additional data was funded under DE-SC0024218( Responses of Plant and Microbial Respiration Sources to Changing Cold Season Climate Drivers in the East River Watershed)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Using mid-infrared spectroscopy to estimate soil microbial properties at the continental scale

Understanding microbial community properties is critical to improving the predictions of biogeochemical processes for enhancing soil carbon sequestration. Here, in this observational study, mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy and partial least squares regression was used to predict soil microbial and chemical properties from diverse ecosystems across the continental USA. Random calibration and validation demonstrated the prediction potential for soil properties using MIR spectra, with the strongest predictions for microbial respiration, followed by microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, ß-glucosidase activity, as well as soil chemical properties including organic carbon and total nitrogen. Microbial properties were mainly positively correlated to spectral regions associated with aliphatic C-H groups and C=O stretches of polysaccharides and negatively correlated to quartz and silicate-associated regions. We conclude that MIR spectroscopy can characterize soil microbial functions and be useful for the improvement of continental-scale soil carbon modeling and prediction programs.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Monitoring of Terrestrial Aquatic Ecosystems Through Analysis of Time-Variant Hyperspectral Imagery

Time-variant spectral analysis of plants can classify stress-based perturbations (e.g., dry soil or increased salination) and quantify mechanistic attributes associated with plant photosynthesis, respiration, hormone function, and plant morphology. This project will investigate the utility of hyperspectral cameras for detecting and monitoring these perturbations.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ecosystems and Networks Integrated with Genes and Molecular Assemblies (ENIGMA) (Final Scientific/Technical Report, Subcontract Award No. 6953691)

The overarching objective the Baliga lab is to develop a mechanistic understanding of the field relevant metabolic processes underlying community partitioning of respiration pathways and physiological state shifts. In order to dissect how environmental perturbations influence microbial regulatory networks, we have constructed data-driven models that capture the dynamic interplay between abiotic and biotic factors during laboratory simulations. Specifically, we have developed multiple computational models (i.e., cMonkey2, EGRIN 2.0, and multiple genome-scale metabolic models) connecting environmental influence to genome-encoded regulatory programs. In addition, we have generated new tools such as Live Anaerobic Cell Sorting (LAnCS) and Fluidized Bed Reactors (FBRs) to investigate the dynamics of community partitioning of metabolic processes supporting sulfate or nitrate respiration, which are two critical activities observed from the field site at Oak Ridge National Labs (ORNL). This framework of connecting field phenomena with laboratory simulations and computational modeling has created the Environmental Simulations and Modelling (EnvSim) campaign within ENIGMA. The campaign, which spans multiple laboratories across ENIGMA and is led by the Baliga group, has established synthetic communities (SynComs) to discover, characterize, and dissect key microbial processes relevant to field observations, such as emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N 2 O). For example, the EnvSim campaign so far has deduced four potential mechanisms that may account for the N 2 O emissions at the FRC and are currently being investigated by labs across ENIGMA. Denitrification may be driven by complete denitrifiers, however, their NosZ enzymes, which catalyze the final step in denitrification by converting N 2 O to N 2 , may be sensitive at a lower pH. Additionally, the denitrification process could be partitioned among organisms and some may have pH-sensitive NosZ genes. Another factor contributing to variable N 2 O emissions relates to the metal co-factors involved in the denitrification pathway. For instance, excess Cu, Al, Mn, U, Ni, Co, Cu, and/or Cd may have inhibitory effects on multiple enzymatic steps during denitrification, while the enzymatic production of nitrite, the precursor of N 2 O, can be limited by the essential metal Mo. Lastly, abiotic production of N 2 O may occur as a result of chemodenitrification, in which metals like Fe, Mn, and some organic compounds can drive redox reactions that convert nitrogen cycle intermediates to N 2 O under the right conditions. Current investigations and analyses have generated multiple transcriptomic profiles aiding the refinement of new metabolic and gene regulatory network model for our denitrifying SynCom. In sum, the previous funding cycle has generated 33 peer-reviewed publications spanning predictive network biology to co-operativity of mutualistic interspecies interactions of evolved communities. Our integration of multiple omics datasets and the development of new network modelling tools has revealed important insights that can explain field observed phenomenon and generated new hypotheses to be investigated in the field.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Scaling hyporheic nitrogen cycling in large river alluvial aquifers

Research Element 1: Denitrification is a difficult flux to measure when fluxes are low and when the ecosystem is difficult to sample. These attributes describe Nyack floodplain, a large gravel-bedded aquifer adjacent to the Middle Fork Flathead River. Given that denitrification is simply respiration with nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor, we reasoned that N 2 production should negatively covary with oxygen respiration so long that oxygen is available. We sampled 16 wells 8 times throughout a year and analyzed these water samples on a membrane-inlet mass spectrometer for N 2 :Ar and O 2 . We fit multilevel models to N 2 :Ar as a function of dissolved oxygen. Within wells, there was no relationship between O 2 and N 2 :Ar. Among wells N 2 :Ar increased as O 2 declined. Based on the slope of this relationship, ~ -0.07, and estimated oxygen respiration in Nyack derived from prior studies, a possible range for denitrification is 0-8 mmol m -2 d -1 corresponding to a turnover rate for nitrate of 0-0.2/d. This estimated turnover rate is in the lower 20% of rates measured in the LINX 2 study, yet shows that even in a low nitrate (0.005 mmol/L) aquifer denitrification can be a substantial sink for dissolved N. Research Element 3 and 4: We developed a new theoretical approach to describe the relationship between water inflow, water outflow, and water age in porous media control volumes under dynamic flow conditions. Our approach had three distinct steps. First we described the application of well-established equations borrowed from Chemical Engineering to describe water age distributions in the hyporheic zone under steady state conditions. We published the associated results in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. Second, we developed a new theory ("flow spans") to describe how predicted steady-state water age distributions will respond to time varying imbalances in hyporheic discharge and recharge. Finally, we developed a proof-of-concept simulation model based on the new theory and used the model to examine the effects of flow regulation on a simulated river with characteristics representative of western U.S. montane rivers with expansive hyporheic zones.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Responses of Drying-rewetting (Transient Soil Moisture) and Steady State Soil Moisture Incubation on Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics in Three US Soils, 2017

This data set contains measurements of soil characteristics (aggregate size distribution and mean size, total aggregate associated carbon, extractable organic C, and microbial biomass C), microbial respiration, and soil metabolite concentrations from a transient and steady soil moisture incubation experiment using soils of different textures (sandy, loamy, and clayey). The study investigated mechanisms driving the Birch effect (increased carbon mineralization pulses with wetting following a drying period) in differing soil textures. Three different soils of distinctly different textures were collected from 0-15cm depth in Georgia (sandy, 2017-05-01), Missouri (loamy, 2017-06-14), and Texas (clayey, December 2017). Soils were incubated for 140 days with destructive harvests done on days 1, 29, 33, 56, 112, 116, and 140 in transient soil moisture incubation and on days 1, 33, 116, and 140 in steady state soil moisture incubation. This dataset contains six data files in comma separate (.csv) format. Additional metadata are provided: six data dictionaries and a file-level metadata file in comma separate (*.csv) format and a user guide in PDF (*.pdf) format.

1-Methyladenosine concentration↗
NASA NTRS1999

Post-Viking microbiology: new approaches, new data, new insights

In the 20 years since the Viking experiments, major advances have been made in the areas of microbial systematics, microbial metabolism, microbial survival capacity, and the definition of environments on earth, suggesting that life is more versatile and tenacious than was previously appreciated. Almost all niches on earth which have available energy, and which are compatible with the chemistry of carbon-carbon bonds, are known to be inhabited by bacteria. The oldest known bacteria on earth apparently evolved soon after the formation of the planet, and are heat loving, hydrogen and/or sulfur metabolizing forms. Among the two microbial domains (kingdoms) is a great deal of metabolic diversity, with members of these forms being able to grow on almost any known energy source, organic or inorganic, and to utilize an impressive array of electron acceptors for anaerobic respiration. Both hydrothermal environments and the deep subsurface environments have been shown to support large populations of bacteria, growing on energy supplied by geothermal energy, thus isolating these ecosystems from the rest of the global biogeochemical cycles. This knowledge, coupled with new insights into the history of the solar system, allow one to speculate on possible evolution and survival of life forms on Mars.

Review↗
DOE OSTI2022

Latitudinal shifts of soil microbial biomass seasonality

Soil microbes ultimately drive the mineralization of soil organic carbon and thus ecosystem functions. We compiled a dataset of the seasonality of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and developed a semi-mechanistic model to map monthly MBC across the globe. MBC exhibits an equatorially symmetric seasonality between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In the Northern Hemisphere, MBC peaks in autumn and is minimal in spring at low latitudes (<25°N), peaks in the spring and is minimal in autumn at mid-latitudes (25°N to 50°N), while peaks in autumn and is minimal in spring at high latitudes (>50°N). This latitudinal shift of MBC seasonality is attributed to an interaction of soil temperature, soil moisture, and substrate availability. The MBC seasonality is inconsistent with patterns of heterotrophic respiration, indicating that MBC as a proxy for microbial activity is inappropriate at this resolution. This study highlights the need to explicitly represent microbial physiology in microbial models. The interactive controls of environments and substrate on microbial seasonality provide insights for better representing microbial mechanisms in simulating ecosystem functions at the seasonal scale.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Exploring the determinants of organic matter bioavailability through substrate-explicit thermodynamic modeling

Microbial decomposition of organic matter (OM) in river corridors is a major driver of nutrient and energy cycles in natural ecosystems. Recent advances in omics technologies enabled high-throughput generation of molecular data that could be used to inform biogeochemical models. With ultrahigh-resolution OM data becoming more readily available, in particular, the substrate-explicit thermodynamic modeling (SXTM) has emerged as a promising approach due to its ability to predict OM degradation and respiration rates from chemical formulae of compounds. This model implicitly assumes that all detected organic compounds are bioavailable, and that aerobic respiration is driven solely by thermodynamics. Despite promising demonstrations in previous studies, these assumptions may not be universally valid because OM degradation is a complex process governed by multiple factors. To identify key drivers of OM respiration, we performed a comprehensive analysis of diverse river systems using Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry OM data and associated respiration measurements collected by the Worldwide Hydrobiogeochemistry Observation Network for Dynamic River Systems (WHONDRS) consortium. In support of our argument, we found that the incorporation of all compounds detected in the samples into the SXTM resulted in a poor correlation between the predicted and measured respiration rates. The data-model consistency was significantly improved by the selective use of a small subset (i.e., only about 5%) of organic compounds identified using an optimization method. Through a subsequent comparative analysis of the subset of compounds (which we presume as bioavailable) against the full set of compounds, we identified three major traits that potentially determine OM bioavailability, including: (1) thermodynamic favorability of aerobic respiration, (2) the number of C atoms contained in compounds, and (2) carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio. We found that all three factors serve as “filters” in that the compounds with undesirable properties in any of these traits are strictly excluded from the bioavailable fraction. This work highlights the importance of accounting for the complex interplay among multiple key traits to increase the predictive power of biogeochemical and ecosystem models.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Decadal forest soil respiration following stem girdling

Soil respiration (Rs) represents the largest flux of carbon (C) from forests to the atmosphere, but the long-term influence of phloem-disrupting disturbance on Rs is poorly understood, limiting robust forecasts of ecosystem C balance. Using a decade of observations from the Forest accelerated succession experiment (FASET), we examined relationships among Rs, soil temperature, soil moisture, and leaf area index (LAI) following the stem girdling-induced mortality of 40% of all canopy trees within a 39-ha area. Mean annual Rs declined by about 20% relative to the control two years after disturbance, but recovered to near pre-disturbance values within five years; this reduction correlated with LAI losses and lower Rs temperature sensitivity (i.e., Q 10 ), with the latter counteracting soil warming caused by partial canopy defoliation. These observations are consistent with progressive reductions in belowground labile C causing reductions in Rs. In conclusion, we conclude that the effects of stem girdling on Rs (1) were not immediate, occurring two years after the treatment, (2) were primarily influenced by biotic rather than soil microclimate changes, and (3) persisted for nearly a decade but were temporally dynamic, underscoring the value of long-term experiments.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Soil microbiome feedbacks during disturbance-driven forest ecosystem conversion

Abstract Disturbances cause rapid changes to forests, with different disturbance types and severities creating unique ecosystem trajectories that can impact the underlying soil microbiome. Pile burning—the combustion of logging residue on the forest floor—is a common fuel reduction practice that can have impacts on forest soils analogous to those following high-severity wildfire. Further, pile burning following clear-cut harvesting can create persistent openings dominated by nonwoody plants surrounded by dense regenerating conifer forest. A paired 60-year chronosequence of burn scar openings and surrounding regenerating forest after clear-cut harvesting provides a unique opportunity to assess whether belowground microbial processes mirror aboveground vegetation during disturbance-induced ecosystem shifts. Soil ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity was reduced the first decade after pile burning, which could explain poor tree seedling establishment and subsequent persistence of herbaceous species within the openings. Fine-scale changes in the soil microbiome mirrored aboveground shifts in vegetation, with short-term changes to microbial carbon cycling functions resembling a postfire microbiome (e.g. enrichment of aromatic degradation genes) and respiration in burn scars decoupled from substrate quantity and quality. Broadly, however, soil microbiome composition and function within burn scar soils converged with that of the surrounding regenerating forest six decades after the disturbances, indicating potential microbial resilience that was disconnected from aboveground vegetation shifts. This work begins to unravel the belowground microbial processes that underlie disturbance-induced ecosystem changes, which are increasing in frequency tied to climate change.

Nelson, Amelia R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

From the top: surface-derived carbon fuels greenhouse gas production at depth in a peatland

Tropical peatlands play an important role in global carbon (C) cycling, but little is known about factors driving carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) emissions from these ecosystems, especially production in deeper soils. This study aimed to identify source material and processes regulating C emissions originating deep in three sites in a peatland on the Caribbean coast of Panama. We hypothesized that (1) surface-derived organic matter transported down the soil profile is the primary C source for respiration products at depth and that (2) high lignin content results in hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis as the dominant CH 4 production pathway throughout the profile. We used radiocarbon isotopic values to determine whether CO 2 and CH 4 at depth are produced from modern substrates or ancient deep peat, and we used stable C isotopes to identify the dominant CH 4 production pathway. Peat organic chemistry was characterized using 13 C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 13 C-NMR). We found that deep peat respiration products had radiocarbon signatures that were more similar to surface dissolved organic C (DOC) than deep solid peat. These results indicate that surface-derived organic matter was the dominant source for gas production at depth in this peatland, likely because of vertical transport of DOC from the surface to depth. Lignin, which was the most abundant compound (55 %–70 % of C), increased with depth across these sites, whereas other C compounds like carbohydrates did not vary with depth. These results suggest that there is no preferential decomposition of carbohydrates but instead preferential retention of lignin. Stable isotope signatures of respiration products indicated that hydrogenotrophic rather than acetoclastic methanogenesis was the dominant production pathway of CH 4 throughout the peat profile. These results show that deep C in tropical peatlands does not contribute greatly to surface fluxes of carbon dioxide, with compounds like lignin preferentially retained. This protection of deep C helps explain how peatland C is retained over thousands of years and points to the vulnerability of this C should anaerobic conditions in these wet ecosystems change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Patch-level CO2 and CH4 fluxes and porewater concentrations in experimental wetlands, 2 PPT saltwater intrusion simulations, Aug-Oct 2022: Louisiana

This dataset contains carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) flux measurements from patches of wetland vegetation dominated by Typha domingensis and Panicum hemitomon, which were conducted to assess flux responses to acute saltwater intrusion. The measurements occurred before, during, and after simulated acute saltwater intrusion events of low concentrations of ~ 2 PPT. The measurements comprise gas fluxes from the wetland surface (i.e., soil-water column and vegetation) and fluxes from the soil-water column exclusively. These two sets of fluxes are separated into two files and are complemented with four more files containing porewater concentrations of CO2 and CH4 collected at 0-5 cm, 10-15 cm, and 20-25 cm depth increments, spectral indices measurements, biomass, and sediment elevation table measurements. The files can be opened with regular text editors or spreadsheet programs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2000

BOREAS TE-17 Production Efficiency Model Images

A Boreal Ecosystem-Atmospheric Study (BOREAS) version of the Global Production Efficiency Model (http://www.inform.umd.edu/glopem/) was developed by TE-17 (Terrestrial Ecology) to generate maps of gross and net primary production, autotrophic respiration, and light use efficiency for the BOREAS region. This document provides basic information on the model and how the maps were generated. The data generated by the model are stored in binary image-format files. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).

Hall, Forrest G.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Belowground cross-trophic networks impact CH4 and CO2 emissions in degraded alpine peatlands

Belowground organisms forming complex cross-trophic ecological networks are essential for maintaining peatland carbon stability and energy flow. However, how peatland degradation affects the biodiversity and cross-trophic ecological networks of soil communities remains poorly understood. Here, we examined the degradation effects on soil prokaryotes (i.e., bacteria, archaea), fungi and nematodes in alpine peatlands on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, characterized by varying water table depths (indicating degradation levels). We found that peatland degradation, accompanied by significant shifts in soil moisture and pH (P < 0.05), reduced the taxonomic richness and phylogenetic diversity of prokaryotes, fungi, and nematodes, particularly in deeper soil layers (20–50 cm). Crucially, peatland degradation weakened potential cross-trophic interactions within bipartite networks of prokaryotes-nematodes and fungi-nematodes, resulting in less than 6.5 %–28.8 % of unchanged modules. Degradation-induced changes in soil moisture and pH were identified as primary drivers of biodiversity loss and network restructuring. Furthermore, such changes of belowground cross-trophic networks (particularly prokaryote-nematode) were significantly correlated with greenhouse gas emissions, such as decreased CO2 emissions, maintained CH4 emissions (leading to a higher CH4/CO2 ratio in deep layers), and reduced temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil respiration. These findings underscore the critical need to protect soil biodiversity and cross-trophic networks in peatlands, particularly under the threat of climate change, to preserve peatland carbon stocks and maintain ecosystem stability. Our findings highlight that belowground cross-trophic networks are pivotal to decipher soil carbon dynamics of degraded peatlands and project the fate of peatland carbon stocks under future climate change scenarios.

Cross-trophic networks↗