Microbial necromass plays a crucial role in soil organic carbon (SOC) formation, yet the underlying abiotic and biotic factors remain poorly understood, particularly the trophic interactions between protists and fungi/bacteria that drive soil fungal and bacterial necromass accumulation. A groundbreaking 27-year field study reveals that how soil protists differentially control fungal and bacterial necromass accumulation—a key process governing SOC storage. These findings, published in Soil Ecology Letters, redefine our understanding of soil carbon dynamics.

Termites play a key ecological role in many tropical and subtropical ecosystems. By building and maintaining their nests and mounds, they substantially affect bioturbation levels, soil properties, and nutrient distribution.

A latest study published in Soil Ecology Letters sheds new light on how mangrove forests adapt to rising salinity levels, a critical threat amplified by climate change. The research, led by Mr. Shamim Ahmed from the Technical University of Munich, demonstrates how soil nutrients and leaf area index (LAI) interact with species and structural diversity to buffer mangrove productivity against salinity stress.

What if instead of taking a water or soil sample to the lab, you could take the lab to the sample? That’s what a team of researchers reporting in ACS Sensors did with a new nitrate-monitoring “lab-on-a-drone” system. The drone allows for easy, real-time water sampling and analysis in hard-to-reach areas like steep ditches or swampy lowlands. The technology could help farmers optimize their fertilizer use and prevent waterway pollution from excess nitrate runoff.