{"id":4905,"date":"2026-07-12T12:57:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T12:57:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eucface.hieresearch.org\/?page_id=4905"},"modified":"2026-07-27T07:39:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T07:39:09","slug":"microbial-limitation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eucface.hieresearch.org\/index.php\/microbial-limitation\/","title":{"rendered":"Microbial limitation"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Microbial limitation<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Project team:<\/b>\u00a0Manon Rumeau (Universit\u00e9 de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour), Fotis Sgouridis (University of Bristol), Catriona A. Macdonald (Western Sydney University), Paola Pisetta Raupp (Western Sydney University), Charles Warren, (University of Sydney) Michaela K. Reay (University of Bristol), A. Rob MacKenzie (University of Birmingham), Sami Ullah (University of Birmingham) and Yolima Carrillo (Western Sydney University)<\/p>

Project period:<\/b> 2022 – 2026<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYou can find contacts to the Western Sydney University members of the project here<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Summary<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We aimed to determine whether the limiting factors for soil decomposer microbes were altered under elevated CO\u2082. We determined the limiting factor for soil microbes\u00a0<\/i><\/p>

Key findings: <\/u>We found that soil microbial growth under ambient CO\u2082 was primarily limited by C and secondarily limited by P. Microbial C limitation was enhanced under\u00a0elevated\u00a0CO\u2082 ,\u00a0though we expected that increased plant-derived C inputs under\u00a0elevated CO\u2082 \u00a0could reduce microbial C limitation.\u00a0The enhanced C limitation was attributed to a higher C demand of a fast\u2011growing, copiotrophic decomposer community under\u00a0eCO\u2082 .\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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This conceptual figure illustrates how elevated CO\u2082 (eCO\u2082) influence microbial resource limitation and it feedback to responses of mature forest ecosystems to eCO\u2082, incorporating both previous findings (in blue) and new insights from the present study (in yellow). Under ambient CO\u2082, plant growth is primarily limited by phosphorus (P), and the current study reveals that microbial growth is primarily limited by carbon (C) and secondarily limited by P. Under eCO\u2082, increased photosynthesis enhances C input to the soil, stimulating microbial growth. Further, this acceleration leads to greater microbial demand for resources, intensifying both microbial C and P limitation. It explains the intensified competition for P between plants and microorganisms. Further, the intensified P competition may reduce C sequestration by primary production and increase C emissions from the soil, potentially diminishing the long-term capacity of ecosystems to act as C sinks under elevated CO\u2082.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Publications<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIt is completed and a paper has just been accepted by Communications Earth & Environment Mar 17, 2026. “Could soil decomposer microbes determine the ecosystem response to rising atmospheric CO2?<\/u><\/a><\/em>“\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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To get notifications when new messages are sent for a particular topic, click Subscribe in the upper right corner when the topic is open.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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