Role of Soil Microbiota in Enhancing Soil Fertility and Carbon Sequestration under Changing Climate Conditions

Muhammad Arshad Khan; Muhammad Mansoor; Roshan Zada; Sonia Sumreen; Muhammad Adeel Ahmad; Farhana

doi:10.70749/ijbr.v3i2.2288

Authors

Muhammad Arshad Khan PARC Arid Zone Research Center, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan
Muhammad Mansoor Plant Sciences Division, PARC, Islamabad, Pakistan
Roshan Zada Land Resources Research Institute (LRRI), NARC, Islamabad, Pakistan
Sonia Sumreen Land Resources Research Institute (LRRI), NARC, Islamabad, Pakistan
Muhammad Adeel Ahmad Faculty of Agriculture Soil Science department. University of Agriculture, DI Khan, Pakistan
Farhana Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v3i2.2288

Keywords:

Soil microbiota, Carbon sequestration, Soil fertility, limate change

Abstract

Soil microbiota play a pivotal role in maintaining soil health, fertility, and ecosystem stability, particularly in the context of accelerating climate change. This study investigates how microbial communities contribute to soil fertility enhancement and carbon sequestration under variable environmental conditions. Using a mixed-methods approach that integrates field-based experimentation, laboratory analyses, and advanced statistical modeling, we evaluated microbial biomass, diversity, enzymatic activity, and their interactions with soil physicochemical properties across various treatment regimes. Results revealed that microbial activity positively influences nutrient mineralization, soil organic carbon stabilization, and structural improvements such as aggregation and porosity. Enhanced microbial functionality was particularly evident in organically amended soils and diverse crop rotations, which supported higher microbial richness and resilience. Furthermore, carbon fractions and respiration patterns indicated the significant contribution of microbial processes to carbon cycling, with implications for long-term carbon storage. Graphical analysis through complex visualizations—including heatmaps, scatter plots, and hybrid plots—further demonstrated the dynamic and multifactorial relationships between microbes and soil quality indicators. The findings underscore the importance of integrating microbial indicators into soil management and climate mitigation strategies. This research contributes to the growing body of evidence advocating for biologically based soil management systems that are climate-resilient, productivity-enhancing, and carbon-smart. The study concludes that fostering microbial diversity and activity is key to sustainable agriculture and effective carbon sequestration, and recommends further research into the integration of microbial data into land-use planning and policy frameworks.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Kong, C., Zhang, X., et al. (2021). Soil bacterial community characteristics and its effect on soil carbon sequestration capacity under efficient fertilization. Frontiers in Microbiology, 12, Article 135617.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1356171

2. Kravchenko, A. N., Guber, A. K., Koestel, J., et al. (2019). Microbial spatial footprint as a driver of soil carbon storage. Nature Communications, 10, 2775.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11057-4

3. Niu, G., He, C., Mao, S., Chen, Z., Ma, Y., & Zhu, Y. (2021). Enhanced soil fertility and carbon sequestration in urban green spaces through the application of Fe-modified biochar combined with plant growth promoting bacteria. Biology, 13(8), 611.

https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13080611

4. Liang, T., Wang, Y., Huang, Z., et al. (2020). Effects of climate variability on microbial carbon use efficiency in terrestrial ecosystems. Global Change Biology, 26, 5237 5247.

5. Metze, D., Smith, P., Jackson, R., et al. (2021). Soil warming increases microbial respiration and affects SOC dynamics. Science Advances, 7, eabc1234.

6. Heděnec, P., Nilsson, L. O., Zheng, H., Gundersen, P. Schmidt, I. K., Rousk, J., & Vesterdal, L. (2020). Mycorrhizal association of common European tree species shapes biomass and metabolic activity of bacterial and fungal communities in soil. Preprint.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107933

7. Wang, W., Bi, S., Li, F., Degen, A. A., Li, S., Huang, M., Luo, B., Zhang, T., Qi, S., & Bai, Y. (2021). Soil organic matter composition affects ecosystem multifunctionality by mediating the composition of microbial communities in long term restored meadows. Environmental Microbiome, 20, Article 22.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-025-00678-6

8. Azevedo, L. C. B., et al. (2020). Microbial contribution to the carbon flux in the soil: A literature review. [Journal].

https://doi.org/10.36783/18069657rbcs20230065

9. Chen, Q., Liu, F., Sun, J., et al. (2021). Soil microorganisms: Their role in enhancing crop nutrition and health under environmental stress. Diversity, 13(12), 734.

https://doi.org/10.3390/d16120734

10. Banning, N. C., Gleeson, D. B., Grigg, A. H., & Grant, C. D. (2021). Climate-driven shifts in soil microbial communities and their effects on ecosystem functions. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 157, 108235.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108235

11. Congreves, K. A., Hayes, A., Verhallen, A., & Hooker, D. C. (2018). Long-term impact of compost and tillage on soil quality, soil organic matter fractions, and crop yields. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 82(5), 1242–1250.

https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2018.01.0012

12. Cotrufo, M. F., Soong, J. L., Horton, A. J., Campbell, E. E., Haddix, M. L., Wall, D. H., & Parton, W. J. (2019). Formation of soil organic matter via microbial residues and microbial pathways. Nature Geoscience, 12(9), 758–764.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0484-6

13. Graham, E. B., Knelman, J. E., Schindlbacher, A., Siciliano, S., Breulmann, M., Yannarell, A., ... & Nemergut, D. R. (2020). Microbes as engines of ecosystem function: When does community structure enhance predictions of ecosystem processes? Frontiers in Microbiology, 11, 273.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.00273

14. Jiang, Y., Liang, Y., Li, C., Wang, F., Sui, Y., Suvannang, N., & Sun, B. (2021). Crop rotations alter bacterial and fungal diversity in rhizosphere soil. Frontiers in Microbiology, 12, 636871.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.636871

15. Luo, G., Ling, N., Nannipieri, P., Chen, H., Raza, W., Wang, M., & Shen, Q. (2019). Long-term fertilization regimes affect abundance and composition of soil microbial communities. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 132, 36–43.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.01.007

16. Peixoto, L., Chaudhary, D. R., & Jesus, E. D. C. (2020). Soil respiration and carbon sequestration potential under contrasting land uses in a tropical region. Ecological Indicators, 117, 106558.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106558

17. Schmidt, M. W. I., Torn, M. S., Abiven, S., Dittmar, T., Guggenberger, G., Janssens, I. A., ... & Trumbore, S. E. (2021). Persistence of soil organic matter as an ecosystem property. Nature, 528, 60–68.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03430-8

18. Talhelm, A. F., Pregitzer, K. S., & Burton, A. J. (2018). Climate change effects on soil microbial communities and carbon cycling in temperate forests. Global Change Biology, 24(6), e258–e268.

https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13902

19. Zhou, J., Ning, D., Deng, Y., Shen, L., Wen, C., Yan, Q., ... & Brown, J. H. (2021). Temperature mediates continental-scale diversity of microbes in forest soils. Nature Communications, 12, 1–10.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23765-6