The Response Mechanism of Soil Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency to Land-Use Change: A Review

Zongkun Li and Dandan Qi ()
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Zongkun Li: Engineering Research Center of Agricultural Microbiology Technology, Ministry of Education & Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Restoration and Resource Utilization for Cold Region & Key Laboratory of Microbiology, College of Heilongjiang Province & School of Life Sciences, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
Dandan Qi: Engineering Research Center of Agricultural Microbiology Technology, Ministry of Education & Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Restoration and Resource Utilization for Cold Region & Key Laboratory of Microbiology, College of Heilongjiang Province & School of Life Sciences, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-17

Abstract: Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) is an important indicator of soil organic carbon accumulation and loss and a key parameter in biogeochemical cycling models. Its regulatory mechanism is highly dependent on microbial communities and their dynamic mediation of abiotic factors. Land-use change (e.g., agricultural expansion, deforestation, urbanization) profoundly alter carbon input patterns and soil physicochemical properties, further exacerbating the complexity and uncertainty of CUE. Existing carbon cycle models often neglect microbial ecological processes, resulting in an incomplete understanding of how microbial traits interact with environmental factors to regulate CUE. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the microbial regulation mechanisms of CUE under land-use change and systematically explores how microorganisms drive organic carbon allocation through community compositions, interspecies interactions, and environmental adaptability, with particular emphasis on the synergistic response between microbial communities and abiotic factors. We found that the buffering effect of microbial communities on abiotic factors during land-use change is a key factor determining CUE change patterns. This review not only provides a theoretical framework for clarifying the microbial-dominated carbon turnover mechanism but also lays a scientific foundation for the precise implementation of sustainable land management and carbon neutrality goals.

Keywords: soil organic carbon; carbon allocation strategies; microbial community compositions; interspecies interactions; environmental dependence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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