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1. The nature and dynamics of soil organic matter: Plant inputs, microbial transformations, and organic matter stabilization

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.04.001  

   Paul, Eldor A. (July 2016, Soil Biology and Biochemistry)
2. Microbial trait multifunctionality drives soil organic matter formation potential

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53947-2  

   Whalen, Emily D; Grandy, A Stuart; Geyer, Kevin M; Morrison, Eric W; Frey, Serita D (December 2024, Nature Communications)
3. Lake Sediment Methane Responses to Organic Matter are Related to Microbial Community Composition in Experimental Microcosms

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.834829  

   Bertolet, Brittni L.; Koepfli, Cristian; Jones, Stuart E. (March 2022, Frontiers in Environmental Science)

   Lake sediment microbial communities mediate carbon diagenesis. However, microbial community composition is variable across lakes, and it is still uncertain how variation in community composition influences sediment responses to environmental change. Sediment methane (CH 4 ) production has been shown to be substantially elevated by increased lake primary productivity and organic matter supply. However, the magnitude of the response of CH 4 production varies across lakes, and recent studies suggest a role for the microbial community in mediating this response. Here, we conducted sediment incubation experiments across 22 lakes to determine whether variation in sediment microbial community composition is related to the response of sediment CH 4 production to increases in organic matter. We sampled the 22 lakes across a gradient of pH in order to investigate lakes with variable sediment microbial communities. We manipulated the incubations with additions of dried algal biomass and show that variation in the response of CH 4 production to changes in organic matter supply is significantly correlated with metrics of sediment microbial community composition. Specifically, the diversity and richness of the non-methanogen community was most predictive of sediment CH 4 responses to organic matter additions. Additionally, neither metrics of microbial abundance nor preexisting organic matter availability explained meaningful variation in the response. Thus, our results provide experimental support that differences in sediment microbial communities influences CH 4 production responses to changes in organic matter availability. 

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4. Microbial Interactions with Dissolved Organic Matter Are Central to Coral Reef Ecosystem Function and Resilience

   https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-042121-080917  

   Nelson, Craig E.; Wegley Kelly, Linda; Haas, Andreas F. (January 2023, Annual Review of Marine Science)

   To thrive in nutrient-poor waters, coral reefs must retain and recycle materials efficiently. This review centers microbial processes in facilitating the persistence and stability of coral reefs, specifically the role of these processes in transforming and recycling the dissolved organic matter (DOM) that acts as an invisible currency in reef production, nutrient exchange, and organismal interactions. The defining characteristics of coral reefs, including high productivity, balanced metabolism, high biodiversity, nutrient retention, and structural complexity, are inextricably linked to microbial processing of DOM. The composition of microbes and DOM in reefs is summarized, and the spatial and temporal dynamics of biogeochemical processes carried out by microorganisms in diverse reef habitats are explored in a variety of key reef processes, including decomposition, accretion, trophictransfer, and macronutrient recycling. Finally, we examine how widespread habitat degradation of reefs is altering these important microbe–DOM interactions, creating feedbacks that reduce reef resilience to global change. 

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5. Quantifying microbial control of soil organic matter dynamics at macrosystem scales

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-021-00789-5  

   Bradford, Mark A.; Wood, Stephen A.; Addicott, Ethan T.; Fenichel, Eli P.; Fields, Nicholas; González-Rivero, Javier; Jevon, Fiona V.; Maynard, Daniel S.; Oldfield, Emily E.; Polussa, Alexander; et al (April 2021, Biogeochemistry)

   null (Ed.)

   Soil organic matter (SOM) stocks, decom- position and persistence are largely the product of controls that act locally. Yet the controls are shaped and interact at multiple spatiotemporal scales, from which macrosystem patterns in SOM emerge. Theory on SOM turnover recognizes the resulting spatial and temporal conditionality in the effect sizes of controls that play out across macrosystems, and couples them through evolutionary and community assembly pro- cesses. For example, climate history shapes plant functional traits, which in turn interact with contem- porary climate to influence SOM dynamics. Selection and assembly also shape the functional traits of soil decomposer communities, but it is less clear how in turn these traits influence temporal macrosystem patterns in SOM turnover. Here, we review evidence that establishes the expectation that selection and assembly should generate decomposer communities across macrosystems that have distinct functional effects on SOM dynamics. Representation of this knowledge in soil biogeochemical models affects the magnitude and direction of projected SOM responses under global change. Yet there is high uncertainty and low confidence in these projections. To address these issues, we make the case that a coordinated set of empirical practices are required which necessitate (1) greater use of statistical approaches in biogeochem- istry that are suited to causative inference; (2) long- term, macrosystem-scale, observational and experi- mental networks to reveal conditionality in effect sizes, and embedded correlation, in controls on SOM turnover; and (3) use of multiple measurement grains to capture local- and macroscale variation in controls and outcomes, to avoid obscuring causative understanding through data aggregation. When employed together, along with process-based models to synthesize knowledge and guide further empirical work, we believe these practices will rapidly advance understanding of microbial controls on SOM and improve carbon cycle projections that guide policies on climate adaptation and mitigation. 

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