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According to researchers, trees, forest soils, and dead wood in Germany store a total of 2.2 billion tons of carbon. Photo: © Thünen Institute/Marius Möller press releaseThünen Institute/Marius Möller press release

Forest soil in Germany has offset carbon losses from trees during drought

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The discovery comes from the Thünen Institute: between 2018 and 2020, German forest soil stored more carbon than expected, almost entirely offsetting the losses associated with plant mortality
In highly productive areas, such as tropical and temperate ecosystems, the efficiency of carbon use by microbes decouples from the respiration rate once this exceeds a critical threshold. Photo: pxhere CC0 1.0 Universal CC0 1.0 Deedpxhere CC0 1.0 Universal CC0 1.0 Deed

The connection between microbes and carbon cycle is more complicated than expected

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In some circumstances, a new study explains, microbial respiration, with the resulting release of carbon, can increase even when biomass production remains constant. A factor that must be included in climate projection models
In Southeast Asia, deforestation and land conversion have released more carbon and greenhouse gases than any other activity over the past two decades. Photo: Pok Rie Pexels free to usePok Rie Pexels free to use

Deforestation has made Southeast Asia a net source of carbon

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In the first two decades of the century, according to a Japanese study, the forests in the area released more carbon than they stored. Fires, peatland degradation, and fossil fuels are making things worse
Pesticides have a significant impact on various beneficial organisms in the soil, such as mycorrhizal fungi and nematodes, compromising biodiversity. Photo: Maasaak: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 DeedMaasaak: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed

Seventy percent of agricultural land in Europe contaminated with pesticides

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University of Zurich findings: seven out of ten crop soils in Europe are polluted with pesticides that have a significant impact on the biodiversity of microbial communities. Fungicides are responsible for more than half of the residues detected
Still largely unknown, soil microbiome include more than half of all existing species, including nematodes, plants, fungi, bacteria, archaea, and other microbial species. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 DeedPhoto: Carol M. Highsmith Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed

US soil microbiome under investigation by researchers

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A group of researchers led by Johns Hopkins University is exploring the US microbiome by collecting soil samples from urban and rural locations to identify genetic connections between the environment and microorganisms
Today only 7% of the original surface area of continental peatlands has remained intact, and their climatic boundaries are changing. Photo: SiberianJay Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 DeedSiberianJay Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed

Climate change puts Europe’s last peatlands at risk

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Currently, a study has found, only 7% of continental peatlands can be considered intact. But climate pressure is increasing, and in the coming years the situation could worsen

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