Root effects on soil organic carbon: a double‐edged sword

What is it about?

With more carbon in soil there will be less carbon as carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere. Plant roots can increase storage of carbon in soil, but they also can reduce it. We show that plant roots act as an engine stimulating turnover of soil carbon potentially making soil carbon pools more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought.

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Photo by Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash

Photo by Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash