Mycorrhizas regulate soil carbon dynamics

Summary

This paper, published in Soil Biology and Biochemistry, reviews the mechanisms by which mycorrhizal fungi regulate soil carbon dynamics, encompassing their roles in carbon input via hyphal networks, stabilisation of soil aggregates, and modification of decomposition processes. Rillig and co-authors likely argue that mycorrhizas occupy a central but underappreciated position in terrestrial carbon cycling, with implications for how soil management affects carbon storage. The review draws on a broad body of experimental and field-based evidence to frame mycorrhizal networks as active regulators rather than passive components of the soil carbon system.

UK applicability

The principles reviewed are broadly applicable to UK agricultural and semi-natural soils, where mycorrhizal communities are present across arable, grassland, and woodland systems; UK land managers and policymakers concerned with soil carbon targets under schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive may find the mechanistic framing relevant to decisions about tillage, fungicide use, and cover cropping.

Key measures

Soil organic carbon pools; mycorrhizal hyphal biomass contributions; soil aggregate stability; carbon sequestration potential; priming effects on decomposition

Outcomes reported

The study examined how mycorrhizal fungi — both arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal types — influence soil carbon dynamics, likely reporting on mechanisms such as hyphal carbon inputs, priming effects, and aggregate stabilisation. It appears to synthesise evidence on the net contribution of mycorrhizas to soil carbon sequestration or turnover.

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