Mangrove afforestation increases microbial necromass but reduces their contribution to soil carbon pool

Despite the widely acknowledged importance of microbial necromass carbon (MnC) in carbon sequestration, the mechanisms regulating MnC accumulation in mangroves remain poorly understood. Therefore, a mangrove rehabilitation demonstration zone, comprising native Kandelia obovata, exotic Sonneratia ape...

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Main Authors: Huihuang Liao, Youshao Wang, Yanwu Zhou, Zhimao Mai, Hui Wang, Weiwen Zhou, Dongxi Liu, Hao Cheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Ecological Indicators
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25006259
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author Huihuang Liao
Youshao Wang
Yanwu Zhou
Zhimao Mai
Hui Wang
Weiwen Zhou
Dongxi Liu
Hao Cheng
author_facet Huihuang Liao
Youshao Wang
Yanwu Zhou
Zhimao Mai
Hui Wang
Weiwen Zhou
Dongxi Liu
Hao Cheng
author_sort Huihuang Liao
collection DOAJ
description Despite the widely acknowledged importance of microbial necromass carbon (MnC) in carbon sequestration, the mechanisms regulating MnC accumulation in mangroves remain poorly understood. Therefore, a mangrove rehabilitation demonstration zone, comprising native Kandelia obovata, exotic Sonneratia apetala, and unvegetated mudflat, was employed to investigate the variations in MnC after mangrove afforestation, as well as the underlying roles played by microorganisms and minerals. The results showed an obvious increase in MnC after mangrove afforestation. Compared with unvegetated mudflat, MnC increased from 0.81 g/kg to 1.09 g/kg and 3.05 g/kg in S. apetala and K. obovata soils, respectively. Mangrove afforestation, especially the plantation of K. obovata, also boosted bacterial and fungal quantities, leading to an increase in living microbial biomass carbon and MnC. The accumulation of MnC was also found to be positively correlated with amorphous iron oxides. Moreover, the findings from random forest and partial least squares path modeling analyses further suggested that mineral protection had a more significant contribution to MnC accumulation than microbial production. In addition, an interesting linkage was observed between mangrove afforestation and increased the K-strategy taxa both in bacteria and fungi, which diminished the contribution of MnC to soil carbon pool. In conclusion, this is the first attempt to reveal the mechanisms involved in MnC accumulation from the perspective of microbial production and mineral protection in mangroves. This study offers novel understandings of the mechanisms of carbon sequestration in mangroves.
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spelling doaj-art-e5131624062c476a9dba16b2acb0a7092025-08-20T03:31:10ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-07-0117611369510.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113695Mangrove afforestation increases microbial necromass but reduces their contribution to soil carbon poolHuihuang Liao0Youshao Wang1Yanwu Zhou2Zhimao Mai3Hui Wang4Weiwen Zhou5Dongxi Liu6Hao Cheng7State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography and Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography and Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography and Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography and Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography and Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography and Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography and Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; Guangdong Center for Marine Development Research, Guangzhou 510220, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography and Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; Corresponding author at: South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 164, Xingang West Rd, Guangzhou 510301, China.Despite the widely acknowledged importance of microbial necromass carbon (MnC) in carbon sequestration, the mechanisms regulating MnC accumulation in mangroves remain poorly understood. Therefore, a mangrove rehabilitation demonstration zone, comprising native Kandelia obovata, exotic Sonneratia apetala, and unvegetated mudflat, was employed to investigate the variations in MnC after mangrove afforestation, as well as the underlying roles played by microorganisms and minerals. The results showed an obvious increase in MnC after mangrove afforestation. Compared with unvegetated mudflat, MnC increased from 0.81 g/kg to 1.09 g/kg and 3.05 g/kg in S. apetala and K. obovata soils, respectively. Mangrove afforestation, especially the plantation of K. obovata, also boosted bacterial and fungal quantities, leading to an increase in living microbial biomass carbon and MnC. The accumulation of MnC was also found to be positively correlated with amorphous iron oxides. Moreover, the findings from random forest and partial least squares path modeling analyses further suggested that mineral protection had a more significant contribution to MnC accumulation than microbial production. In addition, an interesting linkage was observed between mangrove afforestation and increased the K-strategy taxa both in bacteria and fungi, which diminished the contribution of MnC to soil carbon pool. In conclusion, this is the first attempt to reveal the mechanisms involved in MnC accumulation from the perspective of microbial production and mineral protection in mangroves. This study offers novel understandings of the mechanisms of carbon sequestration in mangroves.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25006259MangrovesMicrobial necromass carbonMicrobial growth strategyAmorphous iron oxides
spellingShingle Huihuang Liao
Youshao Wang
Yanwu Zhou
Zhimao Mai
Hui Wang
Weiwen Zhou
Dongxi Liu
Hao Cheng
Mangrove afforestation increases microbial necromass but reduces their contribution to soil carbon pool
Ecological Indicators
Mangroves
Microbial necromass carbon
Microbial growth strategy
Amorphous iron oxides
title Mangrove afforestation increases microbial necromass but reduces their contribution to soil carbon pool
title_full Mangrove afforestation increases microbial necromass but reduces their contribution to soil carbon pool
title_fullStr Mangrove afforestation increases microbial necromass but reduces their contribution to soil carbon pool
title_full_unstemmed Mangrove afforestation increases microbial necromass but reduces their contribution to soil carbon pool
title_short Mangrove afforestation increases microbial necromass but reduces their contribution to soil carbon pool
title_sort mangrove afforestation increases microbial necromass but reduces their contribution to soil carbon pool
topic Mangroves
Microbial necromass carbon
Microbial growth strategy
Amorphous iron oxides
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25006259
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