Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key indicator of soil quality and carbon storage in grassland ecosystems, yet its spatial variation

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the future work and conclusions and abstract of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2024 and 2026, spanning 3 journals. Those papers have been cited 19 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 4 representative gaps

• Incorporating leys in arable systems as a mitigation strategy to reduce soil organic carbon losses during land-use change (2024) · Frontiers in Environmental Science · cited 8× · doi

  et al., Optimizing C storage via the above practices will require a comprehensive understanding of regulating factors. For instance, fertilization can increase plant biomass and further promote soil C sequestration in non-tilled, permanent grasslands (Cenini et al., 2015). However, N and phosphorous inputs to grasslands may change soil microbial communities’ taxonomic and functional to influence entire 2015) composition (Leff belowground ecosystem. The current study considered only the topsoil, but earlier studies (Guo and Gifford, 2002; Don et al., 2011; Ding et al., 2013) have shown that the effect of LUC may extend below the 30 cm depth. Deep soil layers beyond the top 30 cm may also play a substantial role in SOC dynamics, as they receive inputs from plant roots, root exudates, and translocation processes, often overlooked in monitoring efforts, especially as the carbon turnover in the layer beneath the plough layer can constitute 40%–50% of that in the topsoil (Rumpel and Kögel-Knabner, 2011; Poyda et al., 2022). Moreover, the mineral-associated organic C fraction might be higher in the subsoil than the topsoil regardless of land use and the greater in arable soils than in grasslands (Antony et al., 2022), either transported from the topsoil as dissolved organic matter via percolating water or released into deeper layers by extensive plant roots (Leinemann et al., 2018). Thus, a comprehensive broader a assessment consideration of soil depths and long-term observations. SOC change may necessitate of

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: soil topsoil plant grasslands comprehensive inputs change layers roots layer organic optimizing storage practices require
• Litter and Root Removal Modulates Soil Organic Carbon and Labile Carbon Dynamics in Larch Plantation Ecosystems (2024) · Forests · cited 11× · doi

  Additionally, our focus on specific soil depths (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm) suggests future research should investigate deeper layers to better understand C storage. Future studies should focus on the long-term effects of litter and root management, particularly under different climate scenarios, to inform sustainable forest management strategies and improve soil C sequestration efforts.

  generalconclusions
  Keywords: focus soil future management additionally specific depths suggests investigate deeper layers better understand storage long
• Stoichiometric imbalance under grassland-to-cropland conversion intensifies microbial carbon mining and destabilizes subsoil networks (2026) · Soil and Tillage Research · doi

  Land-use change (LUC) from natural grassland to cropland profoundly alters soil biogeochemical processes, yet how stoichiometric imbalance is associated with microbial metabolism, community composition, and co-occurrence networks across soil depths and cultivation duration remains unclear.

  generalabstract
  Keywords: soil land change natural grassland cropland profoundly alters biogeochemical processes stoichiometric imbalance associated microbial metabolism
• Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon in contrasting management of grasslands in typical steppes of the Mongolian plateau (2026) · Frontiers in Environmental Science · doi

  Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key indicator of soil quality and carbon storage in grassland ecosystems, yet its spatial variation under contrasting grazing regimes remains insufficiently understood.

  generalabstractevidence 5/5
  Keywords: soil carbon organic indicator quality storage grassland ecosystems spatial variation contrasting grazing regimes remains insufficiently

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