A study published in Science of The Total Environment explores how biochar influences soil organic carbon (SOC) through microbial processes. Over 11 years, researchers investigated how biochar affects microbial necromass carbon (MNC) and its stabilization in soil. The study found that biochar increased MNC by 13.9%, with bacteria showing more enrichment compared to fungi after biochar application.

Microbial communities’ response to biochar and nitrogen (N) fertilizer varied. Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes, which exhibit high-growth yield strategies, were more prevalent and contributed significantly to MNC production when nitrogen levels were higher. In contrast, with lower nitrogen levels and high biochar application, Proteobacteria, known for strong resource acquisition strategies, were dominant, but MNC accumulation was lower.

Biochar rapidly saturated the mineral-associated organic carbon pool, enhancing bacterial necromass preservation in particulate organic carbon. This study highlights the critical role of microbial life-history traits in linking microbial metabolic processes to MNC accumulation and stabilization. It suggests that appropriate biochar and nitrogen fertilizer strategies can enhance SOC accumulation in agricultural soils.