A compatible carbon efficiency information service framework based on the industrial internet identification

Green and low-carbon is a new development model that seeks balance between environmental sustainability and high economic growth.If explainable and available carbon emission data can be accurately obtained,it will help policy regulators and enterprise managers to more accurately implement this development strategy.A lot of research has been carried out,but it is still a difficult problem that how to accommodate and adapt the complex carbon emission data computing models and factor libraries developed by different regions,different industries and different enterprises.Meanwhile,with the rapid development of the Industrial Internet,it has not only been used for the supply chain optimization and intelligent scheduling of the manufacturing industry,but also been used by more and more industries as an important way of digital transformation.Especially in China,the Industrial Internet identification and resolution system is becoming an important digital infrastructure to uniquely identify objects and share data.Hence,a compatible carbon efficiency information service framework based on the Industrial Internet Identification is proposed in this paper to address the problem of computing and querying multi-source heterogeneous carbon emission data.We have defined a multi cooperation carbon emission data interaction model consisting of three roles and three basic operations.Further,the implementation of the framework includes carbon emission data identification,modeling,calculation,query and sharing.The practice results show that its capability and effectiveness in improving the responsiveness,accuracy,and credibility of compatible carbon efficiency data query and sharing services.

Carbon efficiency evaluation method for urban energy system with multiple energy complementary

Urban energy systems(UESs)play a pivotal role in the consumption of clean energy and the promotion of energy cascade utilization.In the context of the construction and operation strategy of UESs with multiple complementary energy resources,a comprehensive assessment of the energy efficiency is of paramount importance.First,a multi-dimensional evaluation system with four primary indexes of energy utilization,environmental protection,system operation,and economic efficiency and 21 secondary indexes is constructed to comprehensively portray the UES.Considering that the evaluation system may contain a large number of indexes and that there is overlapping information among them,an energy efficiency evaluation method based on data processing,dimensionality reduction,integration of combined weights,and gray correlation analysis is proposed.This method can effectively reduce the number of calculations and improve the accuracy of energy efficiency assessments.Third,a demonstration project for a UES in China is presented.The energy efficiency of each scenario is assessed using six operational scenarios.The results show that Scenario 5,in which parks operate independently and investors build shared energy-storage equipment,has the best results and is best suited for green and low-carbon development.The results of the comparative assessment methods show that the proposed method provides a good energy efficiency assessment.This study provides a reference for the optimal planning,construction,and operation of UESs with multiple energy sources.

Effect of building energy efficiency standards on carbon emission efficiency in commercial buildings

The building sector plays a crucial role in the worldwide shift toward achieving net-zero emissions.Building energy efficiency standards(BEESs)are highly effective policies for reducing carbon emissions.Therefore,exploring the provincial variations in carbon emission efficiency(CEE)in the building sector and identifying the effect of BEESs on CEE is crucial.This study focuses on commercial buildings in China and applies a difference in differences model to evaluate the impact of BEESs on the CEE of commercial buildings.The slacks-based measure–data envelopment analysis model is employed to assess the CEE of commercial buildings in 30 Chinese provinces from 2000 to 2019.Furthermore,heterogeneous tests are used to explore how climate characteristics and economic conditions affect the efficiency of BEESs.The results indicate that BEESs positively influence the CEE of commercial buildings.Specifically,a 1%increase in the intensity of BEESs causes a 0.1484%increase in the CEE of commercial buildings.Moreover,the impact of BEESs is particularly pronounced in the southern and western provinces.This study provides valuable scientific evidence for governments to enhance BEESs implementation.

Spatio-temporal variations of vegetation carbon use efficiency and potential driving meteorological factors in the Yangtze River Basin

Understanding of the vegetation dynamics is essential for addressing the potential threats of terrestrial ecosystem.In recent years,the vegetation coverage of the Yangtze River Basin(YRB)has increased significantly,yet the spatio-temporal variations and potential driving meteorological factors of carbon use efficiency(CUE)under the context of global warming are still not clear.In this study,MODIS-based public-domain data during 2000–2015 was used to analyze these aspects in the YRB,a large river basin with powerful ecological functions in China.Spatio-temporal variations of CUE in different sub-basins and land cover types were investigated and the correlations with potential driving meteorological factors were examined.Results revealed that CUE in the YRB had strong spatiotemporal variability and varied remarkably in different land cover types.For the whole YRB,the average CUE of vegetated land was 0.519,while the long-term change trend of CUE was obscure.Along the rising altitude,CUE generally showed an increasing trend until the altitude of 3900 m and then followed by a decreasing trend.CUE of grasslands was generally higher than that of croplands,and then forest lands.The inter-annual variation of CUE in the YRB is likely to be driven by precipitation as a strong positive partial correlation between the inter-annual variability of CUE and precipitation was observed in most of sub-basins and land cover types in the YRB.The influence of temperature and relative humidity is also outstanding in certain regions and land cover types.Our findings are useful from the view point of carbon cycle and reasonable land cover management under the context of global warming.

Dependence of Wheat and Rice Respiration on Tissue Nitrogen and the Corresponding Net Carbon Fixation Efficiency Under Different Rates of Nitrogen Application

To quantitatively address the role of tissue N in crop respiration under various agricultural practices, and to consequently evaluate the impact of synthetic fertilizer N application on biomass production and respiration, and hence net carbon fixation efficiency （Encf）, pot and field experiments were carried out for an annual rotation of a rice-wheat cropping system from 2001 to 2003. The treatments of the pot experiments included fertilizer N application, sowing date and planting density. Different rates of N application were tested in the field experiments. Static opaque chambers were used for sampling the gas. The respiration as CO2 emission was detected by a gas chromatograph. A successive biomass clipping method was employed to determine the crop autotrophic respiration coefficient （Ra）. Results from the pot experiments revealed a linear relationship between Ra and tissue N content as Ra = 4.74N-1.45 （R^2= 0.85, P 〈 0.001）. Measurements and calculations from the field experiments indicated that fertilizer N application promoted not only biomass production but also increased the respiration of crops. A further investigation showed that the increase of carbon loss in terms of respiration owing to fertilizer N application exceeded that of net carbon gain in terms of aboveground biomass when fertilizer N was applied over a certain rate. Consequently, the Encf declined as the N application rate increased.

Water-use efficiency in response to simulated increasing precipitation in a temperate desert ecosystem of Xinjiang, China

Water-use efficiency（WUE） is a key plant functional trait that plays a central role in the global cycles of water and carbon. Although increasing precipitation may cause vegetation changes, few studies have explored the linkage between alteration in vegetation and WUE. Here, we analyzed the responses of leaf WUE, ecosystem carbon and water exchanges, ecosystem WUE, and plant community composition changes under normal conditions and also under extra 15% or 30% increases in annual precipitation in a temperate desert ecosystem of Xinjiang, China. We found that leaf WUE and ecosystem WUE showed inconsistent responses to increasing precipitation. Leaf WUE consistently decreased as precipitation increased. By contrast, the responses of the ecosystem WUE to increasing precipitation are different in different precipitation regimes： increasing by 33.9% in the wet year（i.e., the normal precipitation years）and decreasing by 4.1% in the dry year when the precipitation was about 30% less than that in the wet year.We systematically assessed the herbaceous community dynamics, community composition, and vegetation coverage to explain the responses of ecosystem WUE, and found that the between-year discrepancy in ecosystem WUE was consistent with the extent to which plant biomass was stimulated by the increase in precipitation. Although there was no change in the relative significance of ephemerals in the plant community, its greater overall plant biomass drove an increased ecosystem WUE under the conditions of increasing precipitation in 2011. However, the slight increase in plant biomass exerted no significant effect on ecosystem WUE in 2012. Our findings suggest that an alteration in the dominant species in this plant community can induce a shift in the carbon-and water-based economics of desert ecosystems.

Effect of climate change on seasonal water use efficiency in subalpine Abies fabri

Abies fabri is a typical subalpine dark coniferous forest in southwestern China. Air temperature increases more at high elevation areas than that at low elevation areas in mountainous regions,and climate change ratio is also uneven in different seasons. Carbon gain and the response of water use efficiency(WUE) to annual and seasonal increases in temperature with or without CO_2 fertilization were simulated in Abies fabri using the atmospheric-vegetation interaction model(AVIM2). Four future climate scenarios(RCP2.6,RCP4.5,RCP6.0 and RCP8.5) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5) were selectively investigated. The results showed that warmer temperatures have negative effects on gross primary production(GPP) and net primary production(NPP) in growing seasons and positive effects in dormant seasons due to the variation in the leaf area index. Warmer temperatures tend to generate lower canopy WUE and higher ecosystem WUE in Abies fabri. However,warmer temperature together with rising CO_2 concentrations significantlyincrease the GPP and NPP in both growing and dormant seasons and enhance WUE in annual and dormant seasons because of the higher leaf area index(LAI) and soil temperature. The comparison of the simulated results with and without CO_2 fertilization shows that CO_2 has the potential to partially alleviate the adverse effects of climate warming on carbon gain and WUE in subalpine coniferous forests.

Efficiency and convergence of China’s export trade embodied carbon emissions

Based on the input-output data from 2002 to 2017,this paper combined the three-stage DEA model with the non-competitive I-O model and measured the embodied carbon efficiency of export trade in China’s 26 product sectors,and further investigated its influencing factors and convergence issues.The results of the study showed that:①The embodied carbon efficiency of export trade in China’s overall product sector demonstrated a positive development trend from 2002 to 2017,and this positive trend was more obvious after the implementation of conservation culture construction in 2012.But the differences of embodied carbon emission efficiency level among the product sectors were still significant.②Measured by the K-means clustering analysis method,this study found that agriculture,other service industries,wholesale and retail industries,catering industry,construction industry and manufacturing industry with strong innovation ability were mostly concentrated at high and medium efficiency levels,while industrial sectors with resource dependence and high energy consumption,such as metal smelting and rolling processing industries,non metallic mineral products industry,and coal mining industry,were at a low efficiency level.③All product sectors hadσconvergence,absoluteβconvergence and conditionalβconvergence during 2002-2010 and 2010-2017,and the level of each product sector in 2010-2017 was higher than that in 2002-2010 according to the perspective of convergence speed and degree of convergence.④Technological progress had not fully played a role in suppressing energy consumption and improving the efficiency of embodied carbon efficiency,and it would also widen the gap between the embodied carbon emission efficiency levels of various product sectors.The expansion of trade scale could effectively improve carbon emission efficiency and narrow the gap between sectors.Environmental regulation could effectively promote the improvement of embodied carbon emission efficiency but would widen the level gap between sectors.These findings indicate that China needs to build a sound environmental regulation system for the development of low-carbon trade,continue to reasonably expand the scale of trade,eliminate backward industries with production capacity,vigorously develop low-carbon technologies such as new energy,strengthen the exchange of low carbon technologies and industrial cooperation among sectors,and promote coordinated development among industries.

Spatial network structure of transportation carbon emission efficiency in China and its influencing factors

Grasping the spatial correlation structure of transportation carbon emission efficiency(TCEE)and its influencing factors is significant for promoting high-quality and coordinated development of the transportation industry and the relevant region.Based on the ideal point cross-efficiency(IPCE)model,the social network analysis method was employed herein to explore the spatial correlation network structure of China’s provincial TCEE and its influencing factors.The results obtained showed the following outcomes.(1)During the study period,China’s provincial TCEE formed a complex and multithreaded network association relationship,but its network association structure was still relatively loose and presented the hierarchical gradient characteristics of dense in the east and sparse in the west.(2)The correlation of China’s TCEE formed a block segmentation based on the regional boundaries,and its factional structure was relatively obvious.The eastern region was closely connected with the central region,and generally connected with the western and northeastern regions.The central region was mainly connected with the eastern and western regions,and relatively less connected with the northeastern region.Besides,the northeastern region was weakly connected with the western region.(3)Shanghai,Beijing,Zhejiang,Guangdong,Jiangsu,Tianjin,and other developed provinces were in the core leading position in the TCEE network,which significantly impacted the spatial correlation of TCEE.However,Heilongjiang,Jilin,Xinjiang,Qinghai,and other remote provinces in the northeast and northwest were at the absolute edge of the network,which weakly impacted the spatial correlation of TCEE.(4)Provincial distance,economic development-level difference,transportation intensity difference,and transportation structure difference had significant negative impacts on the spatial correlation network of China’s provincial TCEE.In contrast,the energy-saving technology level difference had a significant positive impact on it.The regression coefficients of transportation energy structure and environmental regulation differences were positive but insignificant;their response mechanism and effects need to be improved and enhanced.

Carbon emission efficiency of forest processing industries in China

This paper uses an input-output table of China's provinces(2007-2016) to measure carbon emissions of these industries.It employs a Malmquist-Luenberger(ML) index with expected and undesired outputs,and an absolute β convergence and a conditional β convergence model,to conduct an in-depth analysis of dynamic changes and spatial convergence.Carbon emission efficiency of forest processing industries in 25 regions,including Shanghai,Chongqing,Zhejiang,and Jiangsu are increasing,whereas those of Tianjin,Liaoning,Heilongjiang,and Tibet are decreasing.The main contributing factors of carbon emission efficiency in three major regions vary over time.Further,carbon emission efficiency in the eastern,central,and western regions all have absolute β convergence and conditional β convergence,indicating that different regions are developing toward their own goals and industry,yet regions with lower efficiency are catching up with those where with more efficient strategies in place.Finally,this paper proposes according recommendations.

Study on Carbon Emission Efficiency Evaluation and Influencing Factors of Chinese Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry

To measure the carbon emission efficiency of China’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, explore the factors affecting the carbon emission efficiency of China’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, and provide reference for improving the carbon emission efficiency of China’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and promoting the government to formulate macro policies. Based on the data of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in 30 provinces of China from 2010 to 2019, and based on the SBM model and ML (Malmquist-Luenberger) index model, the carbon emission efficiency of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry was calculated and its dynamic change was investigated, and the Tobit model was further used to explore the influencing factors of the carbon emission efficiency of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The carbon emission efficiency of China’s inter-provincial pharmaceutical manufacturing industry has steadily improved. The carbon emission efficiency of the eastern region is higher than that of the western region, and that of the western region is higher than that of the central region. The eastern region is dominated by technological progress, and there is room for improvement in technological efficiency. The central and western regions are dominated by technological efficiency. Compared with technological efficiency, technological progress needs to be further improved. Environmental regulation, industrial agglomeration and technological innovation level positively affect carbon emission efficiency, while foreign investment level has no significant impact on carbon emission efficiency.

The effect of abiotic stresses on plant C:N:P homeostasis and their mitigation by silicon

In crop plants, various environmental stresses affect the balance of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus(C:N:P), leading to biochemical and physiological alterations and reductions in yield. Silicon(Si) is a beneficial element that alleviates plant stress. Most studies involving silicon have focused on physiological responses, such as improvements in photosynthetic processes, water use efficiency, and antioxidant defense systems. But recent research suggests that stressed plants facing either limited or excessive resources(water, light, nutrients, and toxic elements), strategically employ Si to maintain C:N:P homeostasis, thereby minimizing biomass losses. Understanding the role of Si in mitigating the impact of abiotic stresses on plants by regulating C:N:P homeostasis holds great potential for advancing sustainable agricultural practices in crop production. This review presents recent advances in characterizing the influence of environmental stresses on C:N:P homeostasis, as well as the role of Si in preserving C:N:P equilibrium and attenuating biological damage associated with abiotic stress. It underscores the beneficial effects of Si in sustaining C:N:P homeostasis and increasing yield via improved nutritional efficiency and stress mitigation.

Electrochemical CO_2 reduction to formic acid on crystalline SnO_2 nanosphere catalyst with high selectivity and stability

A novel catalyst for CO2 electroreduction based on nanostructured SnO2 was synthesized using a facile hydrothermal self-assembly method. The electrochemical activity showed that the catalyst gave outstanding catalytic activity and selectivity in CO2 electroreduction. The catalytic activity and formate selectivity depended strongly on the electrolyte conditions. A high faradaic efficiency, i.e., 56%, was achieved for formate formation in KHCO3 （0.5 mol/L）. This is attributed to control of formate production by mass and charge transfer processes. Electrolysis experiments using SnO2-50/GDE （an SnOz-based gas-diffusion electrode, where 50 indicates the 50% ethanol content of the electrolyte） as the catalyst, showed that the electrolyte pH also affected CO2 reduction. The optimum electrolyte pH for obtaining a high faradaic efficiency for formate production was 8.3. This is mainly because a neutral or mildly alkaline environment maintains the oxide stability. The fara- daic efficiency for formate production declined with time. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that this is the result of deposition of trace amounts of fluoride ions on the SnO2-50/GDE surface, which hinders reduction of CO2 to formate.

Influence of the Feed Gas Composition on the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis in Commercial Operations

Key technical challenges relating to the Fischer-Tropsch （F-T） synthesis applied in the commercialization of coal/gas-to-liquids （CTL/GTL） technologies have been reviewed. Based on the experiences accumulated from pilot plant, semi-work test and lab researches, the influences of the H2/CO ratio and the CO2 in the feed gas on the F-T process as well as on CTL/GTL complex in terms of product yields, energy efficiency and carbon utilization efficiency have been studied. Being contrary to the current design schemes for F-T process using the coal derived syngas and the iron-based cata lyst, it is suggested to feed the F-T synthesis unit with a syngas having a H2/CO ratio of 0.5 and then adjusting to 1.4 via the recycling process. As a result, the carbon efficiency of the whole plant could be reached to as high as 50%. For the issue of CO2 addition to the feed gas, it is proved that only a diluting role is played under the current commercial slurry phase F-T process.

A comparison of the energy consumption and carbon emissions for different modes of transportation in open-cut coal mines

Transportation accounts for 80% of open-cut coal mine carbon emissions. With regard to the energy con- sumption and carbon emissions of transportation within an open-cut mine, this paper systematically compared the work and energy consumption of a truck and belt conveyor on a theoretical basis, and con- structed a model to calculate the energy consumption of open-cut mine transportation. Life cycle carbon emission factors and power consumption calculation model were established through a Process Analysis- Life Cycle Analysis （PA-LCA）. The following results were obtained： （1） the energy consumption of truck transportation was four to twelve times higher than that of the belt conveyor; （2） the C02 emissions from truck transportation were three to ten times higher than those of the belt conveyor; （3） with the increase in the slope angle for transportation, the ratio of truck to belt conveyor for both energy consumption and carbon emissions gradually decreased; （4） based on 2013 prices in China, the energy cost of transportation using a belt conveyor in open-cut coal mines could save 0.6-2.4 Yuan/（t kin） compared to truck transportation.

Climate-driven variations in productivity reveal adaptive strategies in Iberian cork oak agroforestry systems

Background:Cork oak agroforestry systems(AFS)have been managed for centuries by humans to produce cork and other goods and services and have recently been recognised as an important reservoir for biodiversity improvement and conservation.However,despite having recently been included as a natural habitat of community-wide interest within the EU Habitats Directive,these systems are in a critical situation of decline.Among other factors,they are strongly threatened by climate change,the effects of which are also expected to be particularly severe in the Mediterranean region.In this study,we aimed to evaluate the influence of climate variability by examining primary production indicators and also to analyse whether the geographical location may have a role in the incidence of the adverse effects of climate.Methods:Cork oak AFS were identified in the Forest Map of Spain and the Land use map of Portugal and categorized on the basis of canopy cover.Seasonal climate data from 2001 to 2020 were used to model relationships with climate predictors and proximity to the coast.Hotspot analysis was conducted to identify significant spatial clusters of high-and low-efficiency areas.Results:The responses to the influence of climatic conditions differed among the various cork oak AFS categories,particularly in the forest category,which was less dependent on climate variations.Relative humidity and water availability were the main drivers of net primary production(NPP).Carbon use efficiency(CUE)was limited by relative humidity and spring temperature in open ecosystems.Proximity to the coast proved beneficial,especially in years with adverse weather conditions,but was not a limiting factor for survival of the ecosystem.Finally,the results of the hotspot analysis supported the other findings,highlighting high-efficiency areas close to the coast and cold spots grouped in specific areas or dispersed inland.Conclusions:Canopy plays a key role in the influence of climatic conditions,particularly in forest categories in which a high density seems to generate microclimate conditions.Water availability,both via the soil and air moisture,is the main driver of primary production,reflecting different adaptive strategies.The oceanic atmosphere may act as a buffer in years of extreme drought.

Manipulated precipitation regulated carbon and phosphorus limitations of microbial metabolisms in a temperate grassland on the Loess Plateau,China

Manipulated precipitation patterns can profoundly influence the metabolism of soil microorganisms.However,the responses of soil organic carbon(SOC)and nutrient turnover to microbial metabolic limitation under changing precipitation conditions remain unclear in semi-arid ecosystems.This study measured the potential activities of enzymes associated with carbon(C:β-1,4-glucosidase(BG)andβ-D-cellobiosidase(CBH)),nitrogen(N:β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase(NAG)and L-leucine aminopeptidase(LAP))and phosphorus(P:alkaline phosphatase(AP))acquisition,to quantify soil microbial metabolic limitations using enzymatic stoichiometry,and then identify the implications for soil microbial metabolic limitations and carbon use efficiency(CUE)under decreased precipitation by 50%(DP)and increased precipitation by 50%(IP)in a temperate grassland.The results showed that soil C and P were the major elements limiting soil microbial metabolism in temperate grasslands.There was a strong positive dependence between microbial C and P limitations under manipulated precipitation.Microbial metabolism limitation was promoted by DP treatment but reversed by IP treatment.Moreover,CUE was inhibited by DP treatment but promoted by IP treatment.Soil microbial metabolism limitation was mainly regulated by soil moisture and soil C,N,and P stoichiometry,followed by available nutrients(i.e.,NO^(-)_(3),NH^(+)_(4),and dissolved organic C)and microbial biomass(i.e.,MBC and MBN).Overall,these findings highlight the potential role of changing precipitation in regulating ecosystem C turnover by limiting microbial metabolism and CUE in temperate grassland ecosystems.

Novel typology of accelerated carbonation curing:using dry and pre-soaked biochar to tune carbon capture and mechanical properties of cementitious mortar

One of the challenges of promoting accelerated carbonation curing(ACC)of concrete as a carbon sequestration strategy is ensuring that carbonation will not deteriorate mechanical strength.This study examined the mechanical strength,water sorptivity and carbonation efficiency of ten types of mortar containing dry or pre-soaked biochar subjected to internal and/or external carbonation.The results obtained enabled a typology of ACC to be proposed,in which the carbon dioxide absorption of mortar containing various types of CO_(2)-dosed biochar ranged between 0.022%and 0.068%per unit dosage hour.In particular,the mortar containing dry biochar dosed with carbon dioxide was the top candidate for concurrently increasing both compressive strength(54.9 MPa)and carbon dioxide absorption(0.055%per unit dosage hour).Mortar containing pre-soaked biochar dosed with carbon dioxide was identified as a strategy that achieved the highest carbonation efficiency(0.068%per unit dosage hour),but it also reduced compressive strength(45.1 MPa).Collectively,the proposed typology offers a useful overview of the different ways by which biochar can be used to tune ACC in mortar,according to any technical constraints and/or intended functions of the carbonated concrete components.

Responses of soil microbial carbon use efficiency to warming: Review and prospects

Microbial carbon use efficiency(CUE)is an important factor driving soil carbon(C)dynamics.However,microbial CUE could positively,negatively,or neutrally respond to increased temperature,which limits our prediction of soil C storage under future climate warming.Experimental warming affects plant production and microbial communities,which thus can have a significant impact on biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems.Here,we reviewed the present research status of methods measuring microbial CUE and the response of microbial CUE to the changes of biotic and abiotic factors induced by warming.Overall,current measurement methods mainly include metabolic flux analysis,calorespirometry,stoichiometric model,13C and 18O labeling.Differences in added substrate types can lead to an overestimation or underestimation on microbial CUE,particularly when using the 13C labeling method.In addition,changes in the dominant microbial community under warming may also affect CUE.However,there is still uncertainty in CUE characteristics of different microorganisms.Microbial CUE is generally decreased under warming conditions as microbes are subjected to water stress or soil labile organic matter is much more depleted compared to ambient conditions.In contrast,considering that warming increases soil nutrient availability,warming may enhance microbial CUE by alleviating nutrient limitations for microbes.In conclusion,the response of microbial CUE to warming is more complex than expected.The microbial growth and physiological adaptation to environmental stress under warming is one of the main reasons for the inconsistence in microbial CUE response.Finally,we propose five aspects where further research could improve the understanding of microbial CUE in a warmer world,including using new technologies,establishing multi-factor interactive experiments,building a network of experimental research platform for warming,and strengthening studies on response of CUE to warming at different soil depths and on different temporal scales.

Effects of soil organism interactions and temperature on carbon use efficiency in three different forest soils

Microbial carbon use efficiency(CUE)affects the soil C cycle to a great extent,but how soil organisms and the abiotic environment combine to influence CUE at a regional scale remains poorly understood.In the current study,microcosms were used to investigate how microbial respiration,biomass,and CUE responded to biotic and abiotic factors in natural tropical,subtropical,and temperate forests.Soil samples from the forests were collected,sterilized,and populated with one or a combination of three types of soil organisms(the fungus Botrytis cinerea,the bacterium Escherichia coli,and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans).The microcosms were then kept at the mean soil temperatures of the corresponding forests.Microbial respiration,biomass,and CUE were measured over one-month incubation period.The results showed that microbial biomass and CUE were significantly higher,but microbial respiration lower in the subtropical and temperate forest soils than in tropical forest soil.Biotic factors mainly affected CUE by their effect on microbial biomass,while temperature affected CUE by altering respiration.Our results indicate that temperature regulates the interactive effects of soil organisms on microbial biomass,respiration,and CUE,which would provide a basis for understanding the soil C cycle in forest ecosystems.