Considering fungal:bacterial dominance in soils – Methods, controls, and ecosystem implications

Microbial community structure mediates response of soil C decomposition to litter addition and warming

“…5b), with carbon source utilization patterns of the various microbial groups (Fig. 6) reflecting previous knowledge regarding C substrate preferences, with fungi dominating litter decomposition and bacteria dominating soil decomposition (Strickland and Rousk, 2010;Gude et al, 2012). The higher soil-C assimilation of gram-positive bacteria relative to gram-negative bacteria is also consistent with previously published research confirming greater decomposition of soil-C by grampositive bacteria (Waldrop and Firestone, 2004;Gleixner, 2006, 2008;Bird et al, 2011).…”

Controls of nitrogen cycling evaluated along a well‐characterized climate gradient

“…While we did not measure the presence of specific carbon compounds, the increase in Basidiomycete fungi at high elevation/carbon concentration is consistent with their primary role in the production of oxidative enzymes capable of breaking down recalcitrant carbon compounds, such as lignin (Baldrian 2006, Floudas et al 2012. Alternatively, C:N, C:P and N:P ratios also peaked at high elevation, and fungi are thought to outcompete bacteria in these conditions (Strickland and Rousk 2010). Overall high ratios of these elements tended to have positive influences on fungal richness and negative influences on bacterial richness (Table S2), although elemental ratios were not the strongest predictors of fungal richness.…”

Effects of phosphorus addition on soil microbial biomass and community composition in a subalpine spruce plantation

“…As the major decomposer in soil, fungal:bacterial (F:B) dominance indicates both its response to environmental change and its impact on ecosystem function [28]. The hyphal growth form makes fungi more accessible to nutrients and resources because of its capacity for translocation of nutrients and resources from abundant microsites to limiting sites [28].…”