Microbial processes mediating Priming Effects and the coupling of C and N cycling in soil
Soil is fundamental to agricultural productivity and sustainability. Soil organic matter (SOM) is important as a revolving nutrient fund, which determines plant nutrient availability. Microbes are key determinants of SOM turnover and of SOM dynamics. Their activities are influenced by organic inputs from plants (Priming Effects). Understanding these interactions has the potential to reduce external N input by better predicting the soil N supply. However, which microbes are involved in primed SOM mineralization is unknown.