Wildfires may disappear from the landscape within weeks, but their hidden effects on the soil can persist for decades. An international research team led by the University of Göttingen, together with partners in Tübingen, Berlin and Chile, has shown how wildfires in humid temperate rainforests and mediterranean woodlands of central Chile lead to very different pathways of soil recovery and ecosystem resilience. The study shows that soil structure and nutrients continue to change for more than a decade after a fire. The results were published in the journal Catena.

 

Denise Antunes da Silva, a senior R&D staff member at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society for her outstanding contributions to the field of ceramics and materials science.

Fungal denitrification play a key role in the regulation of nitrogen cycle. Knowledge of the fungal denitrification of soil microbes and the driving mechanisms will be essential to understand the impact of soil N₂O emissions in the karst region. This study demonstrates that soil fungal nirK-derived N₂O in the karst region are significantly distinct between cropland and forest, soil NO₃^‒-N and sand are important drivers of the soil N₂O emissions variation, especially after vegetation restoration. The researchers’ finding appeared September 9, 2025 in Soil Ecology Letters.

The ecosystem of tropical coral islands is relatively isolated, characterized by harsh environmental conditions. It is frequently subjected to climatic stressors such as high temperatures, intense solar radiation, high salinity, and seasonal drought.

Soil microbial communities play a crucial role in maintaining multiple soil functions in terrestrial ecosystems. However, evidence linking soil microbial communities to soil multifunctionality under warming and precipitation changes remains limited. This study shows that the combined effects of warming and increased precipitation can markedly weaken soil multifunctionality in semi-arid grasslands, primarily by intensifying competition between bacteria and fungi. The researchers’ finding appeared October 28, 2025 in Soil Ecology Letters.Soil microbial communities play a crucial role in maintaining multiple soil functions in terrestrial ecosystems. However, evidence linking soil microbial communities to soil multifunctionality under warming and precipitation changes remains limited. This study shows that the combined effects of warming and increased precipitation can markedly weaken soil multifunctionality in semi-arid grasslands, primarily by intensifying competition between bacteria and fungi. The researchers’ finding appeared October 28, 2025 in Soil Ecology Letters.

In the critical habitat of the giant panda, livestock grazing is reshaping the invisible yet vital world of soil microbes in an unexpected way. A new study reveals that while grazing alters soil properties, it paradoxically leads to an increase in soil bacterial diversity. Meanwhile, grazing disrupts the competitive hierarchy of the fungal kingdom, triggering a community shift from the singular dominance of Basidiomycota to a co-dominance structure with Ascomycota.

A new study published in Engineering by Xin Wang, Jian Yao, Jin Zhang and their colleagues proposes a machine-learning-guided strategy that combines data-driven descriptor screening with three-dimensional multiphysics and lattice Boltzmann simulations. The authors elucidate how the PA content and its non-uniform distribution within the catalyst layer govern proton transport, platinum utilization, and local current generation. Guided by these insights, they introduce an EDTMPA–PA dual-proton-conducting system and construct a gradient dual-proton-conductor catalyst layer, enabling single cells to achieve record power densities at 160 °C while maintaining long-term operational stability under aerospace-relevant conditions.