[ForestC] Dynamics and microbial mechanisms of soil organic carbon during long-term forest succession after reforestation
Ente: European Commission
Scadenza: 2028-05-31
Importo max: 194.074,56 EUR
Paese: EU
Descrizione
Reforestation is widely recognised as an effective nature-based solution to mitigate climate change by enhancing ecosystem carbon (C) sequestration. While C storage in vegetation increases substantially after reforestation, it remains highly uncertain whether, and how, soil organic C (SOC) storage also increases on centennial timescales. This knowledge gap critically limits our capacity to assess forest C sink potential and to implement large-scale reforestation, as soils store more than twice as much C as vegetation. ForestC aims to reveal the potential and mechanisms of SOC storage during long-term forest succession following reforestation. To achieve this, the project will combine a global data synthesis with a field study of three long-term forest secondary succession sequences across Europe, integrating resource limitation theories with novel concepts of microbial life strategies. ForestC will investigate the dynamics of key SOC components (i.e. mineral-associated organic C, particulate organic C, and microbial biomass C) through succession, and explore the microbial mechanisms governing their storage. A combination of state-of-the-art molecular and genomic techniques, ecological stoichiometry, and process-based models will be employed to address these objectives and maximize the utility of the results. Overall, ForestC will provide critical insights into how SOC storage develops after reforestation on centennial timescales and the role of microbial life strategies in this process. While advancing my career development by broadening research expertise and strengthening international networks, this Action will also contribute to a pressing global challenge of central importance to Horizon Europe, inform climate mitigation science, and provide robust evidence to guide policy-making.
Settori: Secondary succession, Soil carbon cycling, Organic carbon components, Resource limitation, Microbial traits, Modelling
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