Cover Cropping Shifts Microbial Life-History Strategies to Promote Necromass Carbon Accumulation through Soil Metabolite Mediation in Orchard Systems

Although preliminary studies suggest that cover cropping (CC) enhances necromass carbon (C) accumulation, specific mechanisms governing necromass C dynamics with changes in microbial life-history strategies that modulate soil biochemical pathways remain unclear. This study investigated these processes in orchard systems by quantifying necromass C using its biomarker amino sugars and examining the contributions of microbial assembly, life-history strategies, and soil metabolites.