Microbial diversity drives carbon use efficiency in a model soil

Soils contain the largest organic carbon pool in the terrestrial biosphere and represent a crucial source of carbon dioxide CO2 to the atmosphere. Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) is a central determinant of how much carbon is able to be retained in soil. Here, we manipulated microbial diversity to evaluate community CUE under different temperature and moisture regimes in a model soil system.