High mountain ecosystems are warming more strongly than the global average rate, which in turn may accelerate soil organic matter turnover in these ecosystems where large amounts of carbon (C) are stored. Still it is unclear how C and nitrogen (N) dynamics in high-elevation ecosystems will respond to rising temperatures. Our study showed that simulated soil warming had contrasting effects on C and N dynamics: C turnover increased whereas N persisted longer in the soils. The studies on N turnover in response to climate change have implications for example in forest growth, nutrient leaching and groundwater contamination.

We studied the elemental composition and organic matter of wetland ecosystem known as Veredas in the Cerrado of Brazil, which has an important function in global carbon storage. However, a characterisation of this area’s carbon profile is yet to be fully understood. A fast and environmentally-friendly method was used to obtain the chemical composition of these soils. Based on elemental composition, soil organic matter was accurately and quickly analysed as a tool to predict organic matter content in Veredas soils.

Wetland soils are hotspots for biogeochemical reactions involving essential nutrients for living organism in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, such as silicon. They have a unique environment conducive to the formation of a range of difference minerals, which participate in a complex set of reactions that controls silicon dynamics in these soils. Chemical reactions involving these minerals are critical for a complete understanding of these important wetland ecosystems.

This study investigated land use change effects on soil organic matter dynamics in five soil classes in the Brazilian semi-arid region. Conversion of native vegetation to agriculture with conventional cultivation and pasture decreased labile and non-labile C stocks. Agricultural systems reduced labile C stocks in Cambisol, Acrisol and Planosol classes. These results draw attention to the need to adopt more appropriate land use systems in the semi-arid region of Brazil.

The present work studies microbial diversity and community shift using high-throughput, bar-coded sequencing of 16S rDNA amplicons in an abandoned open-cast coal mine along a temporal scale, to show how natural succession is dependent on shift in metabolic choices of the soil bacterial population. This knowledge of bidirectional influence of microbial population and physicochemical parameters in an abandoned coal mine can be used to plan remediation measures.