Editorial: Soil carbon sequestration and microbial energy metabolism

The interest for this research topic were mainly included 1) new insights into the dynamics and threshold responses of soil carbon pools under environmental gradients and disturbances; 2) novel perspectives on the divergent pathways and ecological regulation of the microbial carbon pump; 3) recent advances in understanding how energy metabolism governs carbon stabilization.; 4) the development of predictive models for carbon pool stability based on microbial functional traits; 5) innovative strategies to enhance soil carbon sequestration among plants, microbial functionality, and soil minerals; 6)emerging technologies for monitoring and manipulating the microbial energy-carbon sequestration. Thirteen articles were published in this Research Topic, highlighting key progress in the field:Andargie et al. adopted moist heat treatment (MHT) to establish a dysbiotic gradient in the soil microbiome, thereby systematically varying microbial load. This approach analyzed how microbial abundance and community dynamics influence plant phenotype and gene expression. The study integrated phenotypic and transcriptomic profiling of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and quantified the rhizosphere microbiome shifts. The findings highlight the modulation of initial microbial load as a critical strategy for remodeling the rhizosphere, improving bioinoculant performance, and eliciting beneficial plant transcriptomic responses.Ye et al. demonstrated the response of alpine grassland C dynamics to N addition through a meta-analysis of 57 peer-reviewed studies (794 observations) . Short-term N addition (≤5 years; ≤30 kg N ha -1 yr -1 ) enhanced SOC through increased plant biomass and microbial C sequestration.In contrast, long-term N additions promote C loss, driven by progressive soil acidification and a critical microbial community shift, -particularly a decreased fungal-to-bacterial ratio. The study showed that N addition rates should not exceed 10 kg N ha -1 yr -1 to sustain alpine ecosystem functions. The findings highlight that future research should prioritize the interactions among historical N deposition, soil acidification, and microbial functional shifts in high-altitude regions.Mei et al. quantified the microbial contribution to SOC in citrus orchards of different ages by analyzing key biomarkers (amino sugars, glomalin) and carbon fractions (particulate organic carbon, POC; mineral-bound organic carbon, MAOC) in the 0-20 cm soil layer. The results revealed that microbial-derived carbon pools showed a progressive and significant decline over the orchard chronosequence (P2 mm), macro-aggregates (0.25-2 mm), and micro-aggregates (