In this study we show that soil pores influence how efficiently microbes convert organic carbon.

The study explores soil pore-scale effects on microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) in different soils under agricultural and grassland management. Using 13C-labelled substrates, we found:
🔥 Higher mineralization in large pores (75–200 μm)
🐌 Lower CUE in large pores compared to smaller pores (15–30 μm)

👉These differences highlight that pore size shapes microbial strategies and functional roles, influencing soil carbon dynamics. 

A big thank you to the fantastic collaborators at the iEES Paris, Maëlle Maestrali, Xavier Raynaud, and Naoise Nunan for leading this work! This work was made possible through our joint SoilPACMAN project kindly supported by ANR (French National Research Agency) and the DFG (German Research Foundation).

📄 Full study available here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106771