Rhizosphere Interactions on Soil Carbon Cycle under Stress Environments

Root-soil-microbe interaction plays a vital role in influencing soil nutrient mobilization and acquisition, which may further impact the soil carbon cycle. In the last decade, extreme events, such as drought, flood, heat wave, and temperature fluctuations have occurred frequently. It is necessary to reveal how plant-associated rhizosphere processes affect soil carbon loss under these stress environments. For example, soil stores a large amount of carbon, but many studies ignore the effect of plant roots on soil carbon dynamics. There is still a lack of research on the impact of rhizosphere processes on soil carbon balance under stress environments, which limits the accuracy of correctly predicting the feedback relationship between soil carbon pool and climate change.

It is difficult to quantify and predict the terrestrial carbon cycle under climate change because of the limited understanding of the rhizosphere interactions, which can obviously mediate the transformation or recycling of carbon and related nutrients in terrestrial ecosystems, especially under stressful environments.

This Research Topic focuses on the terrestrial carbon cycle associated with rhizosphere interactions under stress environments. The aim is to reveal the drivers and mechanisms of rhizosphere processes related to soil carbon formation, stabilization, and mineralization while emphasizing the importance of these processes in determining ecosystems' carbon source or sink function. It welcomes submissions of the following article types: Brief Research Report, Correction, Data Report, Editorial, Hypothesis & Theory, Methods, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, Perspective, Policy Brief, Policy and Practice Reviews, Review, Systematic Review, Technology, and Code. We welcome contributions from multiple disciplines related to this topic, including the interdisciplinary field of plant science, agronomy, soil science, environment, and ecology. Topics include, but are not limited to the following:

• Rhizosphere interactions under stress environments: Plant-soil-microbial interaction mediated by root exudates and plant rhizosphere biotic and abiotic characteristics under stress environments. For example, root exudation, microbial activity and community, nutrient mobilization and uptake, soil aggregation, mineral protection, etc.
• Rhizosphere interactions and carbon cycle: rhizosphere effect/rhizosphere priming effects on carbon cycle under climate change. For example, the extent to which plant rhizosphere affects soil carbon dynamics at individual, species, and community levels; the influencing factors mediating the magnitude of rhizosphere (priming) effect; the potential biotic and abiotic mechanisms underlying the rhizosphere effect on soil carbon turnover.