Summary Soil organic matter (SOM) constitutes the largest terrestrial C pool. An emerging, untested, view is that oxidation and depolymerization of SOM by microorganisms promote the formation of SOM‐mineral associations that is critical for SOM stabilization. To test this hypothesis, we performed laboratory‐scale experiments involving one ectomycorrhizal and one saprotrophic fungus that represent the two major functional group...

Aim The Cape region is known for its exceptional species richness, although much remains unknown regarding the appearance of the modern Cape flora. One explanation is that floral diversification was influenced by the establishment of winter rainfall/summer arid conditions hypothesized to have occurred towards the end of the Miocene. We studied the evolution and diversification of the plant genus Metalasia (Asteraceae–Gnaphalie...

Foliose lichens with cyanobacterial bionts (bipartite and tripartite) form a distinct assemblage of epiphytes strongly associated with humid microclimatic conditions in inland British Columbia. Previous research showed that these cyano‐ and cephalolichen communities are disproportionately abundant and species‐rich on conifer saplings beneath Populus compared to beneath other tree species. More revealing, lichens with cyanobact...

Summary Natural formation of organically bound chlorine is extensive in many environments. The enzymes associated with the formation of chlorinated organic matter are produced by a large variety of organisms. Little is known about the ecological role of the process, the key question being: why do microorganisms promote chlorination of organic matter? In a recent paper we discuss whether organic matter chlorination may be a res...

Summary Several studies have demonstrated that extensive formation of organically bound chlorine occurs both in soil and in decaying plant material. Previous studies suggest that enzymatic formation of reactive chlorine outside cells is a major source. However, the ecological role of microbial‐induced extracellular chlorination processes remains unclear. In the present paper, we assess whether or not the literature supports th...

The evidence for the contribution of soil warming to changes in atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and carbon stocks of temperate forest ecosystems is equivocal. Here, we use data from a beech/oak forest on concentrations and stable isotope ratios of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), phosphate buffer‐extractable organic carbon, soil organic carbon (SOC), respiration and microbial gross assimilation of N to show that respired soil c...