Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40973808›Full record

SynthesisNature ecology & evolution2025

Meta-analysis shows that planting nitrogen-fixing species increases soil organic carbon stock.

Xibin Sun, Ji Chen, Yakov Kuzyakov, Yi Yang, Gabriel W D Ferreira, Raúl Ochoa-Hueso, Carsten W Mueller, Zhenchuan Wang, Yixue Hong, Dejun Li and 1 more

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Nature ecology & evolution, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Xibin SunState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7039-6210
Ji ChenState Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China. chenji@ieecas.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7026-6312
Yakov KuzyakovDepartment of Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Department of Agricultural Soil Science, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9863-8461
Yi YangState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
Gabriel W D FerreiraNatural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6250-5835
Raúl Ochoa-HuesoDepartment of Biology, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario (ceiA3), Campus del Rio San Pedro, IVAGRO, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain.
Carsten W MuellerInstitute of Ecology, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4119-0544
Zhenchuan WangKey Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf/Guangxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Intelligent Simulation, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, China.
Yixue HongState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
Dejun LiGuangxi Key Laboratory of Karst Ecological Processes and Services, Huanjiang Observation and Research Station Karst Ecosystems, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6376-5786
Hao ChenState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China. chenhao27@mail.sysu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3577-2345

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32471685National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 42361144886National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 42367035
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Nitrogen (N)-fixing species are widely used in forestation and agriculture. The effects of planting N-fixing species on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, however, remain uncertain, limiting policy development and their application towards a possible climate change mitigation strategy. Here we conduct a global meta-analysis of 385 datapoints from 136 studies comparing SOC stock with planting N-fixing versus non-N-fixing species. Planting N-fixing species increases SOC stock by 16% compared with non-N-fixing species. This SOC increase is closely accompanied by soil N increases, with an average accumulation of 7.8 g of SOC per gram of soil N increase. Climate mediates SOC responses, with greater SOC sequestration observed in drier and warmer regions, particularly in the tropics. We estimate that an additional increase of 0.29-0.75 PgC yr

Indexed as

AgricultureCarbonForestryNitrogen FixationSoilClimate ChangeForestsNitrogenCarbonNitrogenSoil

Identifiers

PMID40973808

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.