Why not all productivity leads to carbon sequestration: the role of plant carbon surplus, allocation, and the Gadgil effect.

The article focuses on the complex interactions between plant productivity and soil carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems, highlighting why increased plant growth does not always lead to greater soil carbon storage. It reviews how factors such as nutrient availability, microbial community dynamics—particularly the competition between mycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi—and soil chemistry influence carbon allocation, decomposition rates, and soil carbon stabilization. The report emphasizes that nitrogen addition and elevated carbon dioxide have contrasting effects on soil carbon due to their differing impacts on microbial activity and plant carbon allocation. It concludes that forest management aimed at maximizing long-term carbon retention must balance productivity with practices that protect soil carbon pools, considering ecosystem-specific interactions among plants, fungi, and soil conditions.