Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics and Microbial Interactions in The Arable Land of Duhok Governorate: Implications for Carbon Sequestration

This research aimed to determine the key role of microbial diversity, segetal plants, and location (edge versus center) in regulating the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the agricultural lands of the Kurdistan region, Iraq. A key finding was that significant SOC dynamic variability exists in sites related to spatial site-specific conditions. A high degree of SOC variability was also recorded intra-site, with edge localities consistently having more SOC than central regions. This suggests that micro-environmental conditions or interactions with adjacent ecosystems may promote SOC accumulation in edge environments. Microorganisms such as Penicillium, Fusarium, and B. cereus were seen as contributing to the decomposition of organic matter, resource cycling, and soil health improvement. Complex interactions among the microorganisms’ SOC content, with fungi such as A. quadrilineatus, negatively correlate with SOC and prevent carbon accumulation. Fungi such as A. sydowii and A. malleus positively correlated with bacteria, suggesting mutualistic relationships that support soil fertility and plant growth. Penicillium species, P. citrinum, and P. centrum support microbial collaboration, which is important for carbon storage. Conversely, F. incarnatum has negative correlations with various microbes, emphasizing its role in competition over SOC dynamics. However, while identifying several explanatory factors, the predictive model shows that much of the SOC variance is left unexplained, indicating the need for even more refined models that scale up to larger ecological processes. Therefore, these findings exemplify the importance of microbe interactions in managing SOC, soil health, and carbon cycling