Across the United States, water moving between the river and riverbed sediments does not overcome localized processes that govern organic matter chemistry.
Dominant and functionally important soil microbes show strong, predictable, and distinctly different associations with continental-scale gradients in climate, vegetation, and soil moisture.
A novel ecological measurement uncovered interactions between river corridor organic matter assemblages and microbial communities, highlighting potentially important microbial taxa and molecular formula types.
Developing conceptual models for microbial-environmental–ecosystem interactions is key to enhancing the ability of models to predict future ecosystem function.