Fungal to bacterial ratios in soils investigated for enhanced C-sequestration, Bailey 2002

Testing paired sites in four ecosystem types, this study finds that higher fungal activity in soil is associated with higher soil carbon content, and that disturbing the soil reduces fungal activity. The paper’s introduction explains why fungi have been found to store more carbon than do bacteria – for example, fungi can store up to 26 times more carbon from leaf litter than bacteria. This is because the chemical composition of fungal biomass is more complex and more resistant to degradation; also, fungi have higher carbon assimilation efficiencies than do bacteria, and thus store more of the carbon they metabolize.