The recent findings from a research team at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have shed light on how grazing by livestock versus wild herbivores affects soil carbon storage. This discovery holds significant implications for climate mitigation as livestock, being the most abundant large mammals on earth, have the potential to increase the carbon stored in the soil significantly, albeit through a small shift in behavior.
Key Findings From the Study
This study builds on a previous IISc research that highlighted the pivotal role herbivores play in maintaining soil carbon pools. The recent study brings attention to the contrast in how livestock like sheep and cattle versus wild herbivores such as yak and ibex, impact the soil carbon stock.
The Influence of Antibiotics
One of the identified factors contributing to lesser soil carbon storage in livestock-grazed areas was the use of veterinary antibiotics such as tetracycline. These antibiotics, introduced into the soil through livestock’s dung and urine, bring about changes in soil microbial communities, which negatively affects carbon sequestration.
Long-lasting antibiotics like tetracycline can linger in the soil for years, posing a risk of ecological imbalance.
Difference in Carbon Use Efficiency (CUE)
Another crucial finding pertains to the Carbon Use Efficiency (CUE), a parameter determining microbes’ capacity to store carbon in the soil. CUE alludes to the net carbon gain ratio to gross carbon assimilation over a set period.
Comparatively, soils from livestock-grazed areas exhibited a 19% lower CUE than those from regions grazed by wild herbivores, despite many similarities between the two types of soil.
Understanding Antibiotics
Antibiotics are unique drugs designed to destroy biological organisms within a person’s body without causing harm to the individual. Their uses are diverse, spanning from infection prevention during surgeries to shielding cancer patients amid chemotherapy.
India holds the status of being the largest consumer of antibiotics globally. However, the country’s extensive antibiotic usage has sparked powerful, unprecedented bacterial mutations.
This research by IISc has exposed critical factors influencing soil carbon storage, with a focus on the role of livestock grazing and the use of antibiotics. These discoveries are essential to developing effective strategies for climate change mitigation.
