Microbial Respiration

AUS-AMR-LVG-SMR General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

13.5 mg/kg/day

Range: 14.3 to 28.6 mg/kg/day

Thresholds: Lower: 7.1, Upper: 28.6

Optimal Range: 14.3 to 28.6

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: Point

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 5 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 4 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary LowerThreshold Guard UpperThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard

Evidence & Context

The calculated benchmark representing the best available condition is 13.5 mg CO2-C/kg/day.

Metric Definition:

Microbial respiration, the flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the metabolic activity of heterotrophic soil microorganisms, is a primary measure of soil biological function.

Benchmark Definition:

Microbial respiration measures the carbon dioxide produced by soil microorganisms, indicating soil biological function in arid grazing landscapes of Australia.

Justification:

The benchmark value represents the potential microbial respiration capacity of a high-functioning soil in an Australian arid grazing landscape. It is derived from a 3-year mean rate (2.17 µmol CO2 m−2 s−1) measured in a long-term ungrazed enclosure in a comparable semi-arid woodland, which serves as a proxy for the target condition of best-practice regenerative grazing with maximum rest and biomass accumulation.

Sources (3)

Preview of Alice Mulga SuperSite | Soil & Vegetation Monitoring - TERN Australia, accessed July 22, 2025,

Alice Mulga SuperSite | Soil & Vegetation Monitoring - TERN Australia, accessed July 22, 2025, Government

Great Western Woodlands, Ground Water Data, 2014 - TERN Data Discovery Portal, accessed July 10, 2025,

Preview of Effects of grazing, clipping and enclosure on carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in soil of a semi-arid grassland in Inner Mongolia

Effects of grazing, clipping and enclosure on carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in soil of a semi-arid grassland in Inner Mongolia

Preview of Inherent Factors Affecting Soil Respiration - USDA, accessed July 30, 2025,

Inherent Factors Affecting Soil Respiration - USDA, accessed July 30, 2025, Journal

Twenty years of progress, challenges, and opportunities in measuring and understanding soil respiration, accessed August 13, 2025,

Supporting Sources (24)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of A Global Meta-Analysis of Grazing Impacts on Soil Health Indicators - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

A Global Meta-Analysis of Grazing Impacts on Soil Health Indicators - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

A Global Meta-Analysis of Grazing Impacts on Soil Health Indicators - ResearchGate, accessed July 10, 2025,

Preview of A review on effective soil health bio-indicators for ecosystem restoration and sustainability, accessed May 13, 2025,

A review on effective soil health bio-indicators for ecosystem restoration and sustainability, accessed May 13, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Soil Tests Electrical Conductivity - Soil Quality

Preview of Do regenerative grazing management practices ... - CSIRO Publishing, accessed May 12, 2025

Do regenerative grazing management practices ... - CSIRO Publishing, accessed May 12, 2025

Contextual Support Journal

Do regenerative grazing management practices improve vegetation and soil health in grazed rangelands? Preliminary insights from a space-for-time study in the Great Barrier Reef catchments, Australia - CSIRO Publishing, accessed May 11, 2025,

Preview of Do regenerative grazing management practices improve vegetation and soil health in grazed rangelands? Preliminary insights from a space-for-time study in the Great Barrier Reef catchments, Australia - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 30, 2025,

Do regenerative grazing management practices improve vegetation and soil health in grazed rangelands? Preliminary insights from a space-for-time study in the Great Barrier Reef catchments, Australia - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Do regenerative grazing management practices improve vegetation and soil health in grazed rangelands? Preliminary insights from a space-for-time study in the Great Barrier Reef catchments, Australia - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of Grazing lowers soil multifunctionality but boosts soil microbial network complexity and stability in a subtropical grassland of China - PubMed Central, accessed July 30, 2025,

Grazing lowers soil multifunctionality but boosts soil microbial network complexity and stability in a subtropical grassland of China - PubMed Central, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Short-term microbial respiration in an arid zone mangrove soil is limited by availability of gallic acid, phosphorus and ammonium - UQ eSpace, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of Grazing lowers soil multifunctionality but boosts soil microbial network complexity and stability in a subtropical grassland of China - PubMed Central, accessed on June 5, 2025

Grazing lowers soil multifunctionality but boosts soil microbial network complexity and stability in a subtropical grassland of China - PubMed Central, accessed on June 5, 2025

Contextual Support Journal

Aridity thresholds of soil microbial metabolic indices along a 3200 km transect across arid and semi-arid regions in Northern China - PubMed Central, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of Grazing Regulates Changes in Soil Microbial Communities in Plant-Soil Systems - MDPI

Grazing Regulates Changes in Soil Microbial Communities in Plant-Soil Systems - MDPI

Contextual Support Journal

Managing Pastures for Soil Health FACT SHEET 12 - Local Land Services, accessed July 11, 2025,

Preview of High clay contents, dense soils, and spatial variability are the principal subsoil constraints to cropping the higher rainfall land in south-eastern Australia - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 7, 2025

High clay contents, dense soils, and spatial variability are the principal subsoil constraints to cropping the higher rainfall land in south-eastern Australia - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 7, 2025

Contextual Support Journal

High clay contents, dense soils, and spatial variability are the principal subsoil constraints to cropping the higher rainfall land in south-eastern Australia - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 26, 2025,

Preview of How does livestock graze management affect woodland soil health? - Frontiers, accessed July 30, 2025,

How does livestock graze management affect woodland soil health? - Frontiers, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

How does livestock graze management affect woodland soil health? - Frontiers, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of How grazing management influences biocrust community composition in the Northern Territory rangelands - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

How grazing management influences biocrust community composition in the Northern Territory rangelands - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Soil health responses to long-term grazing intensity gradients in two semiarid rangelands | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of Microbial diversity limits soil heterotrophic respiration and mitigates the respiration response to moisture increase | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

Microbial diversity limits soil heterotrophic respiration and mitigates the respiration response to moisture increase | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

(PDF) Soil microbial and chemical indicators of soil health response to agricultural intensification practices on black cracking clay soils - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of Microbial soil respiration and its dependency on carbon inputs, soil temperature and moisture | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

Microbial soil respiration and its dependency on carbon inputs, soil temperature and moisture | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Microbial soil respiration and its dependency on carbon inputs, soil temperature and moisture | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of Organic matter characteristics under native forest, long-term pasture, and recent conversion to Eucalyptus plantations in Western Australia: microbial biomass, soil respiration, and permanganate oxidation | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed on June 7, 2025,

Organic matter characteristics under native forest, long-term pasture, and recent conversion to Eucalyptus plantations in Western Australia: microbial biomass, soil respiration, and permanganate oxidation | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed on June 7, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Agronomic soil tests can be used to estimate dissolved reactive phosphorus loss, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of Regenerative Grazing: 3 Different Approaches - Shorthandstories.com, accessed August 5, 2025,

Regenerative Grazing: 3 Different Approaches - Shorthandstories.com, accessed August 5, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Regenerative Grazing: 3 Different Approaches - Shorthandstories.com

Preview of Response of Grazing Land Soil Health to Management Strategies: A Summary Review, accessed August 5, 2025,

Response of Grazing Land Soil Health to Management Strategies: A Summary Review, accessed August 5, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Response of Grazing Land Soil Health to Management Strategies: A Summary Review

Preview of SA Arid Lands | From the Ground Up - Landscape South Australia, accessed July 25, 2025

SA Arid Lands | From the Ground Up - Landscape South Australia, accessed July 25, 2025

Contextual Support Government

Rangelands Living Skin - NSW Department of Primary Industries, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of Soil the driver of carbon dioxide variability over Australia | TERN Australia, accessed August 28, 2025,

Soil the driver of carbon dioxide variability over Australia | TERN Australia, accessed August 28, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Soil respiration–driven CO2 pulses dominate Australia's flux variability, accessed August 3, 2025

Preview of Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 5, 2025,

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 5, 2025,

Contextual Support

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing, accessed May 13, 2025,

Preview of Soil health indicator sheet - Soil compaction (bulk density) - Minnesota Stormwater Manual, accessed July 30, 2025,

Soil health indicator sheet - Soil compaction (bulk density) - Minnesota Stormwater Manual, accessed July 30, 2025,

Irrelevant

Soil health indicator sheet - Soil compaction (bulk density) - Minnesota Stormwater Manual

Preview of Soil hydrology and vegetation as impacted by goat grazing in Vertisols and Regosols in semi-arid shrublands of northern Mexico - CSIRO PUBLISHING | The Rangeland Journal, accessed July 30, 2025,

Soil hydrology and vegetation as impacted by goat grazing in Vertisols and Regosols in semi-arid shrublands of northern Mexico - CSIRO PUBLISHING | The Rangeland Journal, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Soil hydrology and vegetation as impacted by goat grazing in Vertisols and Regosols in semi-arid shrublands of northern Mexico - CSIRO PUBLISHING | The Rangeland Journal, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of Soil Respiration in Semiarid Temperate Grasslands under Various ..., accessed July 30, 2025,

Soil Respiration in Semiarid Temperate Grasslands under Various ..., accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Soil Respiration in Semiarid Temperate Grasslands under Various ..., accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration rates enhanced by microbial community response - PubMed, accessed July 30, 2025,

Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration rates enhanced by microbial community response - PubMed, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration rates enhanced by microbial community response - PubMed, accessed August 13, 2025,

Preview of The relationships between land management practices and soil condition and the quality of ecosystem services delivered from agri - DAFF, accessed July 30, 2025,

The relationships between land management practices and soil condition and the quality of ecosystem services delivered from agri - DAFF, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

The relationships between land management practices and soil condition and the quality of ecosystem services delivered from agri - DAFF, accessed July 30, 2025,

Preview of The response of grassland productivity, soil ... - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 30, 2025,

The response of grassland productivity, soil ... - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 30, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

The response of grassland productivity, soil ... - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 30, 2025,

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 20 Mar 2026

Notes

Lower Critical Threshold: 7.1 mg C/kg soil/d. Upper Detrimental Threshold: 28.6 mg C/kg soil/d. Optimal range is 14.3 to 28.6 mg C/kg soil/d, where excessive respiration indicates an unstable system losing stable carbon.