Fungal:Bacterial Ratio
Benchmark Value
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 6 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 5 guard(s) constrain the result.
Contributing Benchmarks
Evidence & Context
a sustained F:B ratio (measured by PLFA or DNA) consistently below 0.75 to 1.0 might be considered critically low.
The ratio of fungal biomass to bacterial biomass (F:B ratio) is an integrated ecological indicator that reflects the balance between these two major decomposer groups.
This benchmark represents a lower critical threshold range of fungal to bacterial biomass ratio below which ecosystem health in Australian Alpine and Subalpine Production Forestry may be compromised.
A shift towards bacterial dominance is often indicative of soil disturbance, degradation, or conditions unfavorable for fungal growth and activity, leading to impaired carbon storage and reduced soil structural stability.
Sources (2)
Tagged with ratio of fungi to bacteria - The Prairie Ecologist, accessed July 21, 2025
View SourcePrincipal role of fungi in soil carbon stabilization during early pedogenesis in the high Arctic | PNAS, accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceSupporting Sources (19)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
(PDF) Spatial changes of soil fungal and bacterial biomass from a ..., accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceMechanisms and implications of bacterial–fungal competition for soil resources - PMC, accessed July 23, 2025
View SourceFungal-rich Compost Paired with Cover Cropping | Mosca-Hooper Conservation District, accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceBiogeographical patterns of the soil fungal:bacterial ratio across France - PubMed Central
View SourceFungal communities are more sensitive to the simulated environmental changes than bacterial communities in a subtropical forest: the single and interactive effects of nitrogen addition and precipitation seasonality change - ResearchGate, accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceFungal community structure and function shifts with atmospheric nitrogen deposition | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceFungal/bacterial ratios in grasslands with contrasting nitrogen management - ResearchGate
View Sourcewww.researchgate.net, accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceVariation in Soil Bacterial and Fungal Community Composition at Different Successional Stages of a Broad-Leaved Korean Pine Forest in the Lesser Hinggan Mountains - MDPI, accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceInternational Journal of Wildland Fire - CSIRO PUBLISHING, accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceMechanisms and implications of bacterial–fungal competition for soil resources | The ISME Journal | Oxford Academic
View Sourcetheaustralianalpsnationalparks.org, accessed on June 5, 2025
View Source(PDF) Precipitation, rather than temperature drives coordination of multidimensional root traits with ectomycorrhizal fungi in alpine coniferous forests - ResearchGate, accessed on June 5, 2025
View Source
Reshaping forest management in Australia to provide nature-based solutions to global challenges - Talking Timber, accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceRole of Soil Fungus | Ohioline - The Ohio State University, accessed on June 7, 2025,
View SourceSoil Bacterial and Fungal Composition and Diversity Responses to Seasonal Deer Grazing in a Subalpine Meadow - MDPI, accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceSoil microbial community composition and function are closely associated with soil organic matter chemistry along a latitudinal gradient | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed on June 5, 2025
View SourceSoil Conservation in Alpine Catchments - The Kosciuszko Huts Association, accessed August 17, 2025,
View SourceThe Australian Alps Bioregion - Environment and Heritage, accessed on May 27, 2025,
View Source