Fungal:Bacterial Ratio

AUS-AIF-FOR-SFB General Low confidence

Benchmark Value

1 index
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: MinimumOnly

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

OptimalRange Primary MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

Therefore, an F:B ratio of 1.0 is a scientifically defensible lower critical threshold.

Metric Definition:

The ratio of fungal to bacterial biomass (F:B ratio) in soil is a powerful integrative indicator, reflecting fundamental ecological strategies, the history of land management, and the overall functional state of a terrestrial ecosystem.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the scientifically defensible lower critical threshold for the fungal to bacterial biomass ratio in production forest soils, below which soil microbial communities indicate compromised ecosystem function.

Justification:

Falling below this threshold signifies a fundamental change in ecosystem strategy, from the slow, retentive cycling of a forest to the fast, leaky cycling of a disturbed field.

Sources (1)

Preview of Soil Fungal:Bacterial Ratios Are Linked to Altered Carbon Cycling - Frontiers, accessed July 20, 2025,
Soil Fungal:Bacterial Ratios Are Linked to Altered Carbon Cycling - Frontiers, accessed July 20, 2025, GreyLiterature

Revisiting the hypothesis that fungal-to-bacterial dominance characterises turnover of soil organic matter and nutrients | Request PDF - ResearchGate

View Source

Supporting Sources (21)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Analyzing your Fungal to Bacterial Ratio Results - MicroBiometer, accessed July 18, 2025
Analyzing your Fungal to Bacterial Ratio Results - MicroBiometer, accessed July 18, 2025
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Analyzing your Fungal to Bacterial Ratio Results - microBIOMETER, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source
Preview of Aridity differentially alters the stability of soil bacterial and fungal networks in coastal and inland areas of Australia - PubMed
Aridity differentially alters the stability of soil bacterial and fungal networks in coastal and inland areas of Australia - PubMed
Contextual Support Direct Evidence GreyLiterature

Australian dryland soils are acidic and nutrient-depleted, and have unique microbial communities compared with other drylands - PMC

View Source
Preview of Australian dryland soils are acidic and nutrient-depleted, and have unique microbial communities compared with other drylands - PMC, accessed August 5, 2025,
Australian dryland soils are acidic and nutrient-depleted, and have unique microbial communities compared with other drylands - PMC, accessed August 5, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

How should we manage our soils to increase soil carbon?, accessed May 10, 2026

View Source
Preview of Biogeographical patterns of the soil fungal:bacterial ratio across France - ASM Journals, accessed July 28, 2025
Biogeographical patterns of the soil fungal:bacterial ratio across France - ASM Journals, accessed July 28, 2025
Contextual Support Direct Evidence Journal

Beyond Bacteria: The Importance of Fungi, Protozoa and Nematodes in Soil Microbiology, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Biogeographical patterns of the soil fungal:bacterial ratio across France - PubMed Central, accessed July 18, 2025
Biogeographical patterns of the soil fungal:bacterial ratio across France - PubMed Central, accessed July 18, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Mechanisms and implications of bacterial–fungal competition for soil resources - PMC, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source
Preview of Biogeographical patterns of the soil fungal:bacterial ratio across France - PubMed, accessed July 28, 2025,
Biogeographical patterns of the soil fungal:bacterial ratio across France - PubMed, accessed July 28, 2025,
Direct Evidence Journal

Biogeographical patterns of the soil fungal:bacterial ratio across France - PubMed Central

View Source
Preview of Changes in Soil Microbial Community Structure Influenced by Agricultural Management Practices in a Mediterranean Agro-Ecosystem | PLOS One - Research journals, accessed August 5, 2025,
Changes in Soil Microbial Community Structure Influenced by Agricultural Management Practices in a Mediterranean Agro-Ecosystem | PLOS One - Research journals, accessed August 5, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Changes in Soil Microbial Community Structure Influenced by Agricultural Management Practices in a Mediterranean Agro-Ecosystem | PLOS One - Research journals

View Source
Preview of Environmental management of riparian tree health in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia - WIT Press, accessed July 21, 2025
Environmental management of riparian tree health in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia - WIT Press, accessed July 21, 2025
Direct Evidence Journal

Environmental management of riparian tree health in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia - WIT Press

View Source
Preview of Forest succession improves the complexity of soil microbial interaction and ecological stochasticity of community assembly: Evidence from Phoebe bournei-dominated forests in subtropical regions
Forest succession improves the complexity of soil microbial interaction and ecological stochasticity of community assembly: Evidence from Phoebe bournei-dominated forests in subtropical regions
Contextual Support Journal

Forest succession improves the complexity of soil microbial interaction and ecological stochasticity of community assembly: Evidence from Phoebe bournei-dominated forests in subtropical regions

View Source
Preview of Forest succession improves the complexity of soil microbial interaction and ecological stochasticity of community assembly: Evidence from Phoebe bournei-dominated forests in subtropical regions, accessed July 20, 2025,
Forest succession improves the complexity of soil microbial interaction and ecological stochasticity of community assembly: Evidence from Phoebe bournei-dominated forests in subtropical regions, accessed July 20, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Forest succession improves the complexity of soil microbial interaction and ecological stochasticity of community assembly: Evidence from Phoebe bournei-dominated forests in subtropical regions - Frontiers

View Source
Preview of Mechanisms and implications of bacterial–fungal competition for soil resources - PMC, accessed July 18, 2025
Mechanisms and implications of bacterial–fungal competition for soil resources - PMC, accessed July 18, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Soil Fungal:Bacterial Ratios Are Linked to Altered Carbon Cycling - Frontiers, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source
Preview of Mechanisms and implications of bacterial–fungal competition for soil resources | The ISME Journal | Oxford Academic, accessed July 18, 2025
Mechanisms and implications of bacterial–fungal competition for soil resources | The ISME Journal | Oxford Academic, accessed July 18, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Mechanisms and implications of bacterial–fungal competition for soil resources | The ISME Journal | Oxford Academic

View Source
Preview of Metal Toxicity Affects Fungal and Bacterial Activities in Soil Differently - PMC, accessed July 20, 2025,
Metal Toxicity Affects Fungal and Bacterial Activities in Soil Differently - PMC, accessed July 20, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Metal Toxicity Affects Fungal and Bacterial Activities in Soil Differently - PMC

View Source
Preview of Microbial community composition and activity in paired irrigated and non-irrigated pastures in New Zealand - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 3, 2025
Microbial community composition and activity in paired irrigated and non-irrigated pastures in New Zealand - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 3, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Microbial community composition and activity in paired irrigated and non-irrigated pastures in New Zealand - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 29, 2025

View Source
Preview of RIvER RED guMs AND wooDLAND FoREsts - Natural Resources Commission, accessed July 20, 2025,
RIvER RED guMs AND wooDLAND FoREsts - Natural Resources Commission, accessed July 20, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

RIvER RED guMs AND wooDLAND FoREsts - Natural Resources Commission

View Source
Preview of Soil Fungal:Bacterial Ratios Are Linked to Altered Carbon ... - Frontiers, accessed July 18, 2025
Soil Fungal:Bacterial Ratios Are Linked to Altered Carbon ... - Frontiers, accessed July 18, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

How Biodiversity-Friendly Is Regenerative Grazing? - Frontiers

View Source
Preview of Soil Microbial Community Successional Patterns during Forest Ecosystem Restoration | Applied and Environmental Microbiology - ASM Journals, accessed July 20, 2025,
Soil Microbial Community Successional Patterns during Forest Ecosystem Restoration | Applied and Environmental Microbiology - ASM Journals, accessed July 20, 2025,
Contextual Support Direct Evidence Journal

Soil Bacterial and Fungal Communities Show Distinct Recovery Patterns during Forest Ecosystem Restoration | Applied and Environmental Microbiology - ASM Journals

View Source
Preview of Soil respiration–driven CO2 pulses dominate Australia's flux variability
Soil respiration–driven CO2 pulses dominate Australia's flux variability
Contextual Support Journal

The incorporation of fungal to bacterial ratios and plant ecosystem ...

View Source
Preview of The fungal-bacterial ratio for soil health - Farmer's Weekly, accessed July 12, 2025,
The fungal-bacterial ratio for soil health - Farmer's Weekly, accessed July 12, 2025,
Direct Evidence Journal

The fungal-bacterial ratio for soil health - Farmer's Weekly

View Source
Preview of The incorporation of fungal to bacterial ratios and plant ecosystem effect traits into a state-and-transition model of land-use change in semi-arid grasslands - Research @ Flinders, accessed August 3, 2025
The incorporation of fungal to bacterial ratios and plant ecosystem effect traits into a state-and-transition model of land-use change in semi-arid grasslands - Research @ Flinders, accessed August 3, 2025
Contextual Support Direct Evidence Journal

The incorporation of fungal to bacterial ratios and plant ecosystem effect traits into a state-and-transition model of land-use change in semi-arid grasslands - Research @ Flinders

View Source
Preview of Typology of arid-zone floodplain wetlands of the Paroo River (inland Australia) and the influence of water regime, turbidity, and salinity on their aquatic invertebrate assemblages - ResearchGate, accessed July 20, 2025,
Typology of arid-zone floodplain wetlands of the Paroo River (inland Australia) and the influence of water regime, turbidity, and salinity on their aquatic invertebrate assemblages - ResearchGate, accessed July 20, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Typology of arid-zone floodplain wetlands of the Paroo River (inland Australia) and the influence of water regime, turbidity, and salinity on their aquatic invertebrate assemblages - ResearchGate

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
  • Land Use Production Forestry
  • Assessment Not Stated
  • Vegetation Forest
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 26 May 2026

Notes

A value below this point indicates that the soil's microbial community no longer reflects a forest ecosystem. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AIF-FOR-SFB family.

— index Moderate
Production Forestry · Conservation Target · Forest
OptimalRange Active v1