Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Elsa Abs

@elsa-abs.bsky.social

770 followers 690 following 83 posts

Earth scientist, microbial/ecosystem ecologist, @ERC_Research for project GAMEchange @LSCE_IPSL, Marie Curie @UCIrvine, PhD @ENS_ULM, they/iel 🇫🇷 🇱🇧 🏳️‍🌈 https://www.elsaabs.com/

www.elsaabs.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Dec 4

go.bsky.app/ACjNUuz

Let me know if you want to join 🦠🌍🤗

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jul 24

Congratulations Kyle!!! (love the soil mates 🤣🥰)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jul 17

Thank you for sharing Brian!

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jul 17

Link to submit your abstract: lnkd.in/gkDzqqaX

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jul 16

Wondering where to submit your abstract for #AGU25 @agu.org?

Check out our session co-organized with @kristenobacter.bsky.social (UMass), Ulas Karaoz and Nicola Falco (Berkeley Lab).

In-person invited speakers: @andreasrichter.bsky.social (U of Vienna) & Amilcare Porporato (Princeton) 🤩

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jul 6

I'd love that! I'm based in Paris. Would that work for you?

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jul 4

Working on microscale microbial functions and/or scaling up?

Submit to our Elementa special feature!

🔗 lnkd.in/gChyjaiM
📝 Rolling publication
📅 Final deadline: Sept 20, 2025
🌍 Contributions welcome from soil, ocean & human systems.

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Apr 1

📣 Our special feature highlighting cutting-edge microbial eco-evolutionary research is now live and open for submissions! online.ucpress.edu/elementa/pag.... Submission deadline: September 20, 2025 (but accepted papers will be published on a rolling basis starting immediately).

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

🙏 co-authors: @scott-saleska.bsky.social , Steve Allison, Philippe Ciais, @chopinyang.bsky.social , Mike Weintraub and Régis Ferrière.

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

6. Conclusion

Microbial eco-evolution could destabilize soil carbon.
Models that ignore it risk underestimating climate-carbon feedbacks.
We hope this work opens the door to more theory-driven, evolution-aware Earth system models. (7/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

5. Global heterogeneity of the eco-evolutionary effect

We wondered if we could replace eco-evolution with a constant correction. Answer: no. Its effect is uneven—negligible in warm regions, but up to 2× more soil C loss in cold ones. Why? Optimal enzyme allocation responds nonlinearly. (6/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

4. Implication for global soil C projections

We thought that microbial adaptation would buffer warming-induced soil C loss. But because it amplifies enzyme production (as shown above), we found that adaptation aggravates the loss—by x1.8 globally. (5/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

3. Experimental validation

We reviewed 13 warming studies:
✅ 9 matched our predictions (6 eco-evolution, 3 physio)
❌ 3 didn’t show increased enzyme production (though evidence was weaker).
Overall, warming tends to increase microbial investment in resource acquisition. (4/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

2. Evolutionary result

We found that in hostile environments (e.g. high mortality, slow uptake), selection favors direct investment in biomass over the riskier strategy of enzyme production. Since warming mainly increases uptake rate, we predicted it would favor stronger enzyme producers. (3/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

1. The eco-evolutionary model

We added a trade-off to a classic microbe-soil C model and used adaptive dynamics to evolve enzyme allocation. To prevent freeloaders from taking over, we included implicit spatial structure. Bonus: enzyme production emerges—it’s no longer a free parameter. (2/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

New paper out in Global Change Biology 🤩

doi.org/10.1111/gcb....

We built the first soil carbon model that includes microbial eco-evolution using game theory — and found that adaptation could nearly double global soil carbon loss by 2100. Here is how👇(1/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

🙏 co-authors: @scott-saleska.bsky.social, Steve Allison, Philippe Ciais, @chopinyang.bsky.social, Mike Weintraub and Régis Ferrière.

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

6. Conclusion

Microbial eco-evolution could destabilize soil carbon.
Models that ignore it risk underestimating climate-carbon feedbacks.
We hope this work opens the door to more theory-driven, evolution-aware Earth system models. (7/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

5. Global heterogeneity of the eco-evolutionary effect

We wondered if we could replace eco-evolution with a constant correction. Answer: no. Its effect is uneven—negligible in warm regions, but up to 2× more soil C loss in cold ones. Why? Optimal enzyme allocation responds nonlinearly. (6/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

4. Implication for global soil C projections

We thought that microbial adaptation would buffer warming-induced soil C loss. But because it amplifies enzyme production (as shown above), we found that adaptation aggravates the loss—by x1.8 globally. (5/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

3. Experimental validation

We reviewed 13 warming studies:
✅ 9 matched our predictions (6 eco-evolution, 3 physio)
❌ 3 didn’t show increased enzyme production (though evidence was weaker).
Overall, warming tends to increase microbial investment in resource acquisition. (4/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

2. Evolutionary result

We found that in hostile environments (e.g. high mortality, slow uptake), selection favors direct investment in biomass over the riskier strategy of enzyme production. Since warming mainly increases uptake rate, we predicted it would favor stronger enzyme producers. (3/7)

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Jun 20

1. The eco-evolutionary model

We added a trade-off to a classic microbe-soil C model and used adaptive dynamics to evolve enzyme allocation. To prevent freeloaders from taking over, we included implicit spatial structure. Bonus: enzyme production emerges—it’s no longer a free parameter. (2/7)

Reposted by Elsa Abs

LEMONTREE @lemontree-uofr.bsky.social · Apr 24

🚨 New blog! 🌱🌍
What happens when 18 scientists gather in a medieval hall to rethink Land Surface Models using Eco-Evolutionary Optimality?
Find out 👉 research.reading.ac.uk/lemontree/si...
#EEO #LandSurfaceModels #LEMONTREE

Simpler, Smarter, Stronger: Workshop on Incorporating EEO into Land Surface Models - Lemontree

The LEMONTREE team and invited guests recently met at Dartington Hall to explore how Eco-Evolutionary Optimality theory can simplify and strengthen Land Surface Models.

research.reading.ac.uk

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Apr 14

Gorgeous place to think about eco-evolution. Thanks @lemontree-uofr.bsky.social for the invite!

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Apr 1

📣 Our special feature highlighting cutting-edge microbial eco-evolutionary research is now live and open for submissions! online.ucpress.edu/elementa/pag.... Submission deadline: September 20, 2025 (but accepted papers will be published on a rolling basis starting immediately).

Elsa Abs @elsa-abs.bsky.social · Mar 21

Yayy! Just added you!