Dr. Luke Jeffrey
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jeffrethane.bsky.social
Dr. Luke Jeffrey
@jeffrethane.bsky.social
ARC DECRA Fellow | Biogeochemist | Senior researcher investigating the role of tree stems and their microbial communities within the global climate cycles. #Treethane #Methane #Wetlands #Carbon #Forests 🌱
(7/8) Bottom line: trees aren’t just carbon stores.
They’re hosts to complex microbial ecosystems that play an active role in regulating the atmosphere
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Congrats 🙌 @bobpmleung.bsky.social @greening.bsky.social @drdamo77.bsky.social @jodittmann.bsky.social et al.
Bark microbiota modulate climate-active gas fluxes in Australian forests
Recent studies suggest that microbes inhabit tree bark, yet little is known about their identities, functions, and environmental roles. Here we reveal, through gene-centric and genome-resolved metagen...
www.science.org
January 13, 2026 at 11:53 PM
(6/8) These systems are dynamic. Under low-oxygen conditions inside bark, some microbes can switch to producing methane or hydrogen — meaning climate change (e.g. flooding, warming) could alter these processes...
January 13, 2026 at 11:53 PM
(5/8) Why this matters: the global surface area of tree bark is immense — comparable to Earth’s land surface!! This points to a previously unrecognised, large-scale atmospheric sink. See video explainer📽️:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5eV...
Microbes found in bark enhance benefits of trees by removing greenhouse gases
YouTube video by Southern Cross University
www.youtube.com
January 13, 2026 at 11:53 PM
(4/8) Our lab and field experiments show bark microbes can remove multiple climate-relevant gases from the atmosphere, with particularly strong uptake and affinity for hydrogen.
January 13, 2026 at 11:53 PM
(3/8) These bark microbes aren’t just living there — they’re active. Many use trace gases like #Hydrogen (H₂), #Methane (CH₄), and #CarbonMonoxide (CO) as #Carbon and energy sources.🦠
January 13, 2026 at 11:53 PM
(2/8) Across 8 common Australian tree species (paperbarks, eucalypts, acacias, mangroves & more), bark contains trillions of microbial cells per m² — distinctly unique from soil or water communities.
January 13, 2026 at 11:53 PM