Hidden decomposers : Revisiting saprotrophy among soil protists and its potential impact on carbon cycling
Soil protists are increasingly recognized as key players in organic matter turnover, yet their role as direct decomposers (i.e., saprotrophs) remains underexplored compared to that of bacteria and fungi. Here, we synthesize ecological, physiological, and genomic evidence to highlight the potential of protists to actively decompose organic matter and influence soil carbon cycling. We distinguish tw
