Dormant microbes dominate soils across China and are regulated by water and resource availability

Dormancy, as a microbial survival strategy, plays a crucial role in sustaining microbial diversity. However, the large-scale distribution patterns of microbial dormancy and drivers remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed 591 soil samples from 197 field sites across China, spanning deserts, croplands, grasslands, and forests, to quantify the proportion of dormant microbial cells (Dormancy%). On average, 95.48% of soil microbial cells were dormant, with the lowest Dormancy% in forests (93.84%) and the highest in deserts (96.81%). This regulation followed a regular mechanism: soil water-holding capacity and β−1,4-glucosidase activity acted as immediate triggers, while mineral-associated organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon indirectly governed the process. Overall, this study provides evidence at the China scale for the dominance of dormant microorganisms in terrestrial ecosystems and reveals the environmental regulatory mechanism of dormancy, highlighting its ecological importance for maintaining microbial diversity and ecosystem stability. Dormant microbes dominate soils across China, accounting for about 95% of cells and varying from forests to deserts, with water-holding capacity, enzyme activity, and carbon pools regulating dormancy patterns, based on analyses of 591 samples from 197 sites.