Positive rhizosphere priming accelerates carbon release from permafrost soils

labelling plants in a controlled environment, we show that root activity increases carbon loss from previously frozen soils by 31%. This rhizosphere priming effect persists longer in permafrost than in active-layer soils, suggesting greater vulnerability of permafrost carbon. These findings underscore the urgency of incorporating plant-soil-microbe interactions into models predicting greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost.