<p>Knowledge of functional traits such as the maximum substrate uptake rate and growth efficiency of microorganisms is crucial in understanding the turnover and storage of soil organic carbon. In addition to CO2 measurements, heat dissipation from organic matter decomposition is also a well-recognized proxy for microbial activity in soils. However, only a few attempts have been made to utilize heat signals for quantifying microbial traits.</p><p>To leverage high-resolution…