Global Warming Boosts Soil Bacteria Diversity

A recent investigation carried out by scholars at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna has unveiled that elevated temperatures in soil support a wider diversity of active microorganisms.

Published in Science Advances, the study marks a significant paradigm shift in our comprehension of how soil microbial activity impacts the global carbon cycle and potential climate feedback mechanisms. Previous assumptions by scientists suggested that elevated soil temperatures would stimulate microbial growth, leading to increased carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

However, the study reveals that this heightened carbon release is actually triggered by the activation of previously dormant bacteria.

Soil Microorganisms

“Andreas Richter, the study’s lead author and professor at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, emphasizes, “Soils serve as Earth’s largest reservoir of organic carbon.” Microorganisms play a pivotal role in the global carbon cycle, decomposing organic matter and subsequently releasing carbon dioxide.

As temperatures escalate—an inevitable consequence of climate change—microbial communities are anticipated to emit more carbon dioxide, potentially exacerbating climate change through a process referred to as soil carbon-climate feedback.

“For decades, scientists have believed that this reaction stems from the accelerated growth rates of individual microbial groups in warmer climates,” Richter explains. In their research, the team visited a subarctic grassland in Iceland, subjected to over fifty years of geothermal warming, resulting in higher soil temperatures compared to its surroundings.

Using advanced isotope probing techniques on collected soil cores, the researchers identified active bacterial groups, comparing their growth rates under both ambient and elevated temperatures, with the latter being 6 °C higher.

“We observed that consistent soil warming over more than 50 years led to increased microbial growth at the community level,” states Dennis Metze, the primary author of the study. “However, notably, the growth rates of microbes in warmer soils were indistinguishable from those in normal temperature conditions.” The crucial difference lay in bacterial diversity: Warmer soils hosted a more diverse range of active microbial groups.

Forecasting soil microbial behaviors in upcoming climates

“Deciphering the intricate responses of the soil microbiome to climate change has posed a significant challenge, often relegating it to a ‘black box’ in climate modeling,” remarks Christina Kaiser, associate professor at the Centre.

To conclude, this groundbreaking discovery goes beyond the conventional emphasis on aggregated community growth, laying the groundwork for more precise forecasts of microbial behavior and its resulting influence on carbon cycling within the changing climate landscape. The revelations from this study shed light on the diverse microbial reactions to warming and are indispensable for predicting the soil microbiome’s role in future carbon dynamics.

Read the original article on: Phys Org

Read more: Space-Produced Drug Safely Returns to Earth