Dual roles of microbes in mediating soil carbon dynamics in response to warming

• Published in: Nature Communications
• Main Authors: Shuqi Qin, Dianye Zhang, Bin Wei, Yuanhe Yang
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Portfolio 2024
• Subjects: Science; Q; permafrost
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50800-4; https://doaj.org/article/cb3d04d4d4404597af6137cf9798235c

Abstract Understanding the alterations in soil microbial communities in response to climate warming and their controls over soil carbon (C) processes is crucial for projecting permafrost C-climate feedback. However, previous studies have mainly focused on microorganism-mediated soil C release, and little is known about whether and how climate warming affects microbial anabolism and the subsequent C input in permafrost regions. Here, based on a more than half-decade of in situ warming experiment, we show that compared with ambient control, warming significantly reduces microbial C use efficiency and enhances microbial network complexity, which promotes soil heterotrophic respiration. Meanwhile, microbial necromass markedly accumulates under warming likely due to preferential microbial decomposition of plant-derived C, further leading to the increase in mineral-associated organic C. Altogether, these results demonstrate dual roles of microbes in affecting soil C release and stabilization, implying that permafrost C-climate feedback would weaken over time with dampened response of microbial respiration and increased proportion of stable C pool.