The temperature sensitivity of soil: microbial biodiversity, growth, and carbon mineralization

Chao Wang; Ember M Morrissey; Rebecca L Mau; Michaela Hayer; Juan Piñeiro; Michelle C Mack; Jane C Marks; Sheryl L Bell; Samantha N Miller; Egbert Schwartz; Paul Dijkstra; Benjamin J Koch; Bram W Stone; Alicia M Purcell; Steven J Blazewicz; Kirsten S Hofmockel; Jennifer Pett-Ridge; Bruce A Hungate

doi:10.1038/s41396-021-00959-1

The temperature sensitivity of soil: microbial biodiversity, growth, and carbon mineralization

ISME J. 2021 Sep;15(9):2738-2747. doi: 10.1038/s41396-021-00959-1. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Authors

Chao Wang^{1

2}, Ember M Morrissey³, Rebecca L Mau^{4

5}, Michaela Hayer⁴, Juan Piñeiro¹, Michelle C Mack⁴, Jane C Marks^{4

6}, Sheryl L Bell⁷, Samantha N Miller^{4

6}, Egbert Schwartz^{4

6}, Paul Dijkstra^{4

6}, Benjamin J Koch^{4

6}, Bram W Stone⁴, Alicia M Purcell⁴, Steven J Blazewicz⁷, Kirsten S Hofmockel^{8

9}, Jennifer Pett-Ridge⁷, Bruce A Hungate^{4

6}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
³ Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA. ember.morrissey@mail.wvu.edu.
⁴ Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
⁵ Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
⁶ Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
⁷ Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
⁸ Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Livermore, CA, USA.
⁹ Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Department, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.

Abstract

Microorganisms drive soil carbon mineralization and changes in their activity with increased temperature could feedback to climate change. Variation in microbial biodiversity and the temperature sensitivities (Q₁₀) of individual taxa may explain differences in the Q₁₀ of soil respiration, a possibility not previously examined due to methodological limitations. Here, we show phylogenetic and taxonomic variation in the Q₁₀ of growth (5-35 °C) among soil bacteria from four sites, one from each of Arctic, boreal, temperate, and tropical biomes. Differences in the temperature sensitivities of taxa and the taxonomic composition of communities determined community-assembled bacterial growth Q₁₀, which was strongly predictive of soil respiration Q₁₀ within and across biomes. Our results suggest community-assembled traits of microbial taxa may enable enhanced prediction of carbon cycling feedbacks to climate change in ecosystems across the globe.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Biodiversity
Carbon*
Ecosystem
Phylogeny
Soil Microbiology
Soil*
Temperature

Substances

Soil
Carbon