Articles | Volume 7, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-477-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-477-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
02 Aug 2021
Original research article |
| 02 Aug 2021
| 02 Aug 2021
Whole-soil warming decreases abundance and modifies the community structure of microorganisms in the subsoil but not in surface soil
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Nicholas O. E. Ofiti
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Jennifer L. Soong
Climate and Ecosystem Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
Emily F. Solly
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
currently at: Group for Sustainable Agroecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Margaret S. Torn
Climate and Ecosystem Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
Arnaud Huguet
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, EPHE, PSL, UMR METIS, Paris, France
Guido L. B. Wiesenberg
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Michael W. I. Schmidt
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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A better understanding of past climate variations is essential to apprehend future climatic changes. The aim of this study is to investigate the applicability of specific organic compounds of bacterial origin, 3-hydroxy fatty acids (3-OH FAs), as temperature and pH proxies at the global level using an extended soil dataset. We show the major potential of 3-OH FAs as such proxies in terrestrial environments through the different models presented and their application for palaeoreconstruction.
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Short summary
How subsoil microorganisms respond to warming is largely unknown, despite their crucial role in the soil organic carbon cycle. We observed that the subsoil microbial community composition was more responsive to warming compared to the topsoil community composition. Decreased microbial abundance in subsoils, as observed in this study, might reduce the magnitude of the respiration response over time, and a shift in the microbial community will likely affect the cycling of soil organic carbon.
How subsoil microorganisms respond to warming is largely unknown, despite their crucial role in...
