Functional regimes define the response of the soil microbiome to environmental change.

ABSTRACT: The metabolic activity of soil microbiomes plays a central role in carbon and nitrogen cycling. Given the changing climate, it is important to understand how the metabolism of natural communities responds to environmental change. However, the ecological, spatial, and chemical complexity of soils makes understanding the mechanisms governing the response of these communities to perturbations challenging. Here, we overcome this complexity by using dynamic measurements of metabolism in microcosms and modeling to reveal regimes where a few key mechanisms govern the response of soils to environmental change. We sample soils along a natural pH gradient, construct >1500 microcosms to perturb the pH, and quantify the dynamics of respiratory nitrate utilization, a key process in the nitrogen cycle.

SUBMITTER: Lee KK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10980070 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature