Long-term climate establishes functional legacies by altering microbial traits.

ABSTRACT: Long-term climate history can influence rates of soil carbon cycling but the microbial traits underlying these legacy effects are not well understood. Legacies may result if historical climate differences alter the traits of soil microbial communities, particularly those associated with carbon cycling and stress tolerance. However, it is also possible that contemporary conditions can overcome the influence of historical climate, particularly under extreme conditions. Using shotgun metagenomics, we assessed the composition of soil microbial functional genes across a mean annual precipitation gradient that previously showed evidence of strong climate legacies in soil carbon flux and extracellular enzyme activity. Sampling coincided with recovery from a regional, multi-year severe drought, al

SUBMITTER: Broderick CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11805608 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature