Soil microbiomes show consistent and predictable responses to extreme events

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  • Christopher G Knight
    University of Manchester
  • Océane Nicolitch
    University of Manchester
  • Rob I Griffiths
  • Tim Goodall
    UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH)
  • Briony Jones
    UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH)
  • Carolin Weser
    University of Manchester
  • Holly Langridge
    University of Manchester
  • John Davison
    University of Tartu
  • Ariane Dellavalle
    University of Manchester
  • Nico Eisenhauer
    German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
  • Konstantin B Gongalsky
    Russian Academy of Sciences
  • Andrew Hector
    University of Oxford
  • Emma Jardine
    University of Oxford
  • Paul Kardol
    Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
  • Fernando T Maestre
    King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
  • Martin Schädler
    German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
  • Marina Semchenko
    University of Manchester
  • Carly Stevens
    Lancaster University
  • Maria Α Tsiafouli
    Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  • Oddur Vilhelmsson
    University of Akureyri
  • Wolfgang Wanek
    University of Vienna
  • Franciska T de Vries
    University of Manchester

Increasing extreme climatic events threaten the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems1,2. Because soil microbes govern key biogeochemical processes, understanding their response to climate extremes is crucial in predicting the consequences for ecosystem functioning3,4. Here we subjected soils from 30 grasslands across Europe to four contrasting extreme climatic events under common controlled conditions (drought, flood, freezing and heat), and compared the response of soil microbial communities and their functioning with those of undisturbed soils. Soil microbiomes exhibited a small, but highly consistent and phylogenetically conserved, response under the imposed extreme events. Heat treatment most strongly impacted soil microbiomes, enhancing dormancy and sporulation genes and decreasing metabolic versatility. Microbiome response to heat in particular could be predicted by local climatic conditions and soil properties, with soils that do not normally experience the extreme conditions being imposed being most vulnerable. Our results suggest that soil microbiomes from different climates share unified responses to extreme climatic events, but that predicting the extent of community change may require knowledge of the local microbiome. These findings advance our understanding of soil microbial responses to extreme events, and provide a first step for making general predictions about the impact of extreme climatic events on soil functioning.

Original languageEnglish
JournalNature
Early online date27 Nov 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 27 Nov 2024
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