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Thermal acclimation in widespread heterotrophic soil microbes
Thomas W Crowther1, Mark A Bradford
1Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. thomas.crowther@yale.edu
Ecology Letters
|January 22, 2013
Summary
Soil microbes, like fungi, can acclimate to warmer temperatures, potentially reducing soil carbon loss. This microbial acclimation is crucial for accurate climate change models.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Soil science
- Climate change research
Background:
- Microbial respiration significantly influences global carbon cycling between the biosphere and atmosphere.
- Climate warming may alter microbial activity, impacting carbon pool dynamics.
- The phenomenon of physiological acclimation in heterotrophic soil microbes remains debated, unlike in plants and symbiotic microbes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temperature-sensitivity and acclimation potential of individual saprotrophic fungi.
- To provide definitive evidence for physiological acclimation in heterotrophic soil microbes.
- To inform the development of more robust global climate-ecosystem carbon models.
Main Methods:
- Culturing individual saprotrophic basidiomycete fungi on agar media.
- Measuring the growth and respiration rates of fungal isolates.
- Comparing the responses of warm-acclimated versus cold-acclimated fungal individuals across a temperature gradient.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that saprotrophic basidiomycete fungi exhibit temperature acclimation.
- Observed that warm-acclimated fungi generally displayed lower growth and respiration rates at intermediate temperatures compared to cold-acclimated isolates.
- Provided clear evidence of physiological acclimation at the individual microbial level, distinct from community-level changes.
Conclusions:
- Heterotrophic soil fungi possess the capacity for physiological acclimation to temperature changes.
- Microbial acclimation responses are essential components for improving the accuracy of climate-ecosystem carbon models.
- Understanding individual microbial physiological responses is key to predicting soil carbon dynamics under climate warming.
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