Warming-driven migration of core microbiota indicates soil property changes at continental scale

Area of Science:

• Microbial Ecology
• Climate Change Biology
• Soil Science

Background:

• Global warming is expected to cause terrestrial species to migrate northward.
• The impact of climate change on microbial distribution patterns remains largely unknown.
• Understanding microbial community shifts is crucial for predicting ecosystem responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the direction and magnitude of microbial community migration under warming.
• To identify core microbial habitats and their responses to changing climatic conditions.
• To project the future distribution of soil microbial eco-clusters.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of over 1600 forest soil samples across a continental scale.
• Clustering of microbial communities into eco-clusters based on habitat preferences.
• Projection of eco-cluster abundance changes under future climate scenarios (e.g., RCP 8.5) and verification with field warming experiments.

Main Results:

• Warming-driven northward migration of core soil microbiota was observed.
• Low-pH favoring microbes are predicted to expand northward, potentially acidifying warm temperate forests.
• High-pH/high-temperature eco-clusters showed increased abundance at middle to high latitudes, indicating northward expansion. Low-soil organic carbon (SOC) favoring microbes increased at low latitudes, suggesting SOC accumulation, while their response at high latitudes was inversely related to temperature variation.

Conclusions:

• Soil microbial communities exhibit distinct migration patterns in response to global warming.
• Projected shifts have significant implications for soil properties, including pH and carbon storage.
• These findings are vital for understanding the ecological consequences of microbial community redistribution under future climate scenarios.