Publication
Title
Soil warming increases the number of growing bacterial taxa but not their growth rates
Author
Abstract
Soil microorganisms control the fate of soil organic carbon. Warming may accelerate their activities putting large carbon stocks at risk of decomposition. Existing knowledge about microbial responses to warming is based on community-level measurements, leaving the underlying mechanisms unexplored and hindering predictions. In a long-term soil warming experiment in a Subarctic grassland, we investigated how active populations of bacteria and archaea responded to elevated soil temperatures (+6°C) and the influence of plant roots, by measuring taxon-specific growth rates using quantitative stable isotope probing and 18 O water vapor equilibration. Contrary to prior assumptions, increased community growth was associated with a greater number of active bacterial taxa rather than generally faster-growing populations. We also found that root presence enhanced bacterial growth at ambient temperatures but not at elevated temperatures, indicating a shift in plant-microbe interactions. Our results, thus, reveal a mechanism of how soil bacteria respond to warming that cannot be inferred from community-level measurements.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Science Advances
Publication
2024
ISSN
2375-2548
DOI
10.1126/SCIADV.ADK6295
Volume/pages
10 :8 (2024) , p. 1-14
Article Reference
eadk6295
Pubmed ID
38394199
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
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Research group
Publication type
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Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
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Creation 18.03.2024
Last edited 19.03.2024
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