TY - JOUR

T1 - Soil microbiomes show consistent and predictable responses to extreme events

AU - Knight, C.G.

AU - Nicolitch, O.

AU - Griffiths, R.I.

AU - Goodall, T.

AU - Jones, B.

AU - Weser, C.

AU - Langridge, H.

AU - Davison, J.

AU - Dellavalle, A.

AU - Eisenhauer, N.

AU - Gongalsky, K.B.

AU - Hector, A.

AU - Jardine, E.

AU - Kardol, P.

AU - Maestre, F.T.

AU - Schädler, M.

AU - Semchenko, M.

AU - Stevens, C.

AU - Tsiafouli, M.

AU - Vilhelmsson, O.

AU - Wanek, W.

AU - de Vries, F.T.

PY - 2024/12/19

Y1 - 2024/12/19

N2 - Increasing extreme climatic events threaten the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems . Because soil microbes govern key biogeochemical processes, understanding their response to climate extremes is crucial in predicting the consequences for ecosystem functioning . 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. [Abstract copyright: © 2024. The Author(s).]

AB - Increasing extreme climatic events threaten the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems . Because soil microbes govern key biogeochemical processes, understanding their response to climate extremes is crucial in predicting the consequences for ecosystem functioning . 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. [Abstract copyright: © 2024. The Author(s).]

KW - article

KW - climate

KW - dormancy

KW - drought

KW - freezing

KW - grassland

KW - heat treatment

KW - microbiome

KW - nonhuman

KW - prediction

KW - soil

KW - soil microflora

KW - soil property

KW - sporogenesis

U2 - 10.1038/s41586-024-08185-3

DO - 10.1038/s41586-024-08185-3

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 39604724

VL - 636

SP - 690

EP - 696

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

SN - 0028-0836

IS - 8043

M1 - 19

ER -