Soil Microbial Community and Climate Change Drivers

Abstract

The biogeochemical cycling of macronutrients, micronutrients, and other components necessary for the development of plants and animal life is governed by the soil microbiome. As we focus our research efforts on one of the most serious issues affecting our planet, knowing and anticipating how climate change will affect soil microbiomes and the ecosystem services they provide is a huge challenge and significant potential. Studies predict that factors related to climate change, such as elevated atmospheric [CO2] and heat, will function together to change ecosystem features and processes, influencing species distributions and, presumably, organism interactions. On the other hand, it is harder to forecast how the microbial populations that control ecological processes would respond. In complex ecosystems, organisms interact with thousands of different species, some of which are useful, some of which are poisonous, and some of which have little to no impact. In this chapter, we examine the present level of knowledge about the effects of climate change on soil microorganisms in various climate-sensitive soil ecosystems, as well as prospective approaches that soil microorganisms may be used in to help lessen the detrimental effects of climate change.