PNNL

Abstract

Communities of soil microorganisms (soil microbiomes) play a major role in biogeochemical cycles and support of plant growth. Here we focus primarily on the roles that the soil microbiome plays in cycling of soil organic carbon and the impact of climate change on the soil carbon cycle. We first discuss current challenges in understanding of the roles carried out by highly diverse and heterogenous soil microbiomes and review existing knowledge gaps in understanding of how climate change will impact soil carbon cycling by the soil microbiome. Because soil microbiome stability is a key metric to understand as climate changes, we discuss different aspects of stability; including resistance, resilience and functional redundancy. We then review recent research pertaining to the impact of major climate perturbations on the soil microbiome and functions that they carry out. Finally, we review new experimental methodologies and modeling approaches under development that should facilitate our understanding of the complex nature of the soil microbiome and better predict its future responses to climate change.