Differences in soil microbial community structure and assembly processes under warming and cooling conditions in an alpine forest ecosystem

Global climate change affects the soil microbial community assemblages of many ecosystems. However, little is known about the effects of climate warming on the structure of soil microbial communities or the underlying mechanisms that influence microbial community composition in alpine forest ecosystems. Thus, our ability to predict the future consequences of climate change is limited. In this study, with the use of PVC pipes, the in situ soils of the rush-tip long-bud Abies georgei var. smithii forest at 3500 and 4300 m above sea level (MASL) of the Sygera Mountains were incubated in pairs for 1 year to simulate climate cooling and warming. This shift corresponds to a change in soil temperature of +/- 4.7 degrees C. Findings showed that climate warming increased the complexity of bacterial networks but decreased the complexity of fungal networks. Climate cooling also increased the complexity of bacterial networks. However, in fungal communities, climate cooling increased the number of nodes but decreased the total number of edges. Stochastic processes acted as the drivers of bacterial community composition, with climate warming leading the shift from deterministic to stochastic drivers. Fungal communities were more sensitive to climate change than bacterial communities, with soil temperature (ST) and soil water content (SWC) acting as the main drivers of change. By contrast, soil bacterial communities were more closely related to soil conditions than fungal communities and remained stable after a year of soil transplantation. In conclusion, fungi and bacteria had different response patterns, and their responses to climate cooling and warming were asymmetric. This work is expected to contribute to our understanding of the response to climate change of soil microbial communities in alpine forests and our prediction of the functions of soil microbial ecosystems in alpine forests.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of climate cooling and warming on the structure of soil microbial communities in an alpine forest. The findings showed that climate warming increased the complexity of bacterial networks, while decreasing the complexity of fungal networks. Climate cooling also increased the complexity of bacterial networks. Fungal communities were more sensitive to climate change than bacterial communities, with soil temperature and soil water content acting as the main drivers of change.