Soil organic matter, rather than temperature, determines the structure and functioning of subarctic decomposer communities.
- Robinson, Sinikka I
- O'Gorman, Eoin J
- Frey, Beat
- Hagner, Marleena
- Mikola, Juha
DOIAbstract
The impacts of climate change on ecosystem structure and functioning are likely to be strongest at high latitudes due to the adaptation of biota to relatively low temperatures and nutrient levels. Soil warming is widely predicted to alter microbial, invertebrate, and plant communities, with cascading effects on ecosystem functioning, but this has largely been demonstrated over short-term (<10 year) warming studies. Using a natural soil temperature gradient spanning 10-35°C, we examine responses of soil organisms, decomposition, nitrogen cycling, and plant biomass production to long-term warming. We find that decomposer organisms are surprisingly resistant to chronic warming, with no responses of bacteria, fungi, or their grazers to temperat...
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