Potential feedback mediated by soil microbiome response to warming in a glacier forefield

作者：Yu-Wan Wang, Anzhou Ma, Guohua Liu, Jianpeng Ma, Jing Wei, Hanchang Zhou, Kristian K. Brandt, Guoqiang Zhuang · 发表于：Global Change Biology · 年份：2019 · DOI：10.1111/gcb.14936 · 被引用次数：31 · 研究领域：Polar Research and Ecology、Cryospheric studies and observations、Climate change and permafrost

Abstract Mountain glaciers are retreating at an unprecedented rate due to global warming. Glacier retreat is widely believed to be driven by the physiochemical characteristics of glacier surfaces; however, the current knowledge of such biological drivers remains limited. An estimated 130 Tg of organic carbon (OC) is stored in mountain glaciers globally. As a result of global warming, the accelerated microbial decomposition of OC may further accelerate the melting process of mountain glaciers by heat production with the release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane. Here, using short‐term aerobic incubation data from the forefield of Urumqi Glacier No. 1, we assessed the potential climate feedback mediated by soil microbiomes at temperatures of 5°C (control), 6.2°C (RCP 2.6), 11°C (RCP 8.5), and 15°C (extreme temperature). We observed enhanced CO 2 ‐C release and heat production under warming conditions, which led to an increase in near‐surface (2 m) atmospheric temperatures, ranging from 0.9°C to 3.4°C. Warming significantly changed the structures of the RNA‐derived (active) and DNA‐derived (total) soil microbiomes, and active microbes were more sensitive to increased temperatures than total microbes. Considering the positive effects of temperature and deglaciation age on the CO 2 ‐C release rate, the alterations in the active microbial community structure had a negative impact on the increased CO 2 ‐C release rate. Our results revealed that glacial ...