Research Seminar Speaker Series: Dr. Nicholas Dove – “The Response of Subsoil Microbial Communities to Increasing Temperatures: Integrating Experimental and Observational Data

Please join us for our Research Seminar Speaker Series with Dr. Nicholas Dove, Postdoctoral Associate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The impact of increasing global temperatures on soil microbial communities and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is still a source of great uncertainty, and this uncertainty is exacerbated in the subsoil (> 20 cm). About half of soil organic carbon (C) is stored in the subsoil, yet deep soil microbial communities, important mediators of this C stock, are largely understudied compared to their surface counterparts. Here, I will show that subsoil microbial communities are less affected by temperature compared to those in surface soils using both experimental and observational approaches. Both approaches come with tradeoffs—experimental manipulations may not capture the full effect of warming (i.e., changes in vegetation and soil development), but do a good job of isolating the effect of temperature, while observational studies capture the full effect of warming, but are less controlled. Nevertheless, these two approaches, with opposing tradeoffs, show remarkably similar results. The finding that subsoil microbes are less responsive to increased temperatures suggests that subsoil microbial acclimation to future climates may lag, potentially allowing for longer enhanced CO2 emissions from soils than previously thought.

Date: Friday, February 25, 2022

Time: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Via Zoom: Link will be sent with Outlook invite to KGI Community