Print PageHow do tropical soil microbial communities respond to experimental warming, and what are the implications? This synthesis of existing literature considers patterns of responses, exceptions to these patterns, and the mechanisms causing them.
Results/Conclusions
Results reveal that studies generally agree as to microbial biomass and respiration responses with noteworthy exceptions. Tropical soils tend to lose less microbial biomass with increased temperature compared to soil communities from cooler sites. Native regime adaptations to warmer temperatures are also shown by responses such as respiration optima at higher temperatures. Exceptions to these patterns reveal other important factors that can control temperature response in tropical soils. Beyond respiration rates and net biomass, studies have shown functional temperature-induced changes such as the type of carbon substrate used. Mechanisms behind these changes occur at cellular and community scales, and are rarely explicitly tested. The mechanisms most frequently proposed or demonstrated are outlined, revealing that different causes with divergent long-term implications can yield similar study results. Our limited understanding of the mechanisms of these changes, and thus the implications for nutrient cycling rates and soil carbon stocks, is a critical area for future research.
