Microorganisms: Climate Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 631

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: plant and microbe interaction; plant-associated microbes; microbiological analysis; microbial diversity; rhizosphere
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
College of Heilongjiang Province & School of Life Sciences, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
Interests: wetland ecology; soil microbial ecology; forest ecology; CO2 elevation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,  

Global climate change exerts profound and multifaceted impacts on terrestrial ecosystems. With the relentless increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, global average temperatures are on a continuous rise, resulting in the frequency of extreme climate events, alterations in precipitation patterns, and changes in atmospheric nitrogen deposition. These phenomena directly and indirectly influence terrestrial ecosystems, thereby affecting their structure, function, and the vital services they provide. Microorganisms, as the oldest and most ubiquitous life forms on Earth, play a unique and crucial role in shaping the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. They are not merely the driving force behind biogeochemical cycles but also serve as a key determinant in ecosystem adaptation and response to climate change. Currently, global climate change is reshaping terrestrial soil microorganisms in unprecedented ways. In response to these changes, researchers are delving deeper into the mechanisms underlying soil microorganisms' response to climate change. They are exploring strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and enhance ecosystem resilience, thereby providing a scientific foundation and practical pathways for building a sustainable future. To further investigate the role, mechanisms, and impact of soil microorganisms on terrestrial ecosystems in the context of climate change, we cordially invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, "Microorganisms: Climate Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems", in the journal Microorganisms. Together, let us advance scientific exploration and foster communication in this cutting-edge field. 

This Special Issue aims to address the following key issues: 

  • Responses of microbial community structure and function to climate change: an exploration into how climatic shifts (including rising temperatures, nitrogen deposition, and altered precipitation patterns) influence the composition, diversity, and functional roles of microbial communities across various ecosystems (such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands).
  • Microbial-mediated carbon cycle and climate change: unraveling the role of soil microorganisms in carbon fixation, decomposition, and greenhouse gas emissions (including CO2, CH4, and N2O) and their feedback mechanisms on global climate change.
  • Changes in microbial–plant interactions under climate change: an analysis of how climatic shifts influence plant–microbe symbiosis, including the dynamics of rhizosphere microbial communities, mycorrhizal associations, and plant disease incidence. 
  • Microbial adaptive evolution and climate resilience: investigating mechanisms of microbial adaptation to climate change via genetic variation, gene flow, horizontal gene transfer, and their implications for ecosystem resilience.
  • Microbial-mediated ecological restoration and climate mitigation strategies: exploring the potential and challenges of leveraging microorganisms for ecological rehabilitation (including soil improvement and pollution control) and climate change mitigation (such as enhancing carbon sequestration through microbial activities).

Dr. Tengxiang Lian
Dr. Xin Sui
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • global change biology
  • nitrogen depostion
  • soil microbial divesity

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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20 pages, 8074 KiB  
Article
Effects of Short-Term Straw Return and Manure Fertilization on Soil Microorganisms and Soybean Yield in Parent Material of Degraded Black Soil in Northeast China
by Jiahua Ding, Zhao Li, Jiali Wu, Dalong Ma, Qiang Chen and Jianye Li
Microorganisms 2025, 13(5), 1137; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13051137 - 15 May 2025
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Abstract
Soil erosion has caused the loss of black soil and exposed the soil parent material in the cultivated layer of sloping farmland in Northeast China. Straw return (STR) and manure fertilization (MF) are critical measures to improve soil quality and crop yield. However, [...] Read more.
Soil erosion has caused the loss of black soil and exposed the soil parent material in the cultivated layer of sloping farmland in Northeast China. Straw return (STR) and manure fertilization (MF) are critical measures to improve soil quality and crop yield. However, the effect of STR and MF on the soil properties of the parent material remains unclear. We conducted a 1-year pot experiment in the field using the soil parent material of degraded black soil to evaluate the effects of STR and MF on soil nutrients, microbial community, and soybean yield. We analyzed these effects using two treatments (STR and MF) in three soybean growth stages (seedling, flowering, and maturity) and a control group (CK). The MF treatment had higher α and β diversity of soil microbial than the CK during all soybean growth stages. Similarly, STR had higher soil microbial α diversity at the maturity stage and lower diversity at the seedling stage. Co-occurrence network analysis suggested that STR and MF increased the proportion of positively correlated edges in soil bacterial and fungal networks compared to the CK. Notably, the treatments enriched beneficial taxa, such as Schizothecium (fungi) and Massilia (bacteria), which are associated with organic matter decomposition and nitrogen cycling. STR and MF significantly improved soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and carbon-nitrogen ratio (p < 0.05). Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that STR and MF directly increased soybean yield. This effect was primarily mediated by the significantly higher soil organic matter, total carbon, total nitrogen, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in the treatments than in the CK (p < 0.05). In summary, STR and MF improved soil fertility and soil microbial community diversity of degraded black soil. This study provides scientific methods to improve the fertility of degraded black soil and increase soybean production in the short term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms: Climate Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems)
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26 pages, 7979 KiB  
Essay
How Long Until Agricultural Carbon Peaks in the Three Gorges Reservoir? Insights from 18 Districts and Counties
by Danqing Li, Yunqi Wang, Huifang Liu, Cheng Li, Jinhua Cheng, Xiaoming Zhang, Peng Li, Lintao Wang and Renfang Chang
Microorganisms 2025, 13(6), 1217; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061217 - 26 May 2025
Abstract
Under the global climate governance framework, the Paris Agreement and the China–U.S. Glasgow Joint Declaration established a non-negotiable target of limiting 21st-century temperature rise to 1.5 °C. To date, over 130 nations have pledged carbon neutrality by mid-century, with agricultural activities contributing 25% [...] Read more.
Under the global climate governance framework, the Paris Agreement and the China–U.S. Glasgow Joint Declaration established a non-negotiable target of limiting 21st-century temperature rise to 1.5 °C. To date, over 130 nations have pledged carbon neutrality by mid-century, with agricultural activities contributing 25% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The spatiotemporal dynamics of these emissions critically determine the operational efficacy of carbon peaking and neutrality strategies. While China’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) commit to achieving carbon peaking by 2030, a policy gap persists regarding differentiated implementation pathways at the county level. Addressing this challenge, this study selects the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGRA)—a region characterized by monocultural cropping systems and intensive fertilizer dependency—as a representative case. Guided by IPCC emission accounting protocols, we systematically evaluate spatiotemporal distribution patterns of agricultural CH4 and N2O emissions across 18 county-level units from 2006 to 2020. The investigation advances through two sequential phases: Mechanistic drivers analysis: employing the STIRPAT model, we quantify bidirectional effects (positive/negative) of critical determinants—including agricultural mechanization intensity and grain productivity—on CH4/N2O emission fluxes. Pathway scenario prediction: We construct three developmental scenarios (low-carbon transition, business-as-usual, and high-resource dependency) integrated with regional planning parameters. This framework enables the identification of optimal peaking chronologies for each county and proposes gradient peaking strategies through spatial zoning, thereby resolving fragmented carbon governance in agrarian counties. Methodologically, we establish a multi-scenario simulation architecture incorporating socioeconomic growth thresholds and agroecological constraints. The derived decision-support system provides empirically grounded solutions for aligning subnational climate actions with global mitigation targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms: Climate Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems)
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