Peatland vascular plant root microbiomes

Boreal peatlands occupy 3% of the land surface but contain nearly 1/3 of the total terrestrial carbon stock. The rhizosphere, where carbon is released as root exudates and enhances microbial activity, is a hotspot of the peatland carbon cycle. Despite their potential global importance, our understanding of peatland root microbiomes and their response to climate drivers is limited. Warming and CO2 enrichment (eCO2) are expected to cause a shift in plant communities from Sphagnum moss to vascular plants. Since below-ground plant traits can modulate microbial community and function, it is critical that we combine fine-root trait measurement with microbial community analyses to predict how plant-microbe interactions may shift in responses to climate change. Here, our objectives were two-fold: 1) characterize the root microbiomes of woody plants in a forested bog, and 2) investigate the response of their fine-roots and associated microbiomes to warming and eCO2.