Bacterial and fungal community structure in tundra soil after two-decadal warming and simulated herbivory treatment

Responses of the Arctic ecosystems to global climate change is of great importance due to the massive amounts of carbon stored in the high latitudes. Global warming is increasing the abundance and distribution of deciduous shrubs which is feared to increase soil microbial activities and lead to increased C losses from the soil to the atmosphere. The effect of herbivores in these ecosystems may be substantial and it has been suggested that herbivores may counteract warming-induced spread of shrubs and influence the responses of the ecosystem carbon balances to warming. In this study we characterized the bacterial and fungal community structure after two decadal experimental warming and simulated herbivory treatment in an arctic alpine tundra ecosystem in northern Finland.