Bacterial community and carbon mineralization responses to warming and soil chemical variations in Arctic tundra soils

This study explores how soil bacterial abundance and community structure from four sites across Northern Alaska respond to incubations (ranging from -1C to +16C) and variations in soil chemistry as measured by mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR). 300 soil samples (4 sites x 3 soil layers x 5 incubation temperatures x 5 replicates) were incubated for 60 days, and 52 soil samples ([4 sites x 1 soil layers x 7 replicates] + [4 sites x 2 soil layers x 3 replicates]) were un-incubated. 16S rRNA sequencing (in triplicate) and MIR was performed on all samples. This study sheds light on bacterial taxa that are most responsive to warming soils in the Arctic and highlights how these responses are mediated by soil chemistry specific to the sites and soil layers.