The effects of climate change on crop yields vary greatly from region to
region across the globe. The projected climate change will also adversely affect soil
quality by changing its physiochemical and biological properties. The soil's biological
properties and processes are primarily mediated by microbial diversity and their
distribution. The presence of soil microbes facilitates the production of greenhouse
gases (GHGs). The microorganism also responded to global warming and climate
change by either producing greenhouse gases or utilizing them in the environment. Soil
microorganisms can recycle and transform the essential elements such as carbon and
nitrogen that make up cells. Even small changes in the soil moisture content result in a
change in the microbial habitat, particularly the fungal communities. However, the
bacterial communities remain intact. The increase in the concentration of greenhouse
gases like carbon dioxide not only increases methane production from the soil but also
reduces the uptake of methane by up to 30% in the soil microbial population. The
microbial communities of the tree leaves act on plant residue during this process. The
increase in temperature is likely to accelerate the rate of decomposition that emits
carbon dioxide from the soil. However, higher temperatures also elevate soil nitrogen
levels, which suppresses the rates of fungal decomposition. This affects microbial
communities. At the same time, trees and shrubs that advance towards the north in the
tundra under the influence of temperature alteration can also influence microbes in
unknown ways through the shadows they cast on the ground.
Keywords: Climate change, Greenhouse gases, Soil health, Soil microbial communities.
