Using SIP-metagenomics to characterise the microbial taxa responsible for transforming carbon compounds in arctic soil

The arctic is particularly vulnerable to warming due to climate change. Warming increases the rates of microbial activity and the decomposition of stored carbon. Arctic microbes release stored carbon as carbon dioxide and methane, potentially resulting in a positive feedback loop. These processes can not be accurately modelled without a solid understanding of the microbes involved and how they are affected by temperature. We characterised the microbial sub-populations involved in the transformation of carbon compounds (glucose, cellulose and acetate) in an incubation experiment using Greenland tundra soils collected from control (ambient) and warmed (open top chambers and snow fences-treated) plots. We have generated a dataset of metagenome assembled genomes labelled with 12C and 13C-carbon from the three carbon compounds after 28 days of incubation. This study will develop an understanding of the functional genes and pathways involved in carbon consumption in arctic soils as well as how these processes are affected by a warming climate. We will identify how different taxa use different functional genes and what this means for carbon cycling in the arctic ecosystem. Although microbes play a crucial role in the impacts of climate change, they are seldom considered in policy development. Our results will provide details which will allow microbial carbon cycling to be integrated into global models of climate change, improving the quality of their predictions.