Impact of climate change on soil carbon exchange, ecosystem dynamics, and plant-microbe interactions

Abstract

In the present scenario, global climate change is a serious concern with respect to global food production. Adverse environmental conditions including high temperature, drought, salinity, and precipitation resulting from the changing climate in different regions increase the risk of dramatic losses in agricultural production. The altered species distribution resulting from the changed climatic scenario has affected the functional interactions and integrations existing between species. The differential origin, evolution, and dispersal abilities of organisms determine their susceptibility and response mechanisms under the changed environment and functions on multiple levels. Soil microbiota (including rhizospheric and endophytic microorganisms) play an indispensable role in the mitigation of climate change and induced abiotic stresses, and also promote plant growth and development through a plethora of mechanisms that work at multiple levels, including regulation of nutrient transformation, allowing for coexistence among neighboring and controlling plant populations. The functional aspects and ecological dynamics of natural ecosystems are highly dependent on plant functional traits and their interactions with organisms occupied at a multitrophic level. The changed climatic conditions influence the environmental variables and therefore alter the multifunctional responses or interaction mechanisms existing between the plants and microbes. Furthermore, the mutual interactions between plants and soil microbes have substantial consequences in regulating the community compositions and ecosystem functions. This chapter discusses the effect of climate change on ecosystem mechanics and dynamics, and how microorganisms play crucial roles in regulating the functional dynamics of ecosystem properties. In recent years, rapid industrialization and increased anthropogenic activities have resulted in rapid and continuous changes in climatic conditions, causing significant changes in agricultural productivity. In this context, there is an urgent need to understand, define, and interpret the plant-microbe interactions in terms of their efficient use and indigenous mechanisms against abiotic stresses without compromising the sustainability of the ecosystem. © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.