Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ALSORES (The role of microbial and invertebrate activities in shaping Alpine Soil Respiration: current state and future scenarios)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-09-01 do 2024-08-31
Soil respiration (SR), i.e. the belowground production of CO2 in soil, is correlated with soil temperature and will thus intensify climate change. It is expected to change considerably and variably especially within the Alpine area. Main actors shaping heterotrophic soilrespiration (SRH) are microorganisms and invertebrates. Their interaction, however, and how both groups may influence each other, have not been investigated with respect to the resulting SR.
The project addressed the challenge of understanding how microbial and invertebrate communities influence soil respiration in Alpine environments, particularly under the pressures of climate change, elevation, and land use. This issue is crucial for society because soil respiration is a major source of terrestrial CO2 emissions and plays a significant role in global carbon cycling; improving our understanding of these processes enhances climate models, informs soil health policies, and supports sustainable land management.
The overall scientific objective of the project was to investigate the role of microbial and invertebrate activities in shaping soil respiration in Alpine environments, with a focus on understanding climate change-related alterations. It also sought to refine methods for measuring microbial activity, particularly by testing the suitability of intracellular DNA (iDNA) as a proxy for microbial activity, and to explore the combined effects of elevation, land use, and climate change on microbial communities and soil respiration.
The project addressed the challenge of understanding how microbial and invertebrate communities influence soil respiration in Alpine environments, particularly under the pressures of climate change, elevation, and land use. This issue is crucial for society because soil respiration is a major source of terrestrial CO2 emissions and plays a significant role in global carbon cycling; improving our understanding of these processes enhances climate models, informs soil health policies, and supports sustainable land management.
The overall scientific objective of the project was to investigate the role of microbial and invertebrate activities in shaping soil respiration in Alpine environments, with a focus on understanding climate change-related alterations. It also sought to refine methods for measuring microbial activity, particularly by testing the suitability of intracellular DNA (iDNA) as a proxy for microbial activity, and to explore the combined effects of elevation, land use, and climate change on microbial communities and soil respiration.
From the start of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie project ALSORES in September 2022 through its conclusion in August 2025, the research focused on understanding how microbial and invertebrate communities shape soil respiration (SR) in Alpine environments, particularly under the influence of climate change, elevation, and land use. The work was structured around two major experimental approaches: a controlled laboratory incubation and a comprehensive field campaign.
Parallel to this, the field campaign involved monitoring of SR and SRH across six Alpine and montane pastures over the course of a growing season. Molecular analyses of soil samples revealed that calculating the gene-specific respiration rate (GSRR) by normalizing SRH by the gen-copy based quantity of soil microbes could serve as a proxy for soil microbiome carbon use efficiency and is positively correlated to the soils temperature sensitivity (Q10). In such, it offers a simplified alternative to traditional multi-season measurements. These findings contribute to the state of the art by integrating molecular and physiological indicators into a conceptual framework for classifying microbial communities along gradients of stress and activity.
The incubation experiment simulated drought, rewetting, legacy, and heat phases using montane grassland soils, incorporating treatments with and without soil fauna and glucose amendments. This design enabled the identification of microbial physiological responses to stress and carbon availability, leading to a further testing of GSRR as a proxy for microbial carbon use efficiency ain combination with the communities exDNA:iDNA ratio, which proved effective in assessing microbial physiological states.
Throughout the project, extensive training and interdisciplinary collaboration were pursued, including secondments, workshops, and advanced statistical courses. Dissemination efforts were multifaceted: results were presented at major international conferences such as the Global Soil Biodiversity Conference, the World Biodiversity Forum, and the International Mountain Conference in form of posters and talks. Outreach activities included public engagement events including Interviews with the local newspaper, expert discussion at an academic cinema event, testimonial at the Marie Curie Week organized by the beneficiary, as well as a hands-on eDNA workshop for ecologists. Scientific publications are being submitted to high-impact journals, and raw sequence- as well as metadata were deposited in open-access repositories in line with Horizon 2020 Open Research Data guidelines. These efforts ensured that the project’s findings reached both scientific and public audiences, laying the groundwork for future applications in climate modeling, soil health assessment, and policy development.
Parallel to this, the field campaign involved monitoring of SR and SRH across six Alpine and montane pastures over the course of a growing season. Molecular analyses of soil samples revealed that calculating the gene-specific respiration rate (GSRR) by normalizing SRH by the gen-copy based quantity of soil microbes could serve as a proxy for soil microbiome carbon use efficiency and is positively correlated to the soils temperature sensitivity (Q10). In such, it offers a simplified alternative to traditional multi-season measurements. These findings contribute to the state of the art by integrating molecular and physiological indicators into a conceptual framework for classifying microbial communities along gradients of stress and activity.
The incubation experiment simulated drought, rewetting, legacy, and heat phases using montane grassland soils, incorporating treatments with and without soil fauna and glucose amendments. This design enabled the identification of microbial physiological responses to stress and carbon availability, leading to a further testing of GSRR as a proxy for microbial carbon use efficiency ain combination with the communities exDNA:iDNA ratio, which proved effective in assessing microbial physiological states.
Throughout the project, extensive training and interdisciplinary collaboration were pursued, including secondments, workshops, and advanced statistical courses. Dissemination efforts were multifaceted: results were presented at major international conferences such as the Global Soil Biodiversity Conference, the World Biodiversity Forum, and the International Mountain Conference in form of posters and talks. Outreach activities included public engagement events including Interviews with the local newspaper, expert discussion at an academic cinema event, testimonial at the Marie Curie Week organized by the beneficiary, as well as a hands-on eDNA workshop for ecologists. Scientific publications are being submitted to high-impact journals, and raw sequence- as well as metadata were deposited in open-access repositories in line with Horizon 2020 Open Research Data guidelines. These efforts ensured that the project’s findings reached both scientific and public audiences, laying the groundwork for future applications in climate modeling, soil health assessment, and policy development.
The ALSORES project has made substantial progress beyond the current state of the art in soil microbial ecology by introducing and validating novel molecular proxies—specifically, gene-specific respiration rate (GSRR) and the exDNA:iDNA ratio—as tools to assess microbial activity, carbon use efficiency, and stress responses in Alpine pasture soils. These indicators offer a more refined understanding of microbial physiological states and their role in soil respiration, surpassing traditional approaches that rely on bulk measurements or total eDNA containing extracellular DNA, which often obscures the activity of intact microbial cells. By integrating these proxies into both field and laboratory experiments, the project has established a conceptual framework for classifying microbial communities along gradients of stress and activity, enabling more accurate predictions of carbon fluxes under climate change scenarios.
Expected results by the end of the project include the publication of two peer-reviewed articles detailing the experimental findings, the formal introduction of GSRR as a proxy for soil temperature sensitivity (Q10), and the dissemination of methodological protocols for iDNA-based microbial analysis. These outputs are anticipated to influence future ecological monitoring programs and contribute to the development of soil health assessment tools. Additionally, the conceptual model linking microbial physiology to carbon cycling is being refined for submission as an opinion article, further extending the project’s theoretical impact.
The potential impacts of the project are both scientific and societal. Scientifically, the work enhances the precision of soil respiration modeling and improves our understanding of microbial contributions to ecosystem functioning. Socio-economically, the findings support climate mitigation strategies by informing land management practices and contributing to carbon accounting frameworks. The project’s alignment with European policy objectives—such as the European Green Deal, the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and the Soil Monitoring Law—positions its results to influence future policy instruments aimed at soil conservation and climate resilience. Moreover, the dissemination of results through conferences, workshops, and public outreach has fostered interdisciplinary dialogue and raised awareness of microbial ecology’s role in addressing environmental challenges.
Expected results by the end of the project include the publication of two peer-reviewed articles detailing the experimental findings, the formal introduction of GSRR as a proxy for soil temperature sensitivity (Q10), and the dissemination of methodological protocols for iDNA-based microbial analysis. These outputs are anticipated to influence future ecological monitoring programs and contribute to the development of soil health assessment tools. Additionally, the conceptual model linking microbial physiology to carbon cycling is being refined for submission as an opinion article, further extending the project’s theoretical impact.
The potential impacts of the project are both scientific and societal. Scientifically, the work enhances the precision of soil respiration modeling and improves our understanding of microbial contributions to ecosystem functioning. Socio-economically, the findings support climate mitigation strategies by informing land management practices and contributing to carbon accounting frameworks. The project’s alignment with European policy objectives—such as the European Green Deal, the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and the Soil Monitoring Law—positions its results to influence future policy instruments aimed at soil conservation and climate resilience. Moreover, the dissemination of results through conferences, workshops, and public outreach has fostered interdisciplinary dialogue and raised awareness of microbial ecology’s role in addressing environmental challenges.