The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the global average, accelerating greenhouse gas emissions and disrupting biogeochemical cycles. To investigate diversity, function, and environmental drivers of Arctic terrestrial microbiome, we analyzed 283 active-layer soil samples from 64 sites across Greenland using 16S rDNA sequencing and metagenomics. We constructed the Greenlandic Soil Microbiome Genome and Gene Catalog, comprising over 5,300 metagenome-assembled genomes and 468 million genes, which revealed unexplored microbial taxa, viromes, and biodiversity hotspots in acidic topsoils. These communities exhibited strong capacities for carbon fixation, photosynthesis, and trace gas utilization, aiding adaptation to low pH and cold conditions. Moreover, microbial composition and function, including genes related to greenhouse gas metabolism, were structured along gradients of soil pH, glacial retreat, and plant establishment. This study presents the most comprehensive genomic survey of Greenlandic soils to date, offering crucial insights into microbial contributions to Arctic bio(geo)chemical processes and climate feedbacks.
Peng, Chen and Tan, Shangjin and Rouillard, Alexandra and Zhou, Long and Li, Qi-Ye and Wei, Xin and Xiang, Xueyan and Chen, Qiong and Yang, Chentao and Jiang, Liuyiqi and Zhou, Chengran and Pan, Hailin and Jiang, Wei and Dai, Wei and He, Huan and Fu, Yiyang and Bjørk, Anders Anker and Kjeldsen, Kristian Kjellerup and Larsen, Nicolaj Krog and Alsos, Inger Greve and Wünsche, Tanya Uhnger and Schomacker, Anders and Ambus, Per and Axford, Yarrow and Fleurian, Basile de and Jensen, Jens Fog and Larocca, Laura and Millan, Romain and Mouginot, Jérémie and Gravlund, Peter and Strunk, Astrid and Kristensen, Jeppe Aagaard and Yang, Huan-Ming and Wang, Jian and Priemé, Anders and Kjær, Kurt H. and Zhang, Guojie and Jiang, Chao and Administrator, Sneak Peek, Microbial Diversity and Functional Potential in Greenlandic Soils Under Rapid Arctic Warming. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5254634 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5254634
This version of the paper has not been formally peer reviewed.
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