How will climate change impact soil microbial communities?

More than a century ago Svante Arrhenius predicted that continued combustion of fossil fuels would lead to a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and associated climate warming (Arrhenius 1896). Despite this warning, we are now faced with the predicted doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide and global temperature increase of 1.3°C by the end of this century if no policy changes are made (Cubasch et al. 2001). Furthermore, not only are we faced with rising global temperature but also shifting weather patterns, ocean acidification, and the potential loss of many species on earth (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2001). These factors will all have a marked impact on land use, land cover, soil quality, and productivity.