Xue, Peipei, Minasny, Budiman, Román Dobarco, Mercedes, Wadoux, Alexandre M. J.‐C., Padarian Campusano, Jose, Bissett, Andrew, de Caritat, Patrice, and McBratney, Alex (2025) The Biogeography of Soil Bacteria in Australia Exhibits Greater Resistance to Climate Change Than Fungi. Global Change Biology, 31 (6). e70268.

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Abstract

Soil microorganisms are crucial to ecosystem health, and their composition and distribution are shaped by a range of environmental factors. However, the effects of accelerating climate change on soil microbiomes remain under-explored. This study examines the continental-scale factors controlling soil microbiomes and evaluates their responses to climate change. We applied machine learning algorithms to analyze the distribution patterns of bacteria and fungi in 1300 Australian topsoil samples. Our results indicate that bacterial distributions align closely with the soil class map, highlighting the dominant impact of soil properties. In contrast, fungal distributions are more strongly associated with temperature gradients, emphasizing the critical role of climate. Climate projections for 2040 suggest a notable southward shift in both bacterial and fungal patterns, particularly around latitude 25° S. Moreover, our findings suggest that fungal biogeography is likely to undergo more pronounced changes, with approximately 24% of Australian topsoils expected to experience significant shifts in fungal community structure, compared to about 19% for bacteria, which appear more resistant. This study emphasizes the diverse vulnerabilities of soil microbial communities and stresses the need to account for microbial dynamics in future land use and management practices.

Item ID:	94089
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1365-2486
Copyright Information:	© 2025 The Author(s). Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Date Deposited:	06 Oct 2026 05:05
FoR Codes:	41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4106 Soil sciences > 410603 Soil biology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1806 Terrestrial systems and management > 180601 Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems @ 100%
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