Forest Facts from SLU: How will climate change affect underground ecosystems ?

It is important to understand how the boreal forest will respond to climate change. How do increased temperatures interact with mosses and shrubs in boreal forests of contrasting successional age? The direct effects of warming and successional stage can impact upon soil microbes, but may play a relatively minor role in controlling soil ecosystem processes and functioning in the boreal forest. However, as the climate warms, temperature and its indirect effects via changes to mosses and shrubs will likely alter soil nematode communities and litter decomposition, thereby potentially altering carbon storage and nutrient cycling.

One issue of SLU:s popular science publication Fakta Skog is now available in English:

Boreal forests in a warmer world - how soil ecosystems shift in response to warming and changes in understory vegetation