Publications by authors named "Liabo L Motleleng"
Physiological responses of soil microorganisms to global warming are important for soil ecosystem function and the terrestrial carbon cycle. Here, we investigate the effects of weeks, years, and decades of soil warming across seasons and time on the microbial protein biosynthesis machineries (i.e.
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- The response of soil microorganisms to global warming is crucial for understanding future soil-climate interactions, yet this area remains poorly understood.
- Researchers used metatranscriptomics to examine how microorganisms in subarctic grasslands responded to both medium-term (8 years) and long-term (>50 years) warming of +6°C.
- Findings showed a community-wide increase in essential metabolic processes and cell division, along with a decrease in protein biosynthesis machinery, leading to lower microbial biomass and soil nutrient content.
- The study concludes that the reduced protein synthesis allows bacteria to conserve energy, facilitating high metabolic activity and growth despite ongoing temperature increases.