# Warming Drives the Reassembly of Carbon-Sequestering Microbial Communities in Alpine Lakeshore Wetland Without Altering Their Core Metabolic Functional Redundancy

## TL;DR

Warming changes the makeup of carbon-fixing microbes in alpine wetlands but doesn't disrupt their ability to store carbon.

## Contribution

Shows that warming reshapes microbial communities but preserves core carbon functions through functional redundancy.

## Key findings

- Warming increased dominance of Ensifer and Hydrogenovibrio in microbial communities.
- Soil pH and total nitrogen were key drivers of microbial assembly under warming.
- Functional redundancy preserved carbon metabolism despite compositional changes.

## Abstract

Climate warming profoundly affects soil microbial carbon cycling. Using high-throughput cbbM gene sequencing, this study explored the responses of carbon-fixing microorganisms to simulated warming in the Qinghai Lake alpine lakeshore wetland. While warming did not significantly alter community α-diversity, it markedly reshaped taxonomic composition, elevating dominant taxa like Ensifer and Hydrogenovibrio. Warming strengthened deterministic community assembly, primarily driven by heterogeneous selection, with soil pH and total nitrogen as key regulators. Notably, despite significant compositional shifts, the core functional profile remained stable, demonstrating strong functional redundancy. Ultimately, these cbbM carbon-fixing microorganisms can effectively buffer short-term thermal disturbances. This study provides critical insights into the short-term ecological resilience and stability of carbon sink functions in alpine wetland ecosystems under future climate change.

Climate warming is an important driver influencing soil microbial involvement in carbon cycling. To clarify the responses of carbon-fixing microorganisms in alpine lakeshore wetlands, we conducted a warming experiment using open-top chambers (OTCs) in the Qinghai Lake lakeshore wetland and applied high-throughput sequencing of the cbbM gene. The results indicated that warming significantly increased soil temperature and reduced soil moisture, but had no significant effects on soil pH, total carbon, or total nitrogen content. Despite the stability of community α-diversity, warming markedly reshaped the community composition and significantly elevated the relative abundances of dominant taxa including Ensifer and Hydrogenovibrio. In addition, warming significantly strengthened the assembly process of the cbbM-bearing carbon-fixing microbial community, in which heterogeneous selection played a leading role. Redundancy analysis revealed that soil total nitrogen and pH were major drivers influencing the composition of the microbial community. Notably, despite significant fluctuations in taxonomic composition, the functional profile dominated by sulfur oxidation and phototrophy remained unchanged, indicating strong functional redundancy. Overall, cbbM carbon-fixing microorganisms in alpine lakeshore wetlands effectively buffered environmental disturbances through functional redundancy and maintained stable carbon metabolic functions, providing scientific evidence for the short-term resilience of carbon sink functions in alpine wetlands under climate warming.