Soil microbial dynamics in European forests in times of climate change

Short abstract: Soil microbial communities are key drivers of forest ecosystem functions, playing a central role in carbon cycling and other critical processes. This talk will begin by exploring the environmental drivers and the spatial and temporal dynamics of microbial communities in European forests, providing a foundation for understanding their responses to disturbances. Insights will be shared into microbial diversity, composition, and response to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances across temperate, peatland, and Mediterranean forests. These findings highlight the critical role of soil microbes in maintaining forest ecosystem services and their potential vulnerabilities under the accelerating impacts of climate change.