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Climate warming restructures food webs and carbon flow in high-latitude ecosystems

Nature Climate Change volume 14, pages 184–189 (2024)Cite this article

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A Publisher Correction to this article was published on 09 January 2024

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Abstract

Rapid warming of high-latitude ecosystems is increasing microbial activity and accelerating the decomposition of permafrost soils. This proliferation of microbial energy could restructure high-latitude food webs and alter carbon cycling between above-ground and below-ground habitats. We used stable isotope analysis (δ13C) of amino acids to trace carbon flow through food webs exposed to warming and quantified changes in the assimilation of microbial carbon by Arctic tundra and boreal forest consumers. From 1990 to 2021, small mammals in boreal forests exhibited a significant reduction in the use of plant-based ‘green’ food webs and an increased use of microbially mediated ‘brown’ food webs, punctuated by a >30% rise in fungal carbon assimilation. Similarly, fungal carbon assimilation rose 27% in wolf spiders under experimental warming in Arctic tundra. These findings reveal a climate-mediated ‘browning’ of high-latitude food webs and point to an understudied pathway by which animals can impact carbon cycling under climate warming.

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Fig. 1: Food-web structure and carbon flow in boreal forest mammals.
Fig. 2: Food-web structure and carbon flow in Arctic wolf spiders.
Fig. 3: Age of carbon assimilated by boreal forest mammals.

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Data availability

All data55 used in this study are publicly archived at https://figshare.com/s/4eb07f4001aadc9a9a37, https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.22975145.

Code availability

All code55 used in this study70 is publicly archived at https://figshare.com/s/4eb07f4001aadc9a9a37, https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.22975145.

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Acknowledgements

We thank A. Martinez for laboratory assistance and L. Berner for reviewing an early version of this manuscript. P.J.M. was supported by NSF (DBI- 2010712) and the USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station, with in-kind support from UNM-CSI and UNM-MSB. A.M.K. was supported by NSF (DEB-1210704) and the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Juneau, AK, USA

    Philip J. Manlick

  2. Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Philip J. Manlick, Nolan L. Perryman, Joseph A. Cook & Seth D. Newsome

  3. Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Philip J. Manlick & Joseph A. Cook

  4. SWCA Environmental Consultants, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Nolan L. Perryman

  5. Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Amanda M. Koltz

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Contributions

P.J.M., N.L.P. and S.D.N. conceived of the study, and all authors collected data. P.J.M. and N.L.P. conducted laboratory and statistical analyses, and P.J.M. wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed substantially to revisions.

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Correspondence to Philip J. Manlick.

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Nature Climate Change thanks Emily Arsenault, Matthias Pilecky and Ryan Stephens for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Manlick, P.J., Perryman, N.L., Koltz, A.M. et al. Climate warming restructures food webs and carbon flow in high-latitude ecosystems. Nat. Clim. Chang. 14, 184–189 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01893-0

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