Divergent phenological responses of soil microorganisms and plants to climate warming

Anthropogenic climate warming is altering phenology—the biological timing of life-cycle events—across trophic levels worldwide. However, it remains unclear whether warming induces differential changes in phenology between plants and soil microorganisms—two fundamental components of terrestrial biodiversity and food chains. Here we report a consistent mismatch between plant and soil microbial phenology under climate warming, on the basis of 1,032 globally distributed observations of phenological shifts in plant and/or soil microbial respiration in response to experimental warming. Advances in spring phenology and delays in autumn phenology are greater in soil microorganisms than in both plant shoots and roots, particularly under tall vegetation (for example, forests) compared with low vegetation (for example, grasslands). Furthermore, phenology shifts in soil microorganisms are greater in soils with high carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, such as those in boreal regions, than in those with lower ratios. Such phenological mismatches between plants and soil microorganisms could destabilize their temporal synchrony, decoupling above- and belowground processes, and ultimately degrading energy flow and ecosystem functioning under climate warming.