Importance of monitoring soil microbial community responses to climate change in the Indian Himalayan region
Increasing emission rate of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases is the major driver of global temperature increase. Soil microbial respiration is accelerating the release of CO2 in the environment, but the mechanistic understanding of this process is still at its nascent stage. In this note, we discuss the importance of understanding the microbial responses to climate change and associated respiration process in the Indian Himalayan region. We also discuss the goals of microflora component of the ongoing National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem project in tracking climate change impacts in this fragile, mountainous ecosystem.