Scientists estimate that northern peatlands contain one third of the Earth’s soil carbon. This makes them important ecosystems for carbon storage, which keeps carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and controls climate change. In northern peatlands, carbon losses from soil during the winter can exceed carbon storage during the warm growing season. This is primarily because of the activity of microbes, especially bacteria, that break down organic matter in the soil. Viruses can kill or slow down other microbes. This can reduce the amount of carbon microbes release from soil.
Click here for original story, Study reveals genomic potential of active soil microbial populations under simulated winter conditions
Source: Phys.org