In a world shaped by climate uncertainty, soil quality is critical to the future of our forests. Beneath the forest floor lies a hidden community of microorganisms – the soil microbiome – that plays a vital role in sustaining ecosystem health. Bacteria, fungi, archaea and even viruses drive nutrient cycling, influence nutrient uptake and help regulate soil processes that support plant growth.
Understanding these microbiomes is central to the research of Dr. Zelalem Taye, an Assistant Professor jointly appointed to the Faculties of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship and Land and Food Systems.
He aims to map soil biodiversity in B.C. and contribute to our understanding of soil biodiversity patterns in Canada and across the globe. This Black History Month, we speak to Dr. Taye about his work and why it’s vital to help tackle today’s environmental challenges
For people who aren’t scientists – what is a microbiome?
A microbiome is the community of tiny living organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live in a specific place, along with their genomes and the interactions that shape how that environment functions.
Most people are familiar with the human microbiome in the gut, on the skin, and in the mouth, where microbes support digestion, immunity, and overall health. Forests have microbiomes too. They live in soil, around roots, inside plants, on leaves, and in decaying wood, where they help recycle nutrients, store carbon, support plant growth and health, and strengthen ecosystem resilience.
How do microbes interact with trees and why is that critical for forest health and growth?
Trees do not grow alone. They live in close partnership with microbial communities in the soil and within plant tissues. Around the roots, trees release carbon compounds that feed microbes, and in return microbes help trees access nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, improve water uptake, and defend against disease.
These relationships are especially important for seedling establishment and forest regeneration. Beneficial fungi, including mycorrhizal fungi, can extend the reach of roots and help young trees survive in nutrient limited or drought stressed conditions.
Forest management practices can strongly influence these microbial partnerships. Disturbance, harvesting, fertilization, and soil compaction can shift microbial composition, sometimes reducing beneficial groups and increasing the risk of emerging pathogens. At the same time, microbial communities shape climate outcomes by controlling how carbon is stored in soils or released as greenhouse gases, and they are also being reshaped by climate change through warming, drought, and wildfire.
Why are soil microbial communities so important?
Soil microbial communities are the foundation of forest ecosystems. They drive decomposition, nutrient cycling, and long term soil carbon storage, and they strongly influence whether trees can establish, grow, and resist disease.
This matters directly for reforestation and restoration. Many reforestation efforts struggle not only because of climate stress, but also because seedlings are planted into soils where the native microbial community has been disrupted. Understanding the native soil microbiome can help explain why some sites recover quickly while others fail, and it can guide strategies to improve seedling survival and long term forest resilience.
How is climate change shifting soil microbial communities in forests?
Climate change is reshaping soil microbial communities in multiple ways. Warmer temperatures can speed up microbial activity and decomposition, while drought can reduce microbial growth and shift communities toward organisms that tolerate dry, stressed conditions. Wildfire, flooding, and extreme weather can also disrupt microbial networks and change the balance between beneficial microbes and potential pathogens.
But the relationship goes both ways. Microbes do not just respond to climate change, they also influence it. Soil microbes control whether carbon is stored in soils for decades or released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. As microbial communities shift under climate stress, they can change how forests function as carbon sinks, and how quickly soils lose or retain fertility.
What does your research hope to achieve?
My research aims to understand how regenerative land and soil management practices reshape the microbiome and what that means for long term forest and ecosystem health. While many interventions are designed to improve soil quality, we still have limited evidence on how they influence microbial communities, and whether those microbial changes translate into measurable gains in carbon storage, nutrient cycling, and resilience.
I combine lab and field-based studies, microbiome genomics, and data driven analysis to identify which microbial groups and functions are linked to healthier soils and more stable carbon. The goal is to move beyond broad ideas like “more diversity is better” and instead pinpoint the specific microbial processes that matter most for ecosystem services.
Ultimately, I hope this work will generate practical, science-based guidance for land stewards and forest managers, helping them choose strategies that support climate smart restoration and sustainable management across British Columbia and beyond.
Learn more about Dr. Taye’s research here.