Detecting climate change impacts through soil bacterial communities in Alpine regions of Gangotri National Park, Western Himalaya

Abstract

The proposed study aims to use molecular data to understand the ecology of bacterial community including variation in their diversity, composition and functions in response to climate warming in alpine region of Gangotri National Park, western Himalaya. Earlier to this study, knowledge regarding the ecological traits of these communities and the impact of climate warming was entirely lacking. The primary focus of this work was to generate baseline data on alpine soil bacterial community in the Himalaya. The objectives of this doctoral research are:1. Understanding the shifts in soil bacterial diversity and ecological traits at different periods post deglaciation of Gangotri glacier, western Himalaya. 2. Assessing climate change impacts on soil bacterial diversity and functional traits using alpine elevation-vegetation gradient as proxy. 3. Evaluating the role of temperature and edaphic factors in shaping the community diversity and composition along the elevation-vegetation gradient. 4. Investigating bacterial community response to experimental warming in an alpine.The study was conducted along a recently deglaciated valley in the upper Bhagirathi basin towards the snout of the Gaumukh glacier in Gangotri National Park, western Himalaya (30.95–30.99° N, 78.99–79.06° E)