High-alpine permafrost and active-layer soil microbiomes differ in their response to elevated temperatures

To evaluate the potential of the permafrost microbiome to adapt to short-term moderate and extreme warming, we set up an incubation experiment with permafrost and active soil layers from northern and southern slopes of a high-alpine mountain ridge on Muot-da-Barba-Peider in the Swiss Alps. Soils were acclimated to increasing temperatures (4–40°C) for 26 days before being exposed to a heat shock treatment of 40°C for 4 days.