Warming winters are disrupting the hidden world of fungi – the result can shift mountain grasslands to scrub

Warming winters are disrupting the hidden world of fungi – the result can shift mountain grasslands to scrub

Warmer winters in normally snowy places can interfere with the important activities of microbes in the soil. Seogi/500px via Getty ImagesWhen you look out across a snowy winter landscape, it might seem like nature is fast asleep. Yet, under the surface, tiny organisms are hard at work, consuming the previous year’s dead plant material and other organic matter. These soil microorganisms – Earth’s recyclers – liberate nutrients that will act as fe…