Abstract: Drylands, which cover about 41% of the Earth’s land area, are typical ecologically fragile areas and sensitive to climate change. Soil microbial community plays a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem structure and function in drylands, such as carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, the findings regarding the impacts of climate warming on soil microbial communities in drylands exhibit considerable variation across different studies. Here, we reviewed the responses of soil microbial (bacteria and fungi) diversity and community structure to climate warming, elucidated the underlying reasons for the observed disparities, and conducted a thorough analysis of how warming affects soil microbial functions in regulating soil carbon cycling. Finally, we proposed future development directions: (1) monitoring dynamics of soil microbial communities in various ecosystems at large spatial scale involving the interaction of multiple global change factors in drylands; (2) expanding the studies of microbial community at different warming extents and ecosystems for long period; and (3) thoroughly investigating the roles of soil microorganisms in carbon sequestration and mineralization in drylands, by employing multi-omics analytical methods. These efforts will provide a scientific foundation for the sustainable management of dryland ecosystems.

Key words: soil microbial community, dryland, climate warming, carbon sequestration