Microbes, among the Earth’s longest-standing inhabitants, are playing an invisible yet crucial role in the earth system processes. Known for their virtually limitless diversity in species, traits, and functions, they have proven their adaptability to a changing environment over the billions of years on this planet. However, as humanity drives climate shifts through its actions, the response of these microscopic organisms and the subsequent impact on human well-being remain uncertain.
To draw attention to the knowledge gap regarding the ‚unseen majority‘ scientists from the American society of microbiology created a 5 year scientific portfolio. The aim is to increase the understanding of the many connections and interactions of microbes and climate change.
Microbes as main drivers of the nutrient cycles.
Microbes have a special role regarding the habitats on this earth. Not only can they be found in every environment where macroscopic life has its home, but also in the extreme environments of this earth. Living in extreme hot, cold, saline, or deep surface conditions they are extremely well adapted to every circumstance. To survive the wide variation of conditions many pathways for gaining energy evolved in microbes. These processes are playing a vital role in the dynamics of CO2, CH4, N2O, NOx, NH3, inorganic phosphorus, organic matter, H2 and CO. It is striking that many of these compounds have a pivotal role in climate change. Knowing that even a small change in nutrient cycling can have a major impact on the climate microbes can be seen as friends or foes regarding future inventions. Further investigations of these processes to be incorporated in climate models are seemingly a logical thing to do. Their ability to profoundly influence greenhouse gases and ecosystem processes are making the understanding and consideration of these organisms a crucial thing in climate change research. By doing this the uncertainties regarding land-atmospheric greenhouse gas exchanges or the marine biogeochemical functions of nitrogen fixation or carbon export could be reduced. Research regarding the understanding of microbes therefore also means gaining knowledge about climate change.
Microbes as a threat to the macroscopic world.
Now knowing microbes as main drivers in our nutrient cycles have a great potential in altering the distribution in the chemical compound world, one must also know that microbes in relation to climate change can become a great threat to macroscopic organisms. Due to ongoing climate change and therefore increasing temperatures the adaptation of viruses, bacteria and fungi are becoming a threat to crops, fish and even mammals. A worldwide spread of pathogens, which was not considered a few years ago is the result. For example, fungi which usually did not tolerate the high body temperature of mammals are now adapting due to the ongoing warming. The consequence of the increasing geographic range and the thermal adaptation can be an endangerment for the macroscopic world.
In conclusion, the unseen majority plays a major role in the processes and the possible outcomes of climate change yet has not gained the public attention needed. To change these circumstances spreading more awareness in the public but also the scientific group is necessary.
Sources:
[1] American Society of Microbiology. Climate Change & Microbes Scientific Portfolio. https://asm.org/Academy/Climate-Change-and-Microbes-Scientific-Portfolio
[2] Cavicchioli, R., Ripple, W.J., Timmis, K.N. et al. Scientists’ warning to humanity: microorganisms and climate change. Nat Rev Microbiol 17, 569–586 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-019-0222-5
[3] Garcia-Solache, M. A., and A. Casadevall. 2010. Hypothesis: global warming will bring new fungal diseases for mammals. mBio 1(1):e00061-10. doi:10.1128/mBio.00061-10
[4] Singh, B., Bardgett, R., Smith, P. et al. Microorganisms and climate change: terrestrial feedbacks and mitigation options. Nat Rev Microbiol 8, 779–790 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2439
[5] Javid A. Parray, Suhaib A. Bandh, Nowsheen Shameem: Climate Change and Microbes Impacts and Vulnerability. 1st Edidtion. CRC Press, 2022, 306.
[6] Ibáñez, A.; Garrido-Chamorro, S.; Barreiro, C. Microorganisms and Climate Change: A Not So Invisible Effect. Microbiol. Res. 2023, 14, 918-947. https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14030064
A fantastic summary of the relationship between Microorganisms and climate change! As someone with a background in geology, the immediate thought that comes to my mind is the role of microorganisms in reacting to and recording paleo-climate.
Geological microorganisms, being at the base of the ecosystem food chain, exhibit significant sensitivity to environmental climate changes, making them valuable tracers of climatic variations during different geological epochs. Professor Xie Shucheng’s molecular geomicrobiology research team in China has conducted extensive investigations into trace geological microbial lipid molecules preserved in rocks and sediments. They have discovered that these geological microorganisms provide excellent indicators of the harsh ancient marine environments that contributed to the mass extinction event approximately 252 million years ago. Moreover, geological microorganisms can also vividly document some of the major drought events that occurred in the recent geological history of northwestern China.
These two research findings not only shed light on ancient biology and paleoclimatology but also opened up new avenues of exploration in these fields. Geological microorganisms hold great promise in the realm of global climate change research.