Microbes and Climate Change: a Research Prospectus for the Future

Tiedje, James M.; Bruns, Maryann Victoria; Casadevall, Arturo; Criddle, Craig S.; Eloe‐Fadrosh, Emiley A.; Karl, David M.; Nguyen, Nguyen K.; Zhou, Jizhong

doi:10.1128/mbio.00800-22

Cited by 104 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Microbes have fundamental roles in the cycling of many elements, and are major regulators of greenhouse gasses [108]. Climate change will alter how these microbial communities are structured [17, 19, 22, 24], and experimental manipulations show that 4°C of warming can increase soil respiration by as much as 37%, with much of this increase mediated by microbial decomposition of sequestered carbon [22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mangrove Microbiome of the Malay Peninsula

Wainwright

Hickman

Millar

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Microbes have fundamental roles underpinning the functioning of our planet, they are involved in global carbon and nutrient cycling, and support the existence of multicellular life. The mangrove ecosystem is nutrient limited and without microbial cycling, life in this harsh environment would likely not exist. The mangroves of Southeast Asia are the oldest and most biodiverse of all the planets. They have vital roles helping to prevent shoreline erosion, act as nursery grounds for many marine species and contain significant stocks of sequestered carbon. Despite these recognised benefits and the importance of microbes in these ecosystems, studies examining the mangrove microbiome are scarce, especially in the Southeast Asian biodiversity hotspot. Here we examine the microbiome of Avicenia alba and Sonneratia alba and identify a core microbiome of 81 taxa, a further eight taxa (Pleurocapsa, Tunicatimonas, Halomonas, Marinomonas, Rubrivirga, Altererythrobacte, Lewinella, and Erythrobacter) were found to be differentially abundant suggesting key roles in this microbiome, with the identified dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) metabolisers having important functions in these habitats. The majority of those identified are involved in nutrient cycling or involved in the production of compounds that promote host survival. Increasingly, blue carbon and nature-based solutions to climate change are heralded as viable mitigation steps to limit climate change, however, this is done with little to no consideration of the microbial communities that cycle sequestered carbon in these environments. Here, we examine the microbial communities present in sediment samples taken in close proximity to each tree, sediment samples represent a major sink of atmospheric carbon and understanding how the associated communities will change as climate change advances will become an increasingly important part of carbon stock assessments. Knowing what microbes are presently there is an important first step in this process.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mangrove Microbiome of the Malay Peninsula

Wainwright

Hickman

Millar

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…In addition to contributing to carbon sequestration ( Clemmensen et al 2013 ), fungi respire CO 2 and can cause considerable soil carbon losses ( Cheng et al 2012 ), as well as release CO 2 from dead organic matter by contributing to its decomposition. Thus, as highlighted recently ( Tiedje et al 2022 ), the impact of mycobiome engineering on both greenhouse gas sequestration and release would need to be assessed.…”

Section: Connections Between Fungi and Climate Change And Ways To Ave...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The future of fungi: threats and opportunities

Case

Berman

Blehert

et al. 2022

G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics

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The fungal kingdom represents an extraordinary diversity of organisms with profound impacts across animal, plant, and ecosystem health. Fungi simultaneously support life, by forming beneficial symbioses with plants and producing life-saving medicines, and bring death, by causing devastating diseases in humans, plants, and animals. With climate change, increased antimicrobial resistance, global trade, environmental degradation, and novel viruses altering the impact of fungi on health and disease, developing new approaches is now more crucial than ever to combat the threats posed by fungi and to harness their extraordinary potential for applications in human health, food supply, and environmental remediation. To address this aim, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund convened a workshop to unite leading experts on fungal biology from academia and industry to strategize innovative solutions to global challenges and fungal threats. This report provides recommendations to accelerate fungal research and highlights the major research advances and ideas discussed at the meeting pertaining to 5 major topics: (1) Connections between fungi and climate change and ways to avert climate catastrophe; (2) Fungal threats to humans and ways to mitigate them; (3) Fungal threats to agriculture and food security and approaches to ensure a robust global food supply; (4) Fungal threats to animals and approaches to avoid species collapse and extinction; and (5) Opportunities presented by the fungal kingdom, including novel medicines and enzymes.

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“…This great oxidation event had dramatic consequences on the evolution of life and on the earth's climate, shaping the world we know today. At a time of global warming, we must not forget the importance of these microbes, which are both producers and consumers of greenhouse gases [10]. The study of environmental microbial ecology and the incorporation of these phenomena into climate models are therefore a major challenge for microbiology in the 21st century.…”

Section: La Version Française De L'article Est Disponible à La Suite ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ce grand événement d'oxydation a entraîné des conséquences dramatiques sur l'évolution de la vie et sur le climat de la terre, façonnant le monde que nous connaissons aujourd'hui. A l'heure du réchauffement climatique, il ne faut pas oublier l'importance de ces microbes, qui sont à la fois producteurs et consommateurs de gaz à effet de serre [10]. L'étude de l'écologie microbienne environnementale et l'incorporation de ces phénomènes dans les modèles climatiques sont donc un enjeu majeur de la microbiologie du 21 e siècle.…”

Section: Pourquoi éTudions-nous Les Microbes Au 21e Siècle ?unclassified