The microbial world in a changing environment

Revista Chilena de Historia Natural

Rafael Vicuña¹  Bernardo González² 

[1] Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas. P. Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile;Laboratorio de Bioingeniería, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile;Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago, Chile;

关键词: Biogeochemical cycles;    Climate change;    Functional diversity;    Microbial biodiversity;    Pollution;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40693-021-00099-y

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIn this article we would like to touch on the key role played by the microbiota in the maintenance of a sustainable environment in the entire planet. For obvious reasons, this article does not intend to review thoroughly this extremely complex topic, but rather to focus on the main threats that this natural scenario is presently facing.MethodsRecent literature survey.ResultsDespite the relevance of microorganisms have in our planet, the effects of climate change on microbial communities have been scarcely and not systematically addressed in literature. Although the role of microorganisms in emissions of greenhouse gases has received some attention, there are several microbial processes that are affected by climate change with consequences that are presently under assessment. Among them, host-pathogen interactions, the microbiome of built environment, or relations among plants and beneficial microbes.ConclusionsFurther research is required to advance in knowledge of the effect of climate change on microbial communities. One of the main targets should be a complete evaluation of the global microbial functional diversity and the design of new strategies to cope with limitations in methods to grow microorganisms in the laboratory. These efforts should contribute to raise a general public awareness on the major role played by the microbiota on the various Earth ecosystems.

【 授权许可】

CC BY