Scholarly record
MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES, MICROBIAL PROCESSES, AND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGES
Abstract
Microbial processes are of crucial importance for life on Earth. Microorganisms are capable of unique transformations on a global scale that all contribute to the harmonious functioning of the biosphere. Some microbial processes and their final products can influence atmospheric composition and climatic conditions on a planetary scale. Climate change, easy to see in recent decades, can alter the functioning of microbial communities and trigger positive or negative feedbacks. Microbial activities, such as organic matter degradation, nitrification, denitrification, and methanogenesis, are directly involved in the production and emission of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide). According to predictive climate models, changes in external factors such as temperature and moisture may lead to an increase or decrease in the rate of microbial processes or even to changes in the physiology and composition of microbial populations difficult to predict in the longer term. At the same time, micro-organisms and their activities can be used as tools to reduce the negative effects of global climate change, mainly through wise management of anthropogenic activities that have a significant impact on microbial processes directly involved in greenhouse gas production.
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
References15
. Bardgett R. D., Freeman, C., Ostle, N. J. Microbial contributions to climate change through carbon cycle feedbacks, ISME J. 2, (2008), pp 2805 2814
. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2007: the Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (eds Solomon, S. et al.) (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK, 2007).
. Schimel J. P., Gulledge J. Microbial community structure and global trace gases. Glob. Chang. Biol. 4, (1998), 745 758
. Arrigo K. Marine microorganisms and global nutrient cycles. Nature 437, (2005), 349 355
. Hymus G., Valentini R., in Greenhouse Gas Sinks (eds Reay, D. S. et al.) 11 30 (CABI Publishing, Oxfordshire, 2007).
. Smith P. Land use change and soil organic carbon dynamics. Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosyst. 81, (2008), 169 178
. Carney K. M., Hungate B. A., Drake B. G., Megonigal J. P. Altered soil microbial community at elevated CO2 leads to loss of soil carbon. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 104, (2007), 4990 4995
. Six J., Frey S. D., Thiet R. K., Batten K. M. Bacterial and fungal contributions to carbon sequestration in agroecosystems. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 70, (2006), 555 569
. Davidson E. A., Janssens I. A. Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition and feedbacks to climate change. Nature 440, (2006) 165 173
. Kolb S. et al. Quantitative impact of CO2 enriched atmosphere on abundances of methanotrophic bacteria in a meadow soil. Biol. Fertil. Soils 41, (2005), 337 342
. Ye R. W., Averill B. A., Tiedje J. M. Denitrification: production and consumption of nitric-oxide. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60, (1994), 1053 1058
. Salles J. F., Poly F., Schmid B., Le Roux X. Community niche predicts the functioning of denitrifying bacterial assemblages. Ecology 90, (2009), 3324 3332
. Houghton R. A., Balancing the global carbon budget. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 35, (2007), 313 347
. Oremland R. S., Culbertson C. W. Importance of methane-oxidizing bacteria in the methane budget as revealed by the use of a specific inhibitor. Nature 356, (1992), 421 423
. Yagi K. et al. Effect of water management on methane emission from a Japanese rice paddy field: automated methane monitoring. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 10, (1996), 255 267
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.
