Our understanding of climate change and the effects that it will have on our world is expansive. There has been considerable progress made in this field since it’s birth back in 1896 when Arrhenius first discovered what was to be known as the greenhouse effect. Since then, strides have been made exploring countless other facets of this phenomenon, as well as its negative effects. As broad as the scientific standing of this field is, there is still so much more work that needs to be done to fully understand the depth of the problem we’re dealing with. An example of the cutting edge of science is the potential effect that climate change may have on soil microbiomes.
Everywhere
on earth our soil is packed full of communities of microorganisms including
bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and microscopic animals. These tiny microbes serve
essential functions in every ecosystem including facilitating nutrient cycling, storing the carbon
from organic matter, breaking down pollutants, as well as protecting soil
stability and preventing erosion. Humans have relied on these services since the
dawn of our species. An easy example of this usage is the practice of rotating crops in agriculture. Legumes such as peas, beans, and soybeans are planted periodically
in fields due to their symbiotic relationship they have with soil bacteria
called rhizobia. These rhizobia live at the roots of legumes and can actually
pull nitrogen gas from the air and turn it back into usable ammonia compounds. These
bacteria are only one of a few types that can actually carry out this process. Because
of the essential services these organisms provide, it’s essential that they are
accounted for in any sort of climate prediction model as well as any future
rehabilitation or mitigation efforts that are to be carried out.
At this
point, the effects of climate change on microbiomes and soil quality aren’t
fully understood yet. These tiny ecosystems are highly dynamic, and feature
many moving parts that aren’t fully understood on their own, never mind how
they’ll react to a changing climate. A recent study shows that soil microbiomes show consistent and predictable responses
to extreme climactic events such as heat, freezing, drought, and flood. This exposure to extreme events impacted almost every natural process the
microbiome carries out including the sequestering of carbon as well as nutrient
availability in the soil weeks after the events occurred. In spite of these
findings, it’s important to keep in mind that the negative impacts varied based
on the event as well as the native conditions of the soil, so more
investigation is still necessary to further our understanding.
A different study also explores warming and it’s impact on soil microbiota, but in a different way. The effect that a warming temperature has on soil heterotrophic respiration,
the breaking down organic matter and releasing carbon into the atmosphere, isn’t
fully understood yet. Up to this point, climate models have assumed that this rate
of carbon release was constant, but that may not be the case as the wildly
varying soil conditions all over the world may respond differently to changing
climates. It’s essential for future climate models to attempt to take these
effects into account to provide more accurate predictions.
This is awesome. It can sometimes be hard to think about the organisms we can't see. It's not just animals on the surface of the earth that are suffering, it's all of them.
ReplyDeleteIt’s fascinating to think about how something as small as microbes can hugely influence global systems. We definitely need to do more research to improve our climate models when considering the soil microbiomes.
ReplyDeleteClimate change really does affect everything on this planet. Even the one we do no think about such as these soil microbiomes. Great post.
ReplyDeleteIt's the tiniest of things that are rarely considered during such uncertain times, so I love that you brought this to light. It makes total sense that microbiota would be hurt by accelerated shifts in climate. They have to adapt and evolve just as any other organism. Seems like we definitely ought to pay attention to the health of our soils as agricultural norms are challenged by climate change.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cool read I didn't know the microbiomes were able to do this, and there definitely should be more studies done on this.
ReplyDeleteIt always amazes me the things people discover or come up with in science! it seems as if there are always more ideas out there. Your post is well thought out and written!
ReplyDeleteThis was such an informative post! I defiantly agree that we need to a do a better job of including soil microbiomes in out modeling especially since they are involved in carbon release. This information supports what we read in Nomad Centaury as well and could have a large impact on how many degrees of warming we need to begin to prepare for.
ReplyDeleteAs studies reveal the complex and variable responses of soil microbiota to extreme climatic events and warming temperatures, it becomes increasingly clear that understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing effective climate models and mitigation strategies.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of soil microbiomes before but now I have this post presents new and useful ideas and information
ReplyDeleteThis post really drove how expansive the impacts of climate change are, and I am curious to see if any more studies are released in recent years on how rises in temperature have impacted the heterotrophic respiration of soil
ReplyDeleteI have not learned about soil health in this manner prior to this post. All the discussions I've heard pertaining to soil have to do with heat and pollutions. It is astounding how truly complex our natural world is, and how many micro-ecosystems and organisms exist right beneath our feet (literally!).
ReplyDeleteI am very interested now that you have brought this up how future studied of the soil can be conducted, especially in areas of high production and city life. It is always hard that time must pass to understand trends in data, since the discoveries may come too late.
ReplyDeleteHey Andrew, great post! It’s wild how much we still don’t know about soil microbiomes and climate change. Do you think future models will capture these effects?
ReplyDeleteOne can hope, but the ideas are still being explored. More research needs to be done over time to be able to accurately take them into account.
DeleteGreat emphasis on the fact that we depend on microorganisms for survival. Not the other way around.
ReplyDeleteThe detailed discussion on their functions and the need for further research to understand their responses to climate change makes it a compelling and informative read. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting post! Soil is the very source of agriculture and all that comes from it to sustain human lives and livelihoods. Further study on these microbiomes could be the beginning of expanding overall climate change research.
ReplyDeleteI loved this blog post! I remember discussing this in class the other day. It was very interesting to see how we basically service because of microorganisms and microbes. I've even heard of some possible fungi and bacteria that can eat and dissolve plastic
ReplyDelete