A pioneering international research, with the participation of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, sheds light on the critical role of soil microbes in coping with the consequences of climate change. The findings of the research, published in Nature, one of the world’s most authoritative scientific journals, reveal that microbes exhibit predictable and consistent responses to extreme climate events such as drought, flooding, increased temperature and frost.
From Greece, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Dr. Maria Tsiafouli from the Department of Biology played a central role in the collection and processing of soil samples from Chortiatis in Thessaloniki and in the investigation and evaluation of the data. Soil samples from both Greece and other countries were subjected to simulations of extreme climatic events, while a series of DNA analyses were performed to determine the composition, diversity and activity of microbial communities.
Remarkably, soil microbes had a similar response to both drought and frost which is related to mechanisms of microbial resistance to water shortage/unavailability (ice is water unavailable to organisms). Of the extreme climatic events considered, the greatest impacts were caused by both increased temperature and flooding, especially for soils from Mediterranean countries such as Greece. This outcome was less expected and needs special attention in the context of climate crisis management.
The importance of soil microbes
Microbes play a vital role in the functioning of ecosystems. They contribute to the recycling of carbon, affecting its storage in soil and carbon dioxide emissions. Thus, understanding their behaviour under extreme conditions is vital for maintaining soil health, agricultural production and mitigating climate crises.
An optimistic finding of the research is the existence of regions in the genetic material of microbes, regardless of their region of origin, that give them the ability to enter ‘resistant forms’, temporarily halting their activity to survive under extreme conditions. This feature paves the way for the development of solutions that exploit microbes in ecosystem management and adaptation to climate change.
Management and adjustment to Greek conditions
Research shows that protecting soil from climate change cannot be based on general strategies. Rather, it needs to be managed on a region- and case-specific basis. In Greece, the greatest challenges arise from the increasing frequency of floods and burns, with Mediterranean microbial communities being particularly vulnerable to them.
The knowledge gained can guide policies for biodiversity conservation and soil protection to ensure agricultural sustainability, carbon management and ecosystem resilience.
About the research
The research, launched in 2018, is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the field of studying the response of soil microbes to extreme climate events. It includes sampling of 30 grassland ecosystems in eight different biogeographic zones in Europe (Alpine, Arctic, Sub-Arctic, Atlantic, Northern, Continental, Mediterranean, Steppe), which ensures representativeness and comparative assessment of microbial diversity. It involved 20 universities and research institutions, led by the University of Manchester (Dr. Chris Knight, Prof. Franciska de Vries) and was funded by NERC (NE/P01206X/1).
The research was carried out under the project ‘Developing a trait-based framework for predicting soil microbial community response to extreme events’.
The research was recently published in the journal Nature:
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