Housekeeping in the Hydrosphere: Microbial Cooking, Cleaning, and Control under Stress
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Biddanda, Bopaiah; Villar Argáiz, Manuel; Medina Sánchez, Juan Manuel; González Olalla, Juan Manuel; Carrillo Lechuga, PresentaciónEditorial
Mdpi
Materia
Ecology Ecosystem structure and function Aquatic microbes Stressor interactions Perturbations Microbiome Biogeochemistry
Date
2021-02-17Referencia bibliográfica
Biddanda, B.; Dila, D.; Weinke, A.; Mancuso, J.; Villar-Argaiz, M.; Medina-Sánchez, J.M.; González-Olalla, J.M.; Carrillo, P. Housekeeping in the Hydrosphere: Microbial Cooking, Cleaning, and Control under Stress. Life 2021, 11, 152. [https://doi.org/10.3390/life11020152]
Sponsorship
National Science Foundation (NSF) EAR1637093 OCE 2346958; National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Michigan Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowships NNX15AJ20H; Spanish Government FEDER-CGL2015-67682-R; Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional Project FEDER-CGL2015-67682-R; Junta de Andalucía P12-RNM 327; Spanish Government Fellowship "Formacion de Profesorado Universitario" Grant FPU14/00977Abstract
Who’s cooking, who’s cleaning, and who’s got the remote control within the waters blanketing
Earth? Anatomically tiny, numerically dominant microbes are the crucial “homemakers” of
the watery household. Phytoplankton’s culinary abilities enable them to create food by absorbing
sunlight to fix carbon and release oxygen, making microbial autotrophs top-chefs in the aquatic
kitchen. However, they are not the only bioengineers that balance this complex household. Ubiquitous
heterotrophic microbes including prokaryotic bacteria and archaea (both “bacteria” henceforth),
eukaryotic protists, and viruses, recycle organic matter and make inorganic nutrients available to
primary producers. Grazing protists compete with viruses for bacterial biomass, whereas mixotrophic
protists produce new organic matter as well as consume microbial biomass. When viruses press
remote-control buttons, by modifying host genomes or lysing them, the outcome can reverberate
throughout the microbial community and beyond. Despite recognition of the vital role of microbes in
biosphere housekeeping, impacts of anthropogenic stressors and climate change on their biodiversity,
evolution, and ecological function remain poorly understood. How trillions of the smallest organisms
in Earth’s largest ecosystem respond will be hugely consequential. By making the study of ecology
personal, the “housekeeping” perspective can provide better insights into changing ecosystem
structure and function at all scales.