‘Profound ignorance’: Microbes, a missing piece in the biodiversity puzzle
by Ian Morse on 26 April 2021
Researchers are certain that human activity has resulted in a decline in plant and animal species. But a huge unknown remains: what impacts have human actions ranging from climate change, to ocean acidification, deforestation and land use change, nitrogen pollution, and more had on the Earth’s microbes?
A new paper poses this significant question, and offers a troubling answer: Science suffers from “profound ignorance” about the ways in which microbial biodiversity is being influenced by rapid environmental changes now happening on our planet.
Researchers are supremely challenged by the microbial biodiversity question, finding it difficult to even define what a microbe species is, and uncertain how to effectively identify, analyze and track the behaviors of microbes on Earth microorganisms estimated to be more numerous than stars in the known universe.
OU research delineates the impacts of climate warming on microbial network interactions eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Study Explores the Link Between Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Written by AZoCleantechDec 15 2020
A University of Oklahoma-led interdisciplinary study on a decade-long experiment (1997-2009) at the University of Minnesota found that lower nitrogen levels in soil promoted release of carbon dioxide from soils under high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and could therefore contribute to furthering rising atmospheric greenhouse gases and climate change. Soil microorganisms help extract carbon from non-living sources and make the carbon available to living organisms and play an important role in influencing future climate and carbon cycle feedbacks, said Jizhong Zhou, the OU director for the Institute for Environmental Genomics, a George Lynn Cross Research Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, and an adjunct professor in the Gallogly College of Engineering.
Research Explores the Relationship Between Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Details
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A University of Oklahoma-led interdisciplinary study on a decade-long experiment (1997-2009) at the University of Minnesota found that lower nitrogen levels in soil promoted release of carbon dioxide from soils under high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and could therefore contribute to furthering rising atmospheric greenhouse gases and climate change.
A University of Oklahoma-led interdisciplinary study on a decade-long experiment (1997-2009) at the University of Minnesota found that lower nitrogen levels in soil promoted release of carbon dioxide from soils under high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and could therefore contribute to furthering rising atmospheric greenhouse gases and climate change.
Research explores the relationship between nitrogen and carbon dioxide in greenhouse gas emissions phys.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from phys.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.