Introduction
Microbes play various roles in maintaining the ecological processes. For instance, they help in the recycling of nutrients, decomposition of matter, and the production of greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide among other roles. For the microbes to maintain their roles in the ecosystem, there should be favorable climatic conditions in the ecosystem. For example, optimum temperature facilitates the roles of microbes while high or low temperature affects the functions of the microbes. Similarly, the concentration of carbon dioxide within the atmosphere results in global warming. Ultimately, the activities of the microbes in the soil regulate the climatic conditions so that, when they die due to extreme conditions, we may not have a balanced hydrological cycle (Joshi and Shekhawat 8). This essay explores the benefits of the microbes in the environment and explains how changes in climatic conditions may affect the roles of microbes in the ecosystem.
Microbial contributions to greenhouse gas emissions
Microorganisms found in the soil ensure that nutrients are present in the soil. They provide nutrients in several ways. For example, they decompose deadly organic matter in the soil, which acts as organic fertilizer in the soil. Decomposed organic matter releases gasses like methane, nitrogen gas, and ammonia gas that are emitted into the environment. Secondly, in relation to respiration, these microorganisms release carbon dioxide gas to the soil. Scientific research shows that soil contains more carbon particles than the atmosphere. Carbon can be used by plants for various physiological processes like photosynthesis and the formation of fruits. Likewise, the carbon released by these organisms can be decomposed by other organisms within the soil like Fungi to produce carbon dioxide gas (Bardgett, Freeman, and Ostle 806). When this gas is emitted into the environment, it can be used in greenhouses. In addition, these gasses prevent excess radiation from the sun. Methane gas is one of the poisonous greenhouse gases. Excess methane gas is oxidized to carbon dioxide gas by methanotrophs in the soil. Therefore, methanotrophs regulate the amount of methane in the environment. Another important role of microorganisms in the soil is the maintenance of nitrogen in the ecosystem. The microbes augment nitrification; it is where the oxidation of ammonia to nitrates takes place. During this process, the microbes release nitrogen (I), oxide and nitrogen (II), oxide gases, which are greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. According to the research, human beings facilitate this process by using nitrogen-containing fertilizers. The availability of nitrogen in the environment aids in various plant processes like photosynthesis and the formation of fruits.
Microbial reactions to global climate variation
The activities of the microbes depend on the various environmental aspects like temperature variations, the moisture content in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide gas concentration, as well as the presence of nutrients in the soil. The changes in the environmental factors may influence the ecological processes, which largely depend on the activities of the microbes (Steinweg et al. 146). For instance, the respiration in the soil depends on the temperature variations and the moisture content of the soil. Besides, other environmental factors like the amount of precipitation and the level of atmospheric pressure in the ecosystem may affect these processes.
Microbial response to increased temperatures
The temperature within the soil affects the respiration in the soil. Clearly, an increase in temperature increases the rate of microbial decomposition, thus increasing the level of carbon dioxide gas in the soil. Therefore, a high concentration of carbon dioxide gas ensures a reduction in global warming. Consequently, the rate of respiration in the soil increases up to a certain point with the increase in temperature. This is due to some effects of temperature on the microbes. For example, an increase in temperature reduces the level of activities of the microbes due to the denaturing of the enzymes, thus reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment (Kaur, Gosal, and Kaur 3089). Secondly, microbes adapt to climatic changes that will reduce their physiological processes. They adapt to the environment that will lower their metabolic processes, hence lowering the rate of respiration in the soil. The carbon dioxide gas stored is later released into the atmosphere to regulate global warming. The only disadvantage of this layer is that it results in anaerobic respiration, which produces less carbon dioxide in the soil because the microbes produce less carbon dioxide under less oxygen. When the concentration of carbon dioxide reduces in the atmosphere, methane gas plays the role of carbon dioxide to manage global warming. However, the activities of the microbes may decrease alter the production of methane gas, making animals and plants suffer from excess radiations. Precisely, excess radiations may cause poor yielding in plants, and, equally, alter the metabolic processes of the animals.
Microbial response to increased carbon dioxide gas in the environment
Scientific research shows that carbon dioxide gas rises at the rate of 0.4% annually. Notably, various activities lead to high concentration of carbon dioxide gas in the environment. Some of these activities include burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, which makes it difficult for the plants to consume excess carbon dioxide gas in the environment among other activities. People have tried to engage in activities that would reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment. For example, planting of trees to increase the rate of carbon dioxide consumption by the plants is a project meant to reduce the level carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Kaur, Gosal, and Kaur 3091). The increased amount of carbon dioxide affects the activities of the microbes, as the available oxygen cannot sustain the respiration process of the microbes. High carbon dioxide will form a blanket within the earth surface, hence increasing the temperatures that will affect the growth of plants and animals.
Soil-borne pathogens and climate change
Certain climatic changes result in the outbreak of diseases like cholera and typhoid that arise when there is a high precipitation within the atmosphere. Equally, climatic changes may result in soil pathogens that may kill the entire microbes in the soil (Kaur, Gosal, and Kaur 3093). For instance, harlequin frogs found in tropical regions have died from the disease called chytridiomycosis that is caused by chrytrid fungus. The changes in the environmental factors, like precipitation and temperature may provide ideal condition bacteria that will kill the microbes in the soil. When the activities of the microbes are altered, there will be no decomposition of dead organic matter, hence making some plant species extinct due to low soil fertilization. Equally, there will be a high level of global warming because of the excess carbon dioxide in the environment. Therefore, all the environmental factors should be at the optimum level to facilitate the processes of the microbes in the soil.
References
Bardgett, Richard, Chris Freeman, and Nicholas Ostle. “Microbial Contributions to Climate Change Through Carbon Cycle Feedbacks.” International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal 2.8 (2008): 805-814. Print.
Joshi, Pradnya, and Dhiraj Shekhawat. “Microbial contributions to Global climate changes in soil environments: Impact on Carbon cycle (Short Review).” Annals of Applied Bio-Sciences 1 (2014): 7-9. Print.
Kaur, Jupinder, Sharma Gosal, and Prabhjyot Kaur. “Effects of climate change on plant associated microbial communities and enzyme activities.” African Journal of Microbiology Research 8.33 (2014): 3087-3093. Print.
Steinweg, Megan, Jeffrey Dukes, Eldor Paul, and Matthew Wallenstein. “Microbial responses to multi-factor climate change: effects on soil enzymes.” Frontiers in Microbiology 4 (2013): 146. Print.