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Microbial Community Resilience across Ecosystems and Multiple Disturbances.
Laurent Philippot1, Bryan S Griffiths2, Silke Langenheder3
1Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Agroécologie, Dijon, France Laurent.philippot@inrae.fr.
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR
|April 1, 2021
Summary
Microbial communities are vital for ecosystem functions, but how multiple disturbances impact their stability and recovery remains unclear. This review examines mechanisms governing microbial responses to compounded environmental changes.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Ecosystem functions are increasingly challenged by climate change and human activities.
- Microbial communities are essential for ecosystem resilience and recovery from disturbances.
- The impact of multiple, compounded disturbances on microbial stability and ecosystem functions is poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review mechanisms governing microbial community responses to multiple disturbances.
- To explore principles of microbial resilience in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
- To investigate how disturbance characteristics influence microbial responses and ecosystem functions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review synthesizing current knowledge on microbial responses to disturbances.
- Analysis of mechanisms influencing microbial resilience in various ecosystems.
- Examination of how disturbance timing, nature, and chronology create complex effects.
Main Results:
- Microbial community recovery is critical for ecosystem functioning under environmental change.
- Compounded disturbances, especially those occurring rapidly, can lead to non-additive effects on microbial communities.
- Disturbance characteristics significantly modulate microbial responses and ecosystem stability.
Conclusions:
- Understanding microbial responses to multiple disturbances is crucial for predicting ecosystem fate.
- General principles of microbial resilience may exist, but context-specific factors are important.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the complex interactions between disturbances and microbial communities.
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