Researchers at the University of Miami are investigating how microbes and fire will affect the ability of Earth’s rarest plants to adapt to a changing climate.
What are microbes anyway?
Microbes are everywhere. They live in water, soil and in the air. Microbes break down (or decompose) dead organisms, animal waste and plant litter, which releases chemicals such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus that can be used for other plants and animals. Think of microbes as nature’s waste recycler.
Background
In a soon-to-be-published study, the researchers found that the endangered St. John’s Wort plant is highly dependent on microbes. So, now the team wants to know if that’s the case for 80 other rare plants in Florida.
Why do they need to know this?
When scientists model distributions of plants and animals, they usually look at non-living environmental factors, like climate.
“But there is more and more evidence that microbes play a bigger role in plant health than we knew previously,” Christopher Searcy, one of the study authors told University of Miami News. “So we’re trying to understand how they impact the distribution of the plants they interact with, which can be important to restore a given habitat, but also to understand how plant species will respond to climate change.”
What’s next?
The team also wants to explore whether these microbes interact with fire during prescribed burns.
The takeaway message
Because we depend on plants for food, shelter, clean air and fuel, it is important for scientists to understand how microbes affect plant health, especially as the climate changes.
Where can I learn more?
Kudos to:
The research team includes–post-doctoral researcher Daniel Revillini, and University of Miami assistant professors of biology Michelle Afkhami and Christopher Searcy.