Chapter 5 Vulnerability of marine microbes on the Great Barrier Reef to climate change
Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: Global climate change will have a direct effect on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as discussed in previous \nand subsequent chapters. The primary effect of climate change will be a 1 to 3°C increase in global \nsea surface temperature along with sea level rises as predicted by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate \nChange (IPCC) models. Other associated effects include increased acidity and increased terrestrial \ninputs. The effects of climate change will have a significant impact on marine microbes, potentially \naltering microbial diversity, function and community dynamics. Although microbes constitute by \nfar the largest diversity and biomass of all marine organisms, they are often ignored in discussions \nabout the impacts of climate change. This is despite the fact that the vast microbial life \non our planet plays a central role in either accentuating or mitigating the effects of climate change. \nSince microbes are central to the global cycles (including carbon, nitrogen and trace gases), changes \nto temperature, nutrient availability and environmental pH will have major impacts on microbial \nprocesses central to the climate debate. This chapter will discuss the exposure, sensitivity and impacts \nof climate change on marine microbes at global, regional and local scales, providing examples of \nobserved impacts in marine ecosystems. In doing so, the adaptive capacity and vulnerability of marine \nmicrobes to climate change will be assessed. The background provided in this chapter emphasises the \nimportance of marine microbes and outlines why they require greater appreciation in research effort \nand consideration in predictive climate models.
Authors: Nicole S. Webster, Russell Hill
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W92246029