As our planet warms, what life will survive and thrive? If the coal fire-fueled soils around Centralia, Pennsylvania, are any indication, organisms with smaller genomes and cells may do well in the future.
As our planet warms, what life will survive and thrive? If the coal fire-fueled soils around Centralia, Pennsylvania, are any indication, organisms with smaller genomes and cells may do well in the future.
The results of a new Michigan State University study, published in the current issue of Nature Microbiology, represent the first time such microbes have been found afield. The research clearly shows that, for soil microbiomes, hot temperatures result in both smaller genomes on average and also smaller cell sizes, said Ashley Shade, MSU microbial biologist, and the study’s lead author.
This isn’t the case of simply one microbe embracing an economical approach, either; the majority of populations living in the steaming ground have these same traits.
“This isn’t an evolutionary study; we are seeing organisms that are competitive in the hot environment when they already have these traits,” Shade said. “The populations living nearby in the cooler, ambient temperature zones are different than the organisms living in the thermal areas.”
Read more at Michigan State University (MSU)
Image: As our planet warms, what life will survive and thrive? If the coal fire-fueled soils around Centralia, Pennsylvania, are any indication, organisms with smaller genomes and cells may do well in the future. Courtesy of MSU
