Some Like It Hot, Some Not.

SOIL microbial ecology; CLIMATE change; SOIL crusting; ECOPHYSIOLOGY; CYANOBACTERIA ecology; NITROGEN-fixing cyanobacteria; EFFECT of temperature on microorganisms; DESERT soils; MICROCOLEUS; ECOLOGICAL succession; CLIMATE & biogeography

The author comments on a report within the issue by F. Garcia-Pichel and team about the potential effects of climate change on the ecophysiology of microbial communities of the soil crusts in arid regions of the western U.S. Researchers looked at DNA from nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria in desert soil crusts near Moab, Utah, finding biogeographic distribution of Microcoleus vaginatus and Microcoleus steenstrupii based on temperature. It is suggested that global warming could result in shifts of microbial species dominance and range in soil crust ecosystems. The role of temperature tolerance of introduced microorganisms in soil biocrust restoration efforts is also noted.