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URL: http://www.uni-jena.de/en/Research+News/FM170112_raremicrobes.pdf
The lonely wolves of the microscopic world
Rare microbes have a key role in ecosystem functioning
Foto: Jan-Peter Kasper/FSU
Rare microbes, like these bacteria, have a key role in ecosystem functioning.
Even if a species is represented by very few individuals within an ecosystem, it can make a huge
difference. This has long been recognized for animals and plants. Rare microbes like bacteria and
microscopic fungi, however, have received little attention so far. In a review paper, researchers
have now highlighted the key role of rare microbes in many ecosystems and for such crucial
functions as nutrient cycling and community assembly. The publication in the "ISME Journal" was a
joint effort of the working group sRareBios, supported by the Synthesis Centre sDiv of the German
Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig. Part of the team was also
The lonely wolves of the microscopic world
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Prof. Dr. Kirsten Küsel from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
Top predators such as wolves are rare in numbers, but have an important impact on whole
ecosystems. In the world of microscopic organisms, rare species can have disproportionate effects
as well. This is the conclusion of a team of researchers who have reviewed studies that investigate
the role of low-abundance microbes in different ecosystems. This research field is still in its infancy,
but rapidly emerging, as study leader Gera Hol (University of Wageningen, NL) explains. "We are
only starting to understand the importance of rare microorganisms in different ecosystems, and
what we find is that they play an important role for many microbial-driven processes".
The authors have found several examples for the huge importance of microbes with low
abundances: Methane emission from peatlands - would be much higher in absence of a very rare
sulfate reducing bacterium. Invasions of root pathogens in the soil of arable land - effectively
hampered by rare microorganisms. But also: Periodontal diseases in the human mouth - potentially
initiated by low-abundance species that trigger changes in the oral microflora. Studying the effects
of rare microbes is a challenging endeavor, but we now have the tools to do so thanks to modern
technological advances, Hol says. In their review paper, the study authors examine different
experimental and molecular methods that may be useful for addressing pressing questions in rare
microbe research.
Original Publication:
A Jousset, C Bienhold, A Chatzinotas, L Gallien, A Gobet, V Kurm, K Küsel, MC Rillig, DW Rivett,
JF Salles, MGA van der Heijden, NH Youssef, XW Zhang, Z Wei, WHG Hol: Where less may be
more: How the 1 rare biosphere pulls ecosystems strings. ISME.
http://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/ismej2016174a.pdf
Rare microbes have a key role in ecosystem functioning
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