All methods on deck
More basic research studies of marine microorganisms — supported by new methods, tools and resources — are needed to help inform policies to mitigate the impact of climate change.
As humans, we have long been drawn to the ocean. We lounge on the beach, surf the waves and sail on the wind. We voraciously consume its delicacies, from the humble oyster to the swift bluefin tuna. In our living rooms we are glued to nature documentaries illuminating the hugeness of blue whales, the intelligence of dolphins, the ferocity of great white sharks and the strange, colorful beauty of corals.
This abundance of the ocean rests on the very smallest of organisms — microbial life forms, from viruses to multicellular zooplankton. These microorganisms do not capture the public’s interest the way that so many ocean creatures do. But they are fundamental to the health of the ocean, and the planet: they represent the ocean’s predominant biomass, the bottom of the marine food web, and, in the case of phytoplankton, the major producers of atmospheric oxygen. They are also the ‘first responders’ to environmental change. Last June, a large group of microbiologists published a Consensus Statement in Nature Reviews Microbiology declaring that the “microscopic majority can no longer be the unseen elephant in the room” and highlighting the central role of marine microorganisms in regulating the increasing threat of climate change.
All methods on deck. Nature Methods 17: 451. Doi: 10.1038/s41592-020-0846-4
