School Notes: School of the Environment
July/August 2010

Microbes contribute less to climate warming

Microbes living underground may not be the significant contributors to global warming that scientists previously believed them to be. Researchers at UC–Irvine, Colorado State University, and F&ES have found that as global temperatures increase, microbes in soil become less efficient over time in converting carbon in the soil into carbon dioxide, which is a key contributor to climate warming.

Microbes use carbon for energy to breathe and to grow in size and number. New research shows microbes exhaling carbon dioxide furiously for a short period of time in a warmer environment, leaving less carbon for growth—resulting in a decrease in the number of microbes and, eventually, a decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere.

The study, published in April online in Nature Geoscience,suggests that if microbial efficiency declines in a warmer world, carbon dioxide emissions will fall back to pre-warming levels. But if microbes manage to adapt to the warmth—for instance, through increases in enzyme activity—emissions could intensify. Mark Bradford, assistant professor of terrestrial ecosystem ecology, says there is intense debate in the scientific community over whether the loss of soil carbon will contribute to global warming, and adds that “the microbial processes causing this loss are poorly understood. More research in this area will help reduce uncertainties in climate prediction.”

Compton Fellows will research tropical conservation issues

Four F&ES students, all first-year candidates for master’s degrees in environmental management, have been named Compton International Fellows for 2010–11 by the school’s Tropical Resources Institute. Each received $11,250 from the Compton Foundation, which enables students from developing countries to conduct research on the environment and sustainable development that has links to the fields of peace and security (conflict management) and population and reproductive health.

Geofrey Mwanjela is conducting research on protected areas and their impact on the livelihoods of local communities in Tanzania; Ana Perea is working to engage local Mexican communities in the conservation and restoration of natural resources; Giancarlo Raschio is planning a comparative study of climate-change mitigation and adaptation initiatives in Ghana and Peru; and Pablo Reed is researching whether indigenous community lands in Ecuador could benefit from a program designed to use financial incentives to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from deforestation and forest degradation.

F&ES dean Peter Crane says that the Compton Fellows program “perfectly complements” the school’s efforts to provide “multidisciplinary training and research opportunities” to its students and supports the school’s goal of “building environmental leadership capacity in developing countries.”