Erika Therese O.

De la Torre IV – BSMBio March 20, 2023

Critique paper on Potential impact of global climate change on benthic deep-sea microbes by
Danavaro et al. (2017)
Marine microbes are one of the most abundant biomasses on Earth and they play a huge
role in all ocean processes, especially biogeochemical processes in benthic deep-sea environments.
With the rapid climate change and global warming happening during this Anthropocene Epoch, it
is vital to determine how these microbes will respond to the fluctuating environmental parameters
and direction of the changes of the different ocean processes they play a part of. In the review
paper titled Potential impact of global climate change on benthic deep-sea microbes by Danavaro
et al. (2017), microbes in benthic deep-sea environments where integrated with present
environmental parameters (temperature, pH, oxygen concentration, and ocean productivity and
carbon export) and its projected changes to determine how these microbes are directly and
indirectly affected, their potential responses from these changes, and how it affects the ecosystem
that highly depends on these marine microbes. This review is an important topic as it will help
humans to notify and understand the contributions of these marine microbes to global changes and
how these changes are heavily dependent on them.
The first part of the review discusses important background study of the different topics
including an overview of the different global changes and how it has affected other environmental
parameters. Marine microbes in the benthic deep-sea environments were discussed including their
abundance, evidence to their high biodiversity, brief discussion on the different habitat structure
and parameters of different microbial organisms, and their role in different ocean processes. These
topics are necessary to give readers an idea on the links between the roles of marine microbes,
their abundance, environmental parameters, and how changes in their environment could affect
their abundance. The structure of the background study is simple and straightforward which could
easily be understood by readers.
Next part of the review is the main topic where they discussed the responses of benthic
deep-sea to different climate change scenarios in different categories. First category is the food
supply wherein it is discussed the how limited food supply is in the benthic deep-sea environments
and how surface marine microbes and abiotic factors influence to its supply. Biopolymeric carbon
is the source of food to benthic deep-sea heterotrophs and that its quality and quantity could
determine prokaryotic distribution. The discussion of this topic included explanation and examples
on the different terms used which helps the reader to know its relevance in the process. In addition,
a graph on the correlation bacterial and archaeal abundance on different concentrations of
biopolymeric carbon showing significant relationship further helps readers to picture out the
scenarios and the marine microbe response to it. The next parameter is temperature wherein the
review discussed how temperature affects the quality of the carbon that reaches the benthic deep-
sea environments and links it to bacterial and archaeal abundance which is seen in the graph
presented. One of the parameters determining biodiversity of microbes is oxygen concentration as
it influences its survival and metabolism. Here, it is briefly explained that in an oxygen-depleted
benthic and pelagic environment, viruses are more abundant and virus-induced mortality is
heightened. Next is pH wherein it was stated that limited studies have shown its effects on marine
microbes and some model studies are even contradicting. Last are the biotic factors focusing more
on viral abundance and production. Viruses affect diversity of microbial assemblages which leads
to disruption of biogeochemical processes by marine microbes and their role in food webs. As
mentioned in the review, viral abundance and production is correlated by abiotic factors such as
pH and oxygen and also minor effect on temperature. It is explained that viral replication is highly
dependent on the host microbes which, again, is determined by the abiotic factors discussed. This
last topic discussed how one change in environmental parameter could greatly alter marine
microbe abundance and biodiversity and how it affects their roles in different ocean processes.
The review paper concluded that these changes in parameters determine interactions
between marine microbes in the benthic deep-sea ecosystem which then affects biogeochemical
processes that highly shapes climate changes. It is suggested that when forecasting changes in
environmental parameters during climate change and global warming, it is very essential to take
into consideration the responses of marine microbes with these changes. The structure of the
review paper was simple and easy to read as it strives to explain certain terms and processes by
giving examples and also showing graphs. The linkages from the environmental structure of the
habitat of species of marine microbes and the changes of the environmental parameters were also
clear and helps readers understand why these changes affect marine microbe biodiversity and
assemblages. The review paper is a good material to present to government agencies, NGOs,
stakeholders, and other funding agencies to discuss action plan on how to tackle climate change.
However, it is too generic to be use as source for other studies as it only describes effects and does
not quantify the exact impacts of the changes and the responses.