The Role of Microbial Communities in Tropical Ecosystems

Download or read book The Role of Microbial Communities in Tropical Ecosystems written by Silvia Pajares and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2017-01-13 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tropical ecosystems are different in important ways from those of temperate regions. They are a major reservoir of plant and animal biodiversity and play important roles in global climate regulation and biogeochemical cycling. They are also under great threat due to the conversion of tropical ecosystems to other uses. Thus, in the context of global change, it is crucial to understand how environmental factors, biogeographic patterns, and land use changes interact to influence the structure and function of microbial communities in these ecosystems. The contributions to this Research Topic showcase the current knowledge regarding microbial ecology in tropical ecosystems, identify many challenges and questions that remain to be addressed and open up new horizons in our understanding of the environmental and anthropological factors controlling microbial communities in these important ecosystems.