Hundreds of scientists have joined together to save a group of species from extinction, a group that might not seem like it needs saving: microbes.
Microbes need protection for many reasons, researchers say, including the fact that other species — indeed, entire ecosystems — depend on their well-being. “We need them in order to help conserve the pandas and the rainforests and the whales and the oceans and everything else in between,” said Jack Gilbert, a microbiologist at the University of California, San Diego.
Even without documenting every microbe species, biologists can see that microbial diversity is under threat. Soil may contain half of all microbial species, for instance, but as forests are cut down and grasslands are converted to farm fields, much of that soil is destroyed and some of its diversity of microbes is lost.
The Microbial Conservation Specialist Group … plans to map hot spots for microbial conservation around the world, including bare stretches of rocky earth in Antarctica and the insides of animals and plants. Samples will be collected, placed in vaults safe from extinction, and studied.
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