Tidal flats are widely distributed worldwide, occupying at least 127,921 km2, of which 70% are located in coastal areas of Asia, and North and South America. As a confluence of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, tidal flat is dually influenced by these two ecosystems and becomes one of the most productive ecosystems. Rhythmic changes of environmental factors (e.g., salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, illumination intensity, ocean current, etc.) and frequent disturbances of human behaviour enhance organic matter as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur compounds in tidal flats. Furthermore, tidal flats have various important ecosystem functions, including climate regulation, shoreline stabilization, carbon fixation, pollutant degradation, etc.
Given the combined features from terrestrial and marine environments, the microorganisms in tidal flats are one of the most important components of the biogeochemical cycling of important elements on earth. Nevertheless, how microorganisms play roles in the key steps remains unclear. The role of tidal flats as a significant carbon reservoir is becoming increasingly important because of the increasing impact of global warming. Increasing global temperatures have led to unknown changes in the carbon cycling and sequestration dominated by microorganisms, and the specific microorganisms and their responses need to be investigated. The mangroves with higher biodiversity are among the most carbon-rich ecosystems in the tropics, and have become a research hotspot in functional biodiversity studies for better understanding their contribution in mitigating climate change. The microbial community and their functional changes under short and long-term perturbations will uncover the mechanisms underlying the biodiversity and provide knowledge for conservation policy.
In recent decades, the intensified development of tidal flats has resulted in the disappearance of almost 16% of global tidal flats, the loss of biodiversity, and the accumulation of pollutants such as plastics, antibiotics, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). How increasing urbanization will affect microbial communities in tidal flats remains unknown. Studies on the spatial and temporal variations of microbial community structure and the underlying mechanisms are research hotspots.
As the most productive ecosystems, tidal flats contain numerous valuable microbial resources, unique microbial taxon or lineages (e.g., Asgard archaea, early differentiated fungus, and novel taxa, etc.), specific taxa or strains responsible for the stabilization of ecosystems, ecological remediation and sustainable development of tidal flats. Therefore, the exploration and preservation of these microbial resources are urgently needed to avoid their inevitable extinction.
The Research Topic is aimed at discussing novel understanding of microbial biodiversity and laying the foundation for in-depth physiological, genetic and ecological studies and applications of microbes in tidal flats. Themes of research and review papers for the current issue could include (but not limited to):
- Ecological drivers of microbial diversity in tidal flats and sediment biological network;
- Changes of tidal microbial communities in response to increasing human impact and global warming such as pollutants accumulation, ocean warming and ocean acidification;
- Role of tidal microbial groups and corresponding genes in biogeochemical cycles and blue carbon ecosystems, such as mangroves, and tidal and salt marshes;
- Novel isolation method, taxonomic and functional study of unique microbial taxon or lineages in tidal flats such as Asgard archaea, early differentiated fungus and novel taxa.
All presented studies should provide scientific rationale for consideration in the Aquatic Microbiology specialty; including the report of nucleic acid (DNA and RNA) sequences: these must be accompanied by contextual environmental data or experiments that address aspects of the biology of the studied microorganisms. Submissions based on environmental genomics should generally not be based on limited replication (e.g. single samples, stations or time points), and datasets should be deposited in and accessible from pertinent public repositories at the time of submission. Environmental genomics studies should use the most recent analytical pipelines and databases and the report of such data should be accompanied by compositional analyses. In most cases, descriptive studies of microbial community structures in highly specialized and/or engineered biomes such as aquaculture or mariculture will not be considered.
Tidal flats are widely distributed worldwide, occupying at least 127,921 km2, of which 70% are located in coastal areas of Asia, and North and South America. As a confluence of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, tidal flat is dually influenced by these two ecosystems and becomes one of the most productive ecosystems. Rhythmic changes of environmental factors (e.g., salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, illumination intensity, ocean current, etc.) and frequent disturbances of human behaviour enhance organic matter as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur compounds in tidal flats. Furthermore, tidal flats have various important ecosystem functions, including climate regulation, shoreline stabilization, carbon fixation, pollutant degradation, etc.
Given the combined features from terrestrial and marine environments, the microorganisms in tidal flats are one of the most important components of the biogeochemical cycling of important elements on earth. Nevertheless, how microorganisms play roles in the key steps remains unclear. The role of tidal flats as a significant carbon reservoir is becoming increasingly important because of the increasing impact of global warming. Increasing global temperatures have led to unknown changes in the carbon cycling and sequestration dominated by microorganisms, and the specific microorganisms and their responses need to be investigated. The mangroves with higher biodiversity are among the most carbon-rich ecosystems in the tropics, and have become a research hotspot in functional biodiversity studies for better understanding their contribution in mitigating climate change. The microbial community and their functional changes under short and long-term perturbations will uncover the mechanisms underlying the biodiversity and provide knowledge for conservation policy.
In recent decades, the intensified development of tidal flats has resulted in the disappearance of almost 16% of global tidal flats, the loss of biodiversity, and the accumulation of pollutants such as plastics, antibiotics, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). How increasing urbanization will affect microbial communities in tidal flats remains unknown. Studies on the spatial and temporal variations of microbial community structure and the underlying mechanisms are research hotspots.
As the most productive ecosystems, tidal flats contain numerous valuable microbial resources, unique microbial taxon or lineages (e.g., Asgard archaea, early differentiated fungus, and novel taxa, etc.), specific taxa or strains responsible for the stabilization of ecosystems, ecological remediation and sustainable development of tidal flats. Therefore, the exploration and preservation of these microbial resources are urgently needed to avoid their inevitable extinction.
The Research Topic is aimed at discussing novel understanding of microbial biodiversity and laying the foundation for in-depth physiological, genetic and ecological studies and applications of microbes in tidal flats. Themes of research and review papers for the current issue could include (but not limited to):
- Ecological drivers of microbial diversity in tidal flats and sediment biological network;
- Changes of tidal microbial communities in response to increasing human impact and global warming such as pollutants accumulation, ocean warming and ocean acidification;
- Role of tidal microbial groups and corresponding genes in biogeochemical cycles and blue carbon ecosystems, such as mangroves, and tidal and salt marshes;
- Novel isolation method, taxonomic and functional study of unique microbial taxon or lineages in tidal flats such as Asgard archaea, early differentiated fungus and novel taxa.
All presented studies should provide scientific rationale for consideration in the Aquatic Microbiology specialty; including the report of nucleic acid (DNA and RNA) sequences: these must be accompanied by contextual environmental data or experiments that address aspects of the biology of the studied microorganisms. Submissions based on environmental genomics should generally not be based on limited replication (e.g. single samples, stations or time points), and datasets should be deposited in and accessible from pertinent public repositories at the time of submission. Environmental genomics studies should use the most recent analytical pipelines and databases and the report of such data should be accompanied by compositional analyses. In most cases, descriptive studies of microbial community structures in highly specialized and/or engineered biomes such as aquaculture or mariculture will not be considered.
