Dryland microbiomes reveal community adaptations to desertification and climate change

Drylands account for 45% of the Earth’s land area, supporting approximately 40% of the global population. These regions support some of the most extreme environments on Earth, characterized by extreme temperatures, low and variable rainfall, and low soil fertility. In these biomes, microorganisms provide vital ecosystem services and have evolved distinctive adaptation strategies to endure and flourish in the extreme. However, dryland microbiomes and the ecosystem services they provide are under threat due to intensifying desertification and climate change. In this review, we provide a synthesis of our current understanding of microbial life in drylands, emphasizing the remarkable diversity and adaptations of these communities. We then discuss anthropogenic threats, including the influence of climate change on dryland microbiomes and outline current knowledge gaps. Finally, we propose research priorities to address those gaps and safeguard the sustainability of these fragile biomes.

A.L.H. is supported by the Italian Ministry of University and Research Brain Gain Professorship and by the European Union Next-Generation EU (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) – Missione 4 Componente 2, Investimento 1.4 – D.D. 1032 17/06/2022, CN00000022) within the Agritech National Research Centre for Agricultural Technologies. M.D-B. acknowledges support from TED2021-130908B-C41/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/Unión Europea NextGenerationEU/PRTR and from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the I + D + i project PID2020-115813RA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. J.D.R and C.P-F. acknowledge funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) grants 80NSSC19K0470 and NNX15AP18G. E.G. is supported by the European Research Council grant agreement 647038 (BIODESERT) and the Consellería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte de la Generalitat Valenciana, and the European Social Fund (APOSTD/2021/188). B.K.S. acknowledges funding from the Australian Research Council (DP210102081; DP230101448) for microbiome research. E.E. is supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DECRA) fellowship (DE210101822).