Decoding microbial signatures: an interdisciplinary call in a warming world.

Abstract

Rising global temperatures impact society and economies while reshaping microbial communities and ecosystems. For nearly 3 billion years, microorganisms have evolved while facing profound alterations in Earth's environmental conditions-remaining, for most of this time, the only form of life. They are key to carbon and nitrogen cycling, regulating greenhouse gases and sustaining climate resilience. Despite decades of evidence linking climate-driven microbial shifts to disease outbreaks and biodiversity alterations, microbes remain forgotten in climate change committees. Predicting global warming's impact on life depends on understanding how it alters microbial signatures, changes their metabolism and disrupts ecosystems. The next 20 years will demand interdisciplinary research-integrating microbiology, environmental sciences, computational modelling and biogeochemistry-to anticipate microbial alterations and mitigate global warming impacts. Building predictive frameworks, expanding microbial monitoring and improving data accessibility will be essential to anticipate ecological tipping points and guide effective interventions. Microbiology must become a central field to detect climate change impacts, informing ecosystem management, public health preparedness and education efforts worldwide. Addressing these knowledge gaps requires coordinated global action, bridging science and policy. Embracing the microbial dimension of climate change is not optional; it is a crucial step to understanding and managing the invisible forces shaping the planet's future.