Earth is expected to warm by 2 °C by 2030 and exceed a 5 °C increase by 2100 without immediate global action1. It is now understood that the impact of climate change is an emerging driver of species’ population declines and extinction. In the terrestrial environment, elevated surface temperatures drive dramatic shifts in water availability and weather intensity. In marine systems, a complex interplay between elevated temperatures and CO2 is leading to declines in marine biodiversity9. In both ecosystems, changes impact biological systems from species’ metabolic function to symbiotic interactions across kingdoms. Since most species depend on microbes for essential services, climate change is likely to shift these interactions as well.
INSITE’s vision is to discern key indicators of climate change through a microbial lens and develop useful methods that predict the potential for biodiversity loss- thereby offering insight for informed responses to alleviate such devastation. To better predict the trajectory of biodiversity under climate change, we need to assess how hosts and their beneficial microbes will respond to the rapidly shifting climate. This information is key to developing models that can accurately predict how species will be affected and whether they can adapt.
The specific goals of INSITE are to (i.) guide the expansion and generalization of model systems for use in predicting response and acclimatization to environmental change; (ii.) train the next generation of researchers to think integratively across disciplines and systems; and (iii.) educate K-12 students and the public about the importance of symbiosis in maintaining biodiversity in the face of climate crises. To accomplish these goals, we have selected a set of three emergent model systems that permit us to integrate empirical and theoretical evidence to understand how climate change will affect symbiotic systems from the molecular to phenotypic levels, across ecological and evolutionary timeframes, and from laboratory to their natural environments.
