Insight into the multifactorial effect of climate change on marine bacteria: resilience mechanisms and mitigation strategies.

Abstract

Industrialization marked a significant turning point that impacted the global climate at an unprecedented scale. Oceans, covering 71% of the surface of Earth, play a pivotal role in regulating climate change factors, serving as essential components of planetary processes. In these oceanic ecosystems, marine bacteria are intricately involved in regulating various biogeochemical cycles that are crucial to climate regulation and ecosystem functioning. However, the ongoing climatic changes pose significant challenges to marine bacteria and their associated processes. In the Anthropocene epoch, the interaction between anthropogenic pollutants and climatic stressors further amplifies their impact on marine bacteria across diverse ecological niches and their resilience mechanisms. It delves into the interactive effects of anthropogenic pollutants with climatic stressors on bacteria, particularly emphasizing on organic pollutants, heavy metals, and microplastics. The review entails the impact and resilience mechanisms of marine bacteria in response to climatic stressors. The current trajectory of climatic changes highlights the urgent need for concerted global action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change. In this context, various strategies employing marine bacteria in mitigating climate change for a sustainable future have also been discussed.