Tracking contemporary microbial evolution in a changing ocean

Ocean microbes are fundamental for the functioning of the Earth system. Yet, our understanding of how they are reacting to global change in terms of evolution is limited. Microbes typically grow in large populations and reproduce quickly, which may allow them to rapidly adapt to environmental stressors compared to larger organisms. However, genetic evidence of contemporary evolution in wild microbes is scarce. We must begin coordinated efforts to establish new micro-bial time-series and explore novel tools, experiments, and data to fill this knowl-edge gap. The development of coordinated microbial 'genomic' observatories will provide the unprecedented opportunity to track contemporary microbial evolution in the ocean and explore the role of evolution in enabling wild microbes to respond to global change.

Automated summary

Ocean microbes play a fundamental role in the Earth system, yet our understanding of their evolution in response to global change is limited. Although microbes can quickly adapt to environmental stressors, there is currently scarce genetic evidence of contemporary evolution in wild microbes. The development of coordinated microbial 'genomic' observatories can provide an unprecedented opportunity to track contemporary microbial evolution and investigate how it enables wild microbes to respond to global change.