A new study has found that climate warming could cause plankton microbes, abundantly present in the oceans, to turn from carbon sinks into carbon emitters.
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Mixotropic microbes
Mixotrophic microbes, which are abundantly found in fresh and salty water, can switch between either performing photosynthesis like plants or can consume other plankton.
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Role
Mixotrophs thereby act like a switch since it is capable of both capturing or emitting carbon dioxide.
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Impact
As a result of temperature increase, these microbes can shift from eliciting a net cooling effect on Earth to a net warming effect.
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Signals
Tracking mixotrophic microbes could provide warning signals for turning points in climate change.