Role of Microbes and Microbiomes in GHG Emissions and Mitigation in Agricultural Ecosystem Restoration

Microbes are crucial for the survival of life on Earth as they affect the major biogeochemical cycles that make our planet congenial for life, providing essential elements like carbon and nitrogen in required forms and quantities. Microbes also play a significant role as either generators or consumers of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2 ), methane (CH4 ), and nitrous oxide (N2O), through various processes in our environment. The distribution of these chemicals on the Earth and in the atmosphere is severely reliant on the equilibrium of these microbial progressions. The consumption of GHGs by microbes is facilitated through their use as substrates in processes like photo/chemoautotrophy, methanotrophy, and nitrous oxide reduction. The CO2 emitted from the organic matter decomposition and terrestrial respiration is subsequently subjected to photosynthetic fixation partially and is mitigated through carbon sequestration into soil and biomass. The biogenic release of methane through the biological anaerobic decomposition of organic materials by methanogens constitutes an important source of atmospheric CH4, while methanotrophs, through CH4 oxidation, facilitate methane emission mitigation. The microbial nitrification denitrification processes are the significant source of N2O emission, while the N2Oreducing bacteria are responsible for decreasing N2O emissions via nitrous oxide reduction enzymatic processes. The complexity of the interactions between these microbes with neighboring biotic and bacterial variables in order to regulate Earth's greenhouse gas emissions is a factor that affects their activity. Hence, interdisciplinary approaches, including microbial ecology, environmental genomics, soil and plant sciences, etc., should be concentrated on mitigating greenhouse gases.

Keywords: Climate change, CO₂ , GHG, Microbes, Mitigation, Microbiomes.