Extremophiles in Climate Change Hotspots: Responses, Feedback Mechanisms, and Biogeochemical Implications

Climate change is driving unprecedented environmental transformations, particularly in "hotspots" such as polar regions, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, arid deserts, and acidic/alkaline lakes—regions where extreme conditions (e.g., temperature fluctuations, salinity, pH, or oxygen availability) already challenge microbial survival. Extremophiles, microbes adapted to these harsh environments, play pivotal roles in global biogeochemical cycles (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, sulfur). However, their responses to accelerating climate perturbations (e.g., warming, acidification, deoxygenation) remain poorly understood. How do these organisms adapt physiologically or evolutionarily? Do their functional shifts alter biogeochemical fluxes, creating feedback loops that amplify or mitigate climate change? Addressing these gaps is critical for predicting ecosystem resilience and refining climate models. This Research Topic aims to synthesize current knowledge and advance mechanistic insights into extremophile-climate interactions.

This Research Topic seeks to address three interlinked challenges: (1) Elucidate the molecular, physiological, and ecological responses of extremophiles to climate-driven stressors (e.g., temperature rise, altered precipitation patterns) in diverse hotspots; (2) Quantify how these responses modulate microbial community dynamics and biogeochemical processes (e.g., carbon sequestration, methane production, nutrient cycling); and (3) Evaluate the role of extremophiles as "bioindicators" or "feedback agents" in climate systems. By integrating multi-omics, field observations, and modeling, we aim to (a) identify key adaptive traits and threshold responses, (b) resolve microbial contributions to climate-positive or -negative feedbacks, and (c) provide actionable insights for climate adaptation strategies.

This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, methods papers, and perspective pieces that address the following themes:

• Microbial responses: Physiological adaptations (e.g., enzyme thermostability, osmolyte production), genomic/ transcriptomic plasticity, and evolutionary trajectories in climate hotspots.

• Biogeochemical impacts: Changes in metabolic activity (e.g., carbon fixation, nitrification-denitrification, methanogenesis) and elemental fluxes (C, N, S, P) under climate stress.

• Community dynamics: Shifts in extremophile community structure (e.g., via metagenomics) and interactions with other biota (e.g., syntrophy, competition).

• Modeling and prediction: Development of microbial-based models to project climate feedbacks or ecosystem services.

Authors are encouraged to submit studies that combine experimental data with ecological or technological context, emphasizing novel findings or translational potential. We prioritize interdisciplinary approaches and studies with clear implications for sustainability, biotechnology, or climate science.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Extremophiles, Climate change hotspots, Microbial responses, Biogeochemical cycles, Feedback mechanisms

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.