(3 updates to this post at end of post)
A chronic problem in science is the lack of availability of “published” papers. This post includes 15 published papers (according to ChatGPT) that are not yet accessible online via search engines, Google Scholar or Jstor. In time access will likely be gained by contacting the authors directly, or the authors finding our RFPF references in a search engine and providing access by posting a link in the comments below.
It can’t be overstated how much science is held back by lack of access to essential research. If we’re going to take climate change seriously, we need to make the research that’s already been done accessible.
Research Question: Could it be that our atmosphere is a unique ecosystem of bacterial and fungal microbes that will teach us how to properly feed and care for our atmosphere in order to better moderate the severity of climate change?
What we do know is that atmospheric microbes can exist in extremely cold temperatures while also being exposed to deadly ultraviolet radiation. But which microbes are most beneficial and where are they sourced from and how do they circulate in the atmosphere and how can they influence weather?
If we could go back in time and more thoroughly study periods of earth’s history when tall tree forests dominated the continents, which was common for most of the past 382 million years, we could take air samples and compare them to what we have today and learn more about the role our planet’s forests play in our sky.
Currently the oldest air samples we have are from ice cores and they only go back 800,000 years and thus far the study of those samples has focused on the chemical composition of greenhouse gases rather than microbial composition.
In asking ChatGPT: “Help me find published papers on forest microbes in the atmosphere” the results provide 15 papers on the subject, yet we have no access to these “published” papers.
At RFPF we’ll do our best to contact the writers of these papers and eventually report back on what we’ve learned:
1) “Microorganisms in the Atmosphere over a High Altitude Forest Ecosystem” by S. González-Martin et al. (2016) – This paper examines the types and abundance of microorganisms found in the atmosphere over a high altitude forest ecosystem in Spain.
2) “Bacterial Community Composition and Abundance in the Atmosphere of a Temperate Forest” by A.M. Bowers et al. (2012) – This paper looks at the bacterial community composition and abundance in the atmosphere of a temperate forest in the northeastern United States.
3) “Microbial Diversity and Biogeography of the Atmosphere” by C.L. Lauro et al. (2018) – This paper provides an overview of the microbial diversity and biogeography of the atmosphere, including the role of forests in shaping the microbial communities.
4) Microbial Aerosols in Forest Ecosystems: A Review by L. Wei et al. (2021) – This paper reviews the current knowledge on microbial aerosols in forest ecosystems, including their sources, transport mechanisms, and potential impacts on human health.
5) Biodiversity and Ecological Role of Aerobiota in Alpine Forest Ecosystems by F. Cappitelli et al. (2020) – This paper examines the biodiversity and ecological role of aerobiota (microorganisms in the atmosphere) in alpine forest ecosystems, including their potential as bioindicators of environmental change.
6) The Biogenic Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds from Forests by J. Kesselmeier and T. Staudt (2005) – This paper reviews the role of forest microbes in the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are important atmospheric pollutants.
7) The Influence of Forests on Atmospheric Biogenic Volatile Organic Compound Concentrations by L. Klinger and C. Valachovic (2016) – This study investigates the relationship between forest vegetation and atmospheric VOC concentrations, including the contributions of microbial processes.
8) Forest Microbes Play a Significant Role in Atmospheric Methane Oxidation by R. K. Hanson et al. (2000) – This paper examines the role of forest microbes in the oxidation of atmospheric methane, an important greenhouse gas.
9) Atmospheric Dispersal of Microbes from Soil to Surface and Indoor Environments by J. L. Hospodsky et al. (2015) – This study investigates the atmospheric dispersal of microbes from forest soil to surface and indoor environments, highlighting the role of microbial communities in forest ecosystems.
10) The Role of Forest Microbes in Biogeochemical Cycles by M. P. Waldrop and K. R. Rillig (2007) – This paper discusses the importance of forest microbes in biogeochemical cycles, including their roles in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling, and their potential effects on the atmosphere.
11) “Forest Microbes Play a Significant Role in Atmospheric Carbon Cycling” by C. Ryan Penton, et al. (2016) in Journal of Ecology. This paper investigates the role of forest microbes in carbon cycling and how they interact with the atmosphere.
12) “The Biogenic Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds from a Boreal Forest: Interactions between Forest Flora, Microbes, and Atmosphere” by Torbjørn Tøllefsen, et al. (2021) in Atmosphere. This paper examines the interactions between forest flora, microbes, and the atmosphere in the production of volatile organic compounds.
13) “Mycorrhizal Fungi Mediate Soil Microbial Community Response to Experimental Warming” by Kevan Minick, et al. (2019) in Soil Biology and Biochemistry. This paper investigates the role of mycorrhizal fungi in mediating the response of soil microbial communities to experimental warming in a forest ecosystem.
14) “Atmospheric Microbes in Subarctic and Arctic Ecosystems: Impacts on Biogeochemical Cycling” by Virginia Rich, et al. (2019) in Frontiers in Microbiology. This paper examines the impacts of atmospheric microbes on biogeochemical cycling in subarctic and arctic ecosystems, and the role of forest microbes in these processes.
15) “Forest Canopies as a Global Atmospheric Microbial Filter” by James F. Meadow, et al. (2015) in Frontiers in Microbiology. This paper investigates the role of forest canopies as a global atmospheric microbial filter, and the potential implications of this for human health and the environment.
UPDATE 1: Thanks to this post a professor replied to explain that there is a problem with ChatGPT making up the names of published papers that don’t exist. That could be very problematic if true. However when asking ChatGPT is says: “As an AI language model, I do not have the ability to create fake references intentionally. However, I may have made an error.”
UPDATE 2: Another professor who’s really good at finding published papers fast replied with: “Great you are seeking scientific references. I myself don’t use ChatGPT, in fact I detest and fear any related AI programs. I suspect that the titles and authors are a bit off.”
UPDATE 3:
