Research progress of carbon fixation microorganisms in glaciers

Abstract:

Glaciers occupy roughly 11% of the Earth's land surface and possess about 10⁴ Pg organic carbon. As glaciers melt, organic carbon is released into downstream ecosystems, stimulating the primary productivity and affecting the ecosystem of oceans, lakes, and runoff. Microbial carbon-fixing processes determine organic carbon storage in glaciers and carbon output from glaciers to downstream ecosystems. Investigations on community composition and function of carbon-fixing microbes in glaciers can provide a data basis for estimating the carbon accumulation in glaciers and protecting their downstream ecosystems. This review summarized the carbon storage and release of glaciers, carbon fixing pathways, the community composition of carbon-fixing microorganisms in glacial ecosystems, carbon fixation rate, and influencing environmental factors, followed by prospects on future research directions of carbon-fixing microorganisms in glacial ecosystems.