Heat-Loving Microbes, Once Dormant, Thrive over Decades-Old Fire

Borrowing a phrase from botany, Lennon called this vast reserve of dormant organisms the “microbial seed bank,” which was just waiting around for the right environmental conditions to grow and thrive. Scientists used to believe that the soil microbes found in the deserts of Antarctica were the same as those found in the Amazon rainforest, but studies showed that, like all organisms, soil microbes are highly adapted to local conditions. Seed banks function the same way, with dormant organisms becoming dominant when environmental conditions change.

Source: www.quantamagazine.org