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Yang J, Wang C, Wang Z, Li Y, Yu H, Feng J, Xie S, Li X. Distribution patterns and co-occurrence network of eukaryotic algae in different salinity waters of Yuncheng Salt Lake, China. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8340. [PMID: 38594439 PMCID: PMC11003963 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58636-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The community structure and co-occurrence pattern of eukaryotic algae in Yuncheng Salt Lake were analyzed based on marker gene analysis of the 18S rRNA V4 region to understand the species composition and their synergistic adaptations to the environmental factors in different salinity waters. The results showed indicated that the overall algal composition of Yuncheng Salt Lake showed a Chlorophyta-Pyrrophyta-Bacillariophyta type structure. Chlorophyta showed an absolute advantage in all salinity waters. In addition, Cryptophyta dominated in the least saline waters; Pyrrophyta and Bacillariophyta were the dominant phyla in the waters with salinity ranging from 13.2 to 18%. Picochlorum, Nannochloris, Ulva, and Tetraselmis of Chlorophyta, Biecheleria and Oxyrrhis of Pyrrophyta, Halamphora, Psammothidium, and Navicula of Bacillariophyta, Guillardia and Rhodomonas of Cryptophyta were not observed in previous surveys of the Yuncheng Salt Lake, suggesting that the algae are undergoing a constant turnover as the water environment of the Salt Lake continues to change. The network diagram demonstrated that the algae were strongly influenced by salinity, NO3-, and pH, changes in these environmental factors would lead to changes in the algal community structure, thus affecting the stability of the network structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Yuncheng Salt Lake Ecological Protection and Resource Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Yuncheng University, Yuncheng, 044000, China
| | - Chuanxu Wang
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Yuncheng Salt Lake Ecological Protection and Resource Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Yuncheng University, Yuncheng, 044000, China
| | - Zhuo Wang
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Yuncheng Salt Lake Ecological Protection and Resource Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Yuncheng University, Yuncheng, 044000, China
| | - Yunjie Li
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Yuncheng Salt Lake Ecological Protection and Resource Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Yuncheng University, Yuncheng, 044000, China
| | - Huiying Yu
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Yuncheng Salt Lake Ecological Protection and Resource Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Yuncheng University, Yuncheng, 044000, China
| | - Jia Feng
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Shulian Xie
- School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Xin Li
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Yuncheng Salt Lake Ecological Protection and Resource Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Yuncheng University, Yuncheng, 044000, China.
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2
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Jung J, Loschko T, Reich S, Rassoul-Agha M, Werner MS. Newly identified nematodes from the Great Salt Lake are associated with microbialites and specially adapted to hypersaline conditions. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232653. [PMID: 38471558 PMCID: PMC10932707 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Extreme environments enable the study of simplified food-webs and serve as models for evolutionary bottlenecks and early Earth ecology. We investigated the biodiversity of invertebrate meiofauna in the benthic zone of the Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, USA, one of the most hypersaline lake systems in the world. The hypersaline bays within the GSL are currently thought to support only two multicellular animals: brine fly larvae and brine shrimp. Here, we report the presence, habitat, and microbial interactions of novel free-living nematodes. Nematode diversity drops dramatically along a salinity gradient from a freshwater river into the south arm of the lake. In Gilbert Bay, nematodes primarily inhabit reef-like organosedimentary structures built by bacteria called microbialites. These structures likely provide a protective barrier to UV and aridity, and bacterial associations within them may support life in hypersaline environments. Notably, sampling from Owens Lake, another terminal lake in the Great Basin that lacks microbialites, did not recover nematodes from similar salinities. Phylogenetic divergence suggests that GSL nematodes represent previously undescribed members of the family Monhysteridae-one of the dominant fauna of the abyssal zone and deep-sea hydrothermal vents. These findings update our understanding of halophile ecosystems and the habitable limit of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Jung
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Tobias Loschko
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Shelley Reich
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Maxim Rassoul-Agha
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Michael S. Werner
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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3
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Sun X, Tan E, Wang B, Gan Z, Yang J, Han J, Zhang X, Kao SJ, King G, Dong H, Jiang H. Salinity change induces distinct climate feedbacks of nitrogen removal in saline lakes. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 245:120668. [PMID: 37776589 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Current estimations of nitrogen biogeochemical cycling and N2O emissions in global lakes as well as predictions of their future changes are overrepresented by freshwater datasets, while less consideration is given to widespread saline lakes with different salinity (representing salinization or desalinization). Here, we show that N2O production by denitrification is the main process of reactive nitrogen (Nr, the general abbreviations of NH4+-N, NO2--N and NO3--N) removal in hypersaline lake sediments (e.g. Lake Chaka). The integration of our field measurements and literature data shows that in response to natural salinity decrease, potential Nr removal increases while N2O production decreases. Furthermore, denitrification-induced N2 production exhibits higher salinity sensitivity than denitrification-induced N2O production, suggesting that the contribution of N2O to Nr removal decreases with decreasing salinity. This field-investigation-based salinity response model of Nr removal indicates that under global climate change, saline lakes in the process of salinization or desalination may have distinct Nr removal and climate feedback effects: salinized lakes tend to generate a positive climate feedback, while desalinated lakes show a negative feedback. Therefore, salinity change should be considered as an important factor in assessing future trend of N2O emissions from lakes under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxi Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Key Laboratory of Salt Lake Geology and Environment of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China
| | - Ehui Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Beichen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Zixuan Gan
- College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616-5270, United States of America
| | - Jian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Jibin Han
- Key Laboratory of Salt Lake Geology and Environment of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China
| | - Xiying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Salt Lake Geology and Environment of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China
| | - Shuh-Ji Kao
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
| | - Gary King
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Hailiang Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China; Frontiers Science Center for Deep-time Digital Earth, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
| | - Hongchen Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Key Laboratory of Salt Lake Geology and Environment of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China; Frontiers Science Center for Deep-time Digital Earth, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China.
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4
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Liu J, Yu J, Si W, Ding G, Zhang S, Gong D, Bi J. Variations in bacterial diversity and community structure in the sediments of an alkaline lake in Inner Mongolia plateau, China. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15909. [PMID: 37637159 PMCID: PMC10448878 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Alkaline lakes are a special aquatic ecosystem that act as important water and alkali resource in the arid-semiarid regions. The primary aim of the study is to explore how environmental factors affect community diversity and structure, and to find whether there are key microbes that can indicate changes in environmental factors in alkaline lakes. Therefore, four sediment samples (S1, S2, S3, and S4) were collected from Hamatai Lake which is an important alkali resource in Ordos' desert plateau of Inner Mongolia. Samples were collected along the salinity and alkalinity gradients and bacterial community compositions were investigated by Illumina Miseq sequencing. The results revealed that the diversity and richness of bacterial community decreased with increasing alkalinity (pH) and salinity, and bacterial community structure was obviously different for the relatively light alkaline and hyposaline samples (LAHO; pH < 8.5; salinity < 20‰) and high alkaline and hypersaline samples (HAHR; pH > 8.5; salinity > 20‰). Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Bacteriodetes were observed to be the dominant phyla. Furthermore, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and low salt-tolerant alkaliphilic nitrifying taxa were mainly distributed in S1 with LAHO characteristic. Firmicutes, Clostridia, Gammaproteobacteria, salt-tolerant alkaliphilic denitrifying taxa, haloalkaliphilic sulfur cycling taxa were mainly distributed in S2, S3 and S4, and were well adapted to haloalkaline conditions. Correlation analysis revealed that the community diversity (operational taxonomic unit numbers and/or Shannon index) and richness (Chao1) were significantly positively correlated with ammonium nitrogen (r = 0.654, p < 0.05; r = 0.680, p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with pH (r = -0.924, p < 0.01; r = -0.800, p < 0.01; r = -0.933, p < 0.01) and salinity (r = -0.615, p < 0.05; r = -0.647, p < 0.05). A redundancy analysis and variation partitioning analysis revealed that pH (explanation degrees of 53.5%, pseudo-F = 11.5, p < 0.01), TOC/TN (24.8%, pseudo-F = 10.3, p < 0.05) and salinity (9.2%, pseudo-F = 9.5, p < 0.05) were the most significant factors that caused the variations in bacterial community structure. The results suggested that alkalinity, nutrient salt and salinity jointly affect bacterial diversity and community structure, in which one taxon (Acidobacteria), six taxa (Cyanobacteria, Nitrosomonadaceae, Nitrospira, Bacillus, Lactococcus and Halomonas) and five taxa (Desulfonatronobacter, Dethiobacter, Desulfurivibrio, Thioalkalivibrio and Halorhodospira) are related to carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycles, respectively. Classes Clostridia and Gammaproteobacteria might indicate changes of saline-alkali conditions in the sediments of alkaline lakes in desert plateau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jumei Liu
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Environmental Materials & Remediation Technologies, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Chongqing, China
| | - Jingli Yu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
| | - Wantong Si
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Environmental Materials & Remediation Technologies, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Chongqing, China
| | - Ge Ding
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Environmental Materials & Remediation Technologies, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Chongqing, China
| | - Shaohua Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
| | - Donghui Gong
- School of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
| | - Jie Bi
- School of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
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5
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Della Vedova M, Villafañe PG, Cónsole‐Gonella C, Bahniuk Rumbelsperger A, Fadel Cury L, Horta LR, Farías ME. Disentangling microstructure and environmental conditions in high-altitude Andean microbialite systems (Catamarca, Argentine Puna). ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2023; 15:92-108. [PMID: 36192831 PMCID: PMC10103866 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The study of microbialites development is a key tool to understand environmental pathways during deposition. We provide a detailed analysis of modern Central Andean microbialites from high-altitude lakes. The stratigraphic record of Turquesa Lake shows a significant short-term recolonization by microbialite-producing microorganisms during environmental stress. Far from a crisis paradigm, the coasts and paleocoasts of Turquesa lake exhibit three microbialitic buildups formed along different stages, providing a good study case of biological resilience of these systems in harsh environments. The MI and MII microbialite buildups occupied two paleocoasts. Both are composed of oncoids with micritic to microsparitic textures. Morphological, textural and mineralogical similarities between the two buildups suggest that they were formed at different times, but under very similar environmental conditions. The microorganisms that produced the microbialitic buildup MIII are currently colonizing the coast of this lake. The previous oncoid morphology change to a parallel micritic-spartic lamination. This remarkable changes in the microstructure can be explained by an important environmental change caused by the isolation of the Peinado Lake, and a subsequently microorganism adaptation. This microbialite structures can be proposed as an interesting modern analogue for environmental changes along the geological record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micaela Della Vedova
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas en Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA)Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CONICETSan Miguel de TucumánTucumánArgentina
- Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica (INSUGEO), CONICET‐ UNTYerba BuenaTucumánArgentina
| | - Patricio G. Villafañe
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas en Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA)Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CONICETSan Miguel de TucumánTucumánArgentina
- Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica (INSUGEO), CONICET‐ UNTYerba BuenaTucumánArgentina
| | - Carlos Cónsole‐Gonella
- Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica (INSUGEO), CONICET‐ UNTYerba BuenaTucumánArgentina
| | | | | | - Luis R. Horta
- Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica (INSUGEO), CONICET‐ UNTYerba BuenaTucumánArgentina
| | - María E. Farías
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas en Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA)Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CONICETSan Miguel de TucumánTucumánArgentina
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6
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Zeng F, Zhu Y, Zhang D, Zhao Z, Li Q, Ma P, Zhang G, Wang Y, Wu S, Guo S, Sun G. Metagenomic analysis of the soil microbial composition and salt tolerance mechanism in Yuncheng Salt Lake, Shanxi Province. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1004556. [PMID: 36225369 PMCID: PMC9549588 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1004556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The soil in Yuncheng Salt Lake has serious salinization and the biogeographic environment affects the composition and distribution of special halophilic and salt-tolerant microbial communities in this area. Therefore, this study collected soils at distances of 15, 30, and 45 m from the Salt Lake and used non-saline soil (60 m) as a control to explore the microbial composition and salt tolerance mechanisms using metagenomics technology. The results showed that the dominant species and abundance of salt-tolerant microorganisms changed gradually with distance from Salt Lake. The salt-tolerant microorganisms can increase the expression of the Na+/H+ antiporter by upregulating the Na+/H+ antiporter subunit mnhA-G to respond to salt stress, simultaneously upregulating the genes in the betaine/proline transport system to promote the conversion of choline into betaine, while also upregulating the trehalose/maltose transport system encode genes to promote the synthesis of trehalose to resist a high salt environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifeng Zeng
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yonghong Zhu
- Cotton Research Institute, Shanxi Agricultural University, Shanxi, China
| | - Dongling Zhang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zengqiang Zhao
- Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation, Xinjiang, China
| | - Quansheng Li
- Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation, Xinjiang, China
| | - Panpan Ma
- Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation, Xinjiang, China
| | - Guoli Zhang
- Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shenjie Wu
- Cotton Research Institute, Shanxi Agricultural University, Shanxi, China
| | - Sandui Guo
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guoqing Sun
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Guoqing Sun,
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7
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Hu Y, Jiang X, Shao K, Tang X, Qin B, Gao G. Convergency and Stability Responses of Bacterial Communities to Salinization in Arid and Semiarid Areas: Implications for Global Climate Change in Lake Ecosystems. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:741645. [PMID: 35058891 PMCID: PMC8764409 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.741645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change has given rise to salinization and nutrient enrichment in lake ecosystems of arid and semiarid areas, which have posed the bacterial communities not only into an ecotone in lake ecosystems but also into an assemblage of its own unique biomes. However, responses of bacterial communities to climate-related salinization and nutrient enrichment remain unclear. In September 2019, this study scrutinized the turnover of bacterial communities along gradients of increasing salinity and nutrient by a space-for-time substitution in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. We find that salinization rather than nutrient enrichment primarily alters bacterial communities. The homogenous selection of salinization leads to convergent response of bacterial communities, which is revealed by the combination of a decreasing β-nearest taxon index (βNTI) and a pronounced negative correlation between niche breadth and salinity. Furthermore, interspecific interactions within bacterial communities significantly differed among distinct salinity levels. Specifically, mutualistic interactions showed an increase along the salinization. In contrast, topological parameters show hump-shaped curves (average degree and density) and sunken curves (modularity, density, and average path distance), the extremums of which all appear in the high-brackish environment, hinting that bacterial communities are comparatively stable at freshwater and brine environments but are unstable in moderately high-brackish lake.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Guang Gao
- Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research, State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
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8
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Saccò M, White NE, Harrod C, Salazar G, Aguilar P, Cubillos CF, Meredith K, Baxter BK, Oren A, Anufriieva E, Shadrin N, Marambio-Alfaro Y, Bravo-Naranjo V, Allentoft ME. Salt to conserve: a review on the ecology and preservation of hypersaline ecosystems. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2828-2850. [PMID: 34747117 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
When it comes to the investigation of key ecosystems in the world, we often omit salt from the ecological recipe. In fact, despite occupying almost half of the volume of inland waters and providing crucial services to humanity and nature, inland saline ecosystems are often overlooked in discussions regarding the preservation of global aquatic resources of our planet. As a result, our knowledge of the biological and geochemical dynamics shaping these environments remains incomplete and we are hesitant in framing effective protective strategies against the increasing natural and anthropogenic threats faced by such habitats. Hypersaline lakes, water bodies where the concentration of salt exceeds 35 g/l, occur mainly in arid and semiarid areas resulting from hydrological imbalances triggering the accumulation of salts over time. Often considered the 'exotic siblings' within the family of inland waters, these ecosystems host some of the most extremophile communities worldwide and provide essential habitats for waterbirds and many other organisms in already water-stressed regions. These systems are often highlighted as natural laboratories, ideal for addressing central ecological questions due to their relatively low complexity and simple food web structures. However, recent studies on the biogeochemical mechanisms framing hypersaline communities have challenged this archetype, arguing that newly discovered highly diverse communities are characterised by specific trophic interactions shaped by high levels of specialisation. The main goal of this review is to explore our current understanding of the ecological dynamics of hypersaline ecosystems by addressing four main research questions: (i) why are hypersaline lakes unique from a biological and geochemical perspective; (ii) which biota inhabit these ecosystems and how have they adapted to the high salt conditions; (iii) how do we protect biodiversity from increasing natural and anthropogenic threats; and (iv) which scientific tools will help us preserve hypersaline ecosystems in the future? First, we focus on the ecological characterisation of hypersaline ecosystems, illustrate hydrogeochemical dynamics regulating such environments, and outline key ecoregions supporting hypersaline systems across the globe. Second, we depict the diversity and functional aspects of key taxa found in hypersaline lakes, from microorganisms to plants, invertebrates, waterbirds and upper trophic levels. Next, we describe ecosystem services and discuss possible conservation guidelines. Finally, we outline how cutting-edge technologies can provide new insights into the study of hypersaline ecology. Overall, this review sheds further light onto these understudied ecosystems, largely unrecognised as important sources of unique biological and functional diversity. We provide perspectives for key future research avenues, and advocate that the conservation of hypersaline lakes should not be taken with 'a grain of salt'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Saccò
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Lab, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent St, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
| | - Nicole E White
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Lab, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent St, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
| | - Chris Harrod
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad de Antofagasta, Avenida Angamos 601, Antofagasta, Chile.,Núcleo Milenio INVASAL, Concepción, 3349001, Chile
| | - Gonzalo Salazar
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad de Antofagasta, Avenida Angamos 601, Antofagasta, Chile.,Núcleo Milenio INVASAL, Concepción, 3349001, Chile
| | - Pablo Aguilar
- Núcleo Milenio INVASAL, Concepción, 3349001, Chile.,Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Avenida Angamos 601, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Carolina F Cubillos
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Avenida Angamos 601, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Karina Meredith
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW, 2232, Australia
| | - Bonnie K Baxter
- Great Salt Lake Institute, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT, 84105, U.S.A
| | - Aharon Oren
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, The Institute of Life Sciences, the Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel
| | - Elena Anufriieva
- A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2 Nakhimov Avenue 2, Sevastopol, 299011, Russia
| | - Nickolai Shadrin
- A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2 Nakhimov Avenue 2, Sevastopol, 299011, Russia
| | - Yeri Marambio-Alfaro
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad de Antofagasta, Avenida Angamos 601, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Víctor Bravo-Naranjo
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Serena, Benavente 980, La Serena, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Morten E Allentoft
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Lab, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent St, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia.,Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, Denmark
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9
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Yue L, Kong W, Li C, Zhu G, Zhu L, Makhalanyane TP, Cowan DA. Dissolved inorganic carbon determines the abundance of microbial primary producers and primary production in Tibetan Plateau lakes. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:6006872. [PMID: 33242086 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change globally accelerates the shrinkage of inland lakes, resulting in increases in both water salinity and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The increases of salinity and DIC generate contrasting effects on microbial primary producers and primary production, however, their combined effects remain unclear in aquatic ecosystems. We hypothesized that increased DIC mitigates the constraints of enhanced salinity on microbial primary producers and primary production. To test this, we employed isotope labeling and molecular methods to explore primary production and four dominant types of microbial primary producers (form IA, IB, IC and ID) in lakes on the Tibetan Plateau. Results showed that DIC was positively correlated with the abundance of the form IAB and ID microbial primary producers and primary production (all P < 0.001) and offset salinity constraints. Structural equation models elucidated that DIC substantially enhanced primary production by stimulating the abundance of form ID microbial primary producers. The abundance of form ID primary producers explained more variations (14.6%) of primary production than form IAB (6%) and physicochemical factors (6.8%). Diatoms (form ID) played a determinant role in primary production in the lakes by adapting to high DIC and high salinity. Our findings suggest that inland lakes may support higher primary productivity in future climate change scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linyan Yue
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China.,College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China.,Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - Weidong Kong
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China.,College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Chunge Li
- CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Guibing Zhu
- College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Liping Zhu
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China.,Key Lab Drinking Water Science & Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100086, China
| | - Thulani P Makhalanyane
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environmental Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Don A Cowan
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environmental Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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Unexpected Abundance and Diversity of Phototrophs in Mats from Morphologically Variable Microbialites in Great Salt Lake, Utah. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.00165-20. [PMID: 32198176 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00165-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial mat communities are associated with extensive (∼700 km2) and morphologically variable carbonate structures, termed microbialites, in the hypersaline Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah. However, whether the composition of GSL mat communities covaries with microbialite morphology and lake environment is unknown. Moreover, the potential adaptations that allow the establishment of these extensive mat communities at high salinity (14% to 17% total salts) are poorly understood. To address these questions, microbial mats were sampled from seven locations in the south arm of GSL representing different lake environments and microbialite morphologies. Despite the morphological differences, microbialite-associated mats were taxonomically similar and were dominated by the cyanobacterium Euhalothece and several heterotrophic bacteria. Metagenomic sequencing of a representative mat revealed Euhalothece and subdominant Thiohalocapsa populations that harbor the Calvin cycle and nitrogenase, suggesting they supply fixed carbon and nitrogen to heterotrophic bacteria. Fifteen of the next sixteen most abundant taxa are inferred to be aerobic heterotrophs and, surprisingly, harbor reaction center, rhodopsin, and/or bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis proteins, suggesting aerobic photoheterotrophic (APH) capabilities. Importantly, proteins involved in APH are enriched in the GSL community relative to that in microbialite mat communities from lower salinity environments. These findings indicate that the ability to integrate light into energy metabolism is a key adaptation allowing for robust mat development in the hypersaline GSL.IMPORTANCE The earliest evidence of life on Earth is from organosedimentary structures, termed microbialites, preserved in 3.481-billion-year-old (Ga) rocks. Phototrophic microbial mats form in association with an ∼700-km2 expanse of morphologically diverse microbialites in the hypersaline Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah. Here, we show taxonomically similar microbial mat communities are associated with morphologically diverse microbialites across the lake. Metagenomic sequencing reveals an abundance and diversity of autotrophic and heterotrophic taxa capable of harvesting light energy to drive metabolism. The unexpected abundance of and diversity in the mechanisms of harvesting light energy observed in GSL mat populations likely function to minimize niche overlap among coinhabiting taxa, provide a mechanism(s) to increase energy yield and osmotic balance during salt stress, and enhance fitness. Together, these physiological benefits promote the formation of robust mats that, in turn, influence the formation of morphologically diverse microbialite structures that can be imprinted in the rock record.
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Yue L, Kong W, Ji M, Liu J, Morgan-Kiss RM. Community response of microbial primary producers to salinity is primarily driven by nutrients in lakes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 696:134001. [PMID: 31454602 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Higher microbial diversity was frequently observed in saline than fresh waters, but the underlying mechanisms remains unknown, particularly in microbial primary producers (MPP). MPP abundance and activity are notably constrained by high salinity, but facilitated by high nutrients. It remains to be ascertained whether and how nutrients regulate the salinity constraints on MPP abundance and community structure. Here we investigated the impact of nutrients on salinity constraints on MPP abundance and diversity in undisturbed lakes with a wide salinity range on the Tibetan Plateau. MPP community was explored using quantitative PCR, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing of cloning libraries targeting form IC cbbL gene. The MPP community structure was sorted by salinity into freshwater (salinity<1‰), saline (1‰ < salinity<29‰) and hypersaline (salinity>29‰) lakes. Furthermore, while MPP abundance, diversity and richness were significantly constrained with increasing salinity, these constraints were mitigated by enhancing total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents in freshwater and saline lakes. In contrast, the MPP diversity increased significantly with the salinity in hypersaline lakes, due to the mitigation of enhancing TOC and TN contents and salt-tolerant MPP taxa. The mitigating effect of nutrients was more pronounced in saline than in freshwater and hypersaline lakes. The MPP compositions varied along salinity, with Betaproteobacteria dominating both the freshwater and saline lakes and Gammaproteobacteria dominating the hypersaline lakes. We concluded that high nutrients could mitigate the salinity constraining effects on MPP abundance, community richness and diversity. Our findings offer a novel insight into the salinity effects on primary producers and highlight the interactive effects of salinity and nutrients on MPP in lakes. These findings can be used as a baseline to illuminate the effects of increased anthropogenic activities altering nutrient dynamics on the global hydrological cycle and the subsequent responses thereof by MPP communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linyan Yue
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology (LAE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Weidong Kong
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology (LAE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Mukan Ji
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology (LAE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Jinbo Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
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