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Cid-Rodríguez M, Cantonati M, Spitale D, Galluzzi G, Zaccone C. Using diatoms and physical and chemical parameters to monitor cow-pasture impact in peat cores from mountain mires. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 926:171779. [PMID: 38508254 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Peatlands play a crucial role in carbon (C) sequestration and biodiversity conservation. However, these environments are highly vulnerable, and Europe has lost >60 % of its peatland habitat in recent decades. Cattle grazing and trampling contribute to peatland degradation, which generally result in a shift from moss-dominated vegetation to vascular plants and in lower C sequestration rates. Overgrazing poses also a significant threat to habitat integrity and biodiversity, especially in the Alpine area, where close-to-pristine mires with high ecological integrity are becoming extremely rare. Thus, a more in depth understanding of how cattle grazing and trampling are threatening Alpine mires is strongly needed for a sustainable management and conservation of these habitats. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of grazing on the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of peat, with a focus on diatoms. To answer such a question, seven 50-cm deep cores were collected from mires located in the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park (North of Italy) along a grazing-induced disturbance gradient. Results indicated that grazing primarily affected at least the upper 15 cm of the peat, resulting in increased density and reduced water content, due to compaction, and lower C-to‑nitrogen ratio, possibly caused by both cow manure inputs and increased peat mineralization. Moreover, almost 200 diatom taxa were recorded across the 7 cores, with several of them falling under threat categories in the Red List for central Europe. The higher percentage of eutraphentic species in highly-grazed areas was related to the increase in nutrients caused by cattle manure. Finally, intense grazing increased the share of taxa that are more likely to survive in environments with unstable water availability (= aerial species). We showed that diatom data, supported by physical and chemical parameters, can be a refined tool to inform mire protection and rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Cid-Rodríguez
- Department of Ecology and Animal Biology, University of Vigo, Spain; Research & Collections Dept. (Limnology & Phycology), MUSE - Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy.
| | - Marco Cantonati
- BIOME Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Italy.
| | | | - Giorgio Galluzzi
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
| | - Claudio Zaccone
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
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2
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Fracasso I, Zaccone C, Oskolkov N, Da Ros L, Dinella A, Belelli Marchesini L, Buzzini P, Sannino C, Turchetti B, Cesco S, Le Roux G, Tonon G, Vernesi C, Mimmo T, Ventura M, Borruso L. Exploring different methodological approaches to unlock paleobiodiversity in peat profiles using ancient DNA. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 908:168159. [PMID: 37923262 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Natural and human-induced environmental changes deeply affected terrestrial ecosystems throughout the Holocene. Paleoenvironmental reconstructions provide information about the past and allow us to predict/model future scenarios. Among potential records, peat bogs are widely used because they present a precise stratigraphy and act as natural archives of highly diverse organic remains. Over the decades, several techniques have been developed to identify debris occurring in peat, including their morphological description. However, this is strongly constrained by the researcher's ability to distinguish residues at the species level, which typically requires many years of experience. In addition, potential contamination hampers using these techniques to obtain information from organisms such as fungi or bacteria. Environmental DNA metabarcoding and shotgun metagenome sequencing could represent a solution to detect specific groups of organisms without any a priori knowledge of their characteristics and/or to identify organisms that have rarely been considered in previous investigations. Moreover, shotgun metagenomics may allow the identification of bacteria and fungi (including both yeast and filamentous life forms), ensuring discrimination between ancient and modern organisms through the study of deamination/damage patterns. In the present review, we aim to i) present the state-of-the-art methodologies in paleoecological and paleoclimatic studies focusing on peat core analyses, proposing alternative approaches to the classical morphological identification of plant residues, and ii) suggest biomolecular approaches that will allow the use of proxies such as invertebrates, fungi, and bacteria, which are rarely employed in paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Fracasso
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
| | - Claudio Zaccone
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Nikolay Oskolkov
- Department of Biology, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Science for Life Laboratory, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Luca Da Ros
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Anna Dinella
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Luca Belelli Marchesini
- Forest Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Pietro Buzzini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Ciro Sannino
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Benedetta Turchetti
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Stefano Cesco
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Gael Le Roux
- Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (UMR5245 CNRS/UPS/INPT), Université de Toulouse, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Giustino Tonon
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Cristiano Vernesi
- Forest Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Tanja Mimmo
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Maurizio Ventura
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Luigimaria Borruso
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
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3
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Temmink RJM, Lamers LPM, Angelini C, Bouma TJ, Fritz C, van de Koppel J, Lexmond R, Rietkerk M, Silliman BR, Joosten H, van der Heide T. Recovering wetland biogeomorphic feedbacks to restore the world's biotic carbon hotspots. Science 2022; 376:eabn1479. [PMID: 35511964 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn1479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Biogeomorphic wetlands cover 1% of Earth's surface but store 20% of ecosystem organic carbon. This disproportional share is fueled by high carbon sequestration rates and effective storage in peatlands, mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows, which greatly exceed those of oceanic and forest ecosystems. Here, we review how feedbacks between geomorphology and landscape-building vegetation underlie these qualities and how feedback disruption can switch wetlands from carbon sinks into sources. Currently, human activities are driving rapid declines in the area of major carbon-storing wetlands (1% annually). Our findings highlight the urgency to stop through conservation ongoing losses and to reestablish landscape-forming feedbacks through restoration innovations that recover the role of biogeomorphic wetlands as the world's biotic carbon hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph J M Temmink
- Environmental Sciences, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 1790 AB Den Burg, Netherlands.,Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Leon P M Lamers
- Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, Netherlands.,B-WARE Research Centre, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Christine Angelini
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School for Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, University of Florida, Post Office Box 116580, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Tjeerd J Bouma
- Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 4401 NT Yerseke, Netherlands.,Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9700 CC Groningen, Netherlands.,Building with Nature group, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Postbus 364, 4380 AJ Vlissingen, Netherlands.,Faculty of Geosciences, Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, 3508 TC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Christian Fritz
- Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Integrated Research on Energy, Environment and Society (IREES), University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 6, Groningen, 9747 AG, Netherlands
| | - Johan van de Koppel
- Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 4401 NT Yerseke, Netherlands.,Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9700 CC Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Robin Lexmond
- Experimental Plant Ecology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Max Rietkerk
- Environmental Sciences, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Brian R Silliman
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - Hans Joosten
- Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Greifswald University, Partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, Soldmannstrasse 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Tjisse van der Heide
- Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 1790 AB Den Burg, Netherlands.,Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9700 CC Groningen, Netherlands
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Lamentowicz M, Marcisz K, Guzowski P, Gałka M, Diaconu AC, Kołaczek P. How Joannites' economy eradicated primeval forest and created anthroecosystems in medieval Central Europe. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18775. [PMID: 33214597 PMCID: PMC7677315 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75692-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
During European states’ development, various past societies utilized natural resources, but their impact was not uniformly spatially and temporally distributed. Considerable changes resulted in landscape fragmentation, especially during the Middle Ages. Changes in state advances that affected the local economy significantly drove trajectories of ecosystems’ development. The legacy of major changes from pristine forest to farming is visible in natural archives as novel ecosystems. Here, we present a high-resolution densely dated multi-proxy study covering the last 1500 years from a peatland located in CE Europe. The economic activity of medieval societies was highly modified by new rulers—the Joannites (the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller). We studied the record of these directorial changes noted in the peat profile. Our research revealed a rapid critical land-use transition in the late Middle Ages and its consequences on the peatland ecosystem. The shift from the virgin forest with regular local fires to agriculture correlates well with the raising of local economy and deforestations. Along with the emerging openness, the wetland switched from alkaline wet fen state to acidic, drier Sphagnum-dominated peatland. Our data show how closely the ecological state of wetlands relates to forest microclimate. We identified a significant impact of the Joannites who used the novel farming organization. Our results revealed the surprisingly fast rate of how feudal economy eliminated pristine nature from the studied area and created novel anthroecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariusz Lamentowicz
- Climate Change Ecology Research Unit, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Marcisz
- Climate Change Ecology Research Unit, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Piotr Guzowski
- Faculty of History and International Relations, University of Bialystok, 15-420, Bialystok, Poland
| | - Mariusz Gałka
- Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, 12/16 Banacha Str. 90-237, Lodz, Poland
| | | | - Piotr Kołaczek
- Climate Change Ecology Research Unit, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
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Battisti C, Dodaro G, Fanelli G. Polystyrene seedling trays used as substrate by native plants. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:6690-6694. [PMID: 31865578 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-07086-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Among polymers, expanded polystyrene (EPS) is increasingly abundant as a form of anthropogenic litter in natural environments, particularly along waterways. Nevertheless, there is still no research focusing on the interaction between this type of litter and biodiversity components. In this note, we reported the first evidence of an interaction between EPS and living native plants along an artificial drainage channel in a land reclaimed area of Tyrrhenian central Italy. We sampled a number of EPS seedling trays, deriving from agricultural activities, obtaining evidence for an interaction between this polymer and plants: on a total of 231 available seedling holes, 16.88% have been occupied from six species (Lycopus europaeus, Poa cfr. trivialis, Stachys palustris, Silene sp., Phragmites australis, Parietariajudaica). The set of species occurring on floating polystyrene trays appears comparable to that occurring on the sides of the land reclaimed channels (locally, L. europaeus and S. palustris are among the most common species of the riverine vegetation). Therefore, it is very probable that floating trays are a random sample of the seed rain of the vegetation of the sides of the channels. However, more research is needed to assess if the plant assemblage growing on EPS is random process or if peculiar substrate exerts some sort of selection on the plant community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corrado Battisti
- Torre Flavia LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) Station, Protected area Service, Città Metropolitana di Roma, via Ribotta, 41, 00144, Rome, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Dodaro
- Fondazione per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile, via Garigliano 61a, 00198, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuliano Fanelli
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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The Use of Plant Macrofossils for Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions in Southern European Peatlands. QUATERNARY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/quat2040034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The analysis of plant macrofossils in peatland ecosystems has been widely used for the climatic and ecological reconstruction of the Holocene in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere. By contrast, perhaps associated with rarity of these ecosystems, this proxy has barely been explored for southern Europe. In this work, a compilation and review of existing knowledge on the study of plant macrofossils of peatlands in southern Europe has been carried out, both from a paleoenvironmental perspective and in terms of biodiversity dynamics. Although small in surface area, the peatlands of southern Europe stand out for their diversity (botanical, edaphogenic, morphological, etc.), which has allowed the recovery of a large number of macrofossils from both vascular plants and bryophytes. The southern zone of Europe contains refuge zones with a high plant diversity that have not suffered the intense glaciation of the northern zones, this allows a continuous record since the beginning of the Holocene and the detection of climatic events in lower latitudes, where the ice recession was earlier.
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Mazza PPA, Buccianti A, Savorelli A. Grasping at straws: a re-evaluation of sweepstakes colonisation of islands by mammals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1364-1380. [PMID: 30864268 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Natural rafting is an easy, non-evidence-based solution often used to explain the presence of a variety of species on isolated islands. The question arises as to whether this solution is based on solid scientific grounds. It is a plausible colonisation route only if intricate networks of variables are considered and many different conditions satisfied. This review provides a descriptive account of some of the most critical issues underlying the theory of natural rafting that should be addressed by its supporters. These include: (i) biological variables; (ii) characteristics of the vessels; and (iii) physical variables. Natural rafting may explain the dispersal of poikilotherms with low metabolic rates and low resource requirements that could withstand trans-oceanic crossings, but explaining the transport of homeothermic terrestrial mammals to oceanic islands is more problematic. Drifting at sea exposes organisms to high concentrations of salt, high temperature and humidity excursions, starvation, and above all to dehydration. A sufficiently large group of healthy reproductive individuals of the two sexes should either be transported together, or be able to reassemble after separate crossings, to prevent inbreeding, genetic drift and ultimately extinction. Any vessels of flotsam occupied must minimally provide the animals they transport with sufficient provisions to survive the journey, offer minimum friction and drag through water, and be transported by appropriately directed, sustained, high-speed currents. Thus, a 'sweepstakes colonisation' event would be the result of a lucky combination of all, or at least the majority, of these factors. Some cases throw doubt on the use of a natural rafting model to explain known animal colonisations, with one of the most striking examples being Madagascar. This island is far from the nearest mainland coasts and the sea currents in the Mozambique Channel are directed towards Africa rather than Madagascar, yet, the island was colonised by terrestrial mammals (e.g. extinct hippopotamuses, lemurs, carnivores, rodents and tenrecs) unable to swim and to survive long journeys at sea. In order to assess the feasibility of the natural rafting model in a case such as Madagascar, tests were performed using three variables for which enough information could be obtained from the literature: length of survival without food, survival without water, and sea current speed. The distributions of these variables appear to be log-normal and multiplicative, or follow a power-law, rather than being Gaussian. The tests suggest that a distributional analysis is a more suitable approach than the use of geometric probability to calculate the probabilities associated with the examined data. Such non-linear and self-organising systems may reach a critical point governed by different competing factors. Mammals with high survival requirements, such as lemurs and hippopotamuses, thus may have a virtually zero probability of reaching distant islands by natural rafting. Our results raise doubts as to the validity of a natural rafting model, and we urge a rethinking of the modes in which numerous islands were colonised by land mammals and a careful revision of past geological and phylogeographic work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul P A Mazza
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, Florence, Italy
| | - Antonella Buccianti
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrea Savorelli
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, Florence, Italy
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Zaccone C, Lobianco D, Raber G, D'Orazio V, Shotyk W, Miano TM, Francesconi K. Methylated arsenic species throughout a 4-m deep core from a free-floating peat island. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 621:67-74. [PMID: 29175622 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 11/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic (As) occurs in soils mostly in inorganic forms, whereas the organic forms usually occur only in trace amounts. Peatlands are waterlogged, generally anoxic, organic soils representing the first step in coal formation; the contribution of organic vs. inorganic As species in this environment has received little research attention. Here, 57 peat samples collected throughout a 4-m deep, free-floating mire were analysed for total As and for its organic species, including dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), methylarsonic acid (MA), trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) and arsenobetaine (AB), by HPLC-ICPMS. Aqueous trifluoroacetic acid was used as extractant, resulting in an average extraction efficiency of almost 80%. Total As concentration throughout the profile ranged between 0.2 and 9.8mg/kgpeat (mean: 1.4±1.2mg/kgpeat). Organic As species (DMA+MA+TMAO+AB) accounted, on average, for 28±10% of total As (range: 6-51%), and for 37±13% of the extracted As (range: 7-64%). The relative abundance of organoarsenicals generally followed the order DMA>TMAO~MA≫AB. A positive correlation (p<0.001) was found among all organic As compounds, whereas their concentrations were negatively correlated with total sulfur content. The submerged zone (bottom 300cm) showed average and maximum concentrations of organoarsenic compounds that were almost twice those found in the top 100cm. This study shows that significant proportions of methylated As species occur even in peat samples characterized by low total As concentration (mostly <2mg/kg). Finally, this work provides the first evidence of organoarsenic species in free-floating mires, i.e., a globally distributed but scarcely investigated ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Zaccone
- Department of the Sciences of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Foggia, via Napoli 25, 71122 Foggia, Italy.
| | - Daniela Lobianco
- Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
| | - Georg Raber
- Institute of Chemistry, NAWI Graz, University of Graz, Austria
| | - Valeria D'Orazio
- Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
| | - William Shotyk
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 348B South Academic Building, T6G 2H1 Edmonton, Canada
| | - Teodoro M Miano
- Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
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Rapid peat accumulation favours the occurrence of both fen and bog microbial communities within a Mediterranean, free-floating peat island. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8511. [PMID: 28819272 PMCID: PMC5561117 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08662-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The unique environment of a 4m-thick, free-floating peat island within the Posta Fibreno lake (Central Italy) was analyzed using DNA-based techniques to assess bacterial and fungal community members identity and abundance. Two depths were sampled at 41 and 279 cm from the surface, the former corresponding to an emerged portion of Sphagnum residues accumulated less than 30 yrs ago, and the latter mainly consisting of silty peat belonging to the deeply submerged part of the island, dating back to 1520–1660 AD. The corresponding communities were very diverse, each of them dominated by a different member of the Delta-proteobacteria class for prokaryotes. Among Eukaryotes, Ascomycota prevailed in the shallow layer while Basidiomycota were abundant in the deep sample. The identity of taxa partitioning between acidic surface layer and neutral core is very reminiscent of the differences reported between bogs and fens respectively, supporting the view of Posta Fibreno as a relic transitional floating mire. Moreover, some microbial taxa show an unusual concurrent species convergence between this sub-Mediterranean site and far Nordic or circumpolar environments. This study represents the first report describing the biotic assemblages of such a peculiar environment, and provides some insights into the possible mechanisms of its evolution.
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