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Bonacolta AM, Visscher PT, Del Campo J, White Iii RA. The eukaryome of modern microbialites reveals distinct colonization across aquatic ecosystems. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2024; 10:78. [PMID: 39227595 PMCID: PMC11372052 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-024-00547-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Protists are less studied for their role and diversity in ecosystems. Notably, protists have played and still play an important role in microbialites. Microbialites, or lithified microbial mats, represent the oldest evidence of fossil biofilms (~3.5 Gyr). Modern microbialites may offer a unique proxy to study the potential role of protists within a geological context. We examined protist diversity in freshwater (Kelly and Pavilion Lake in British Columbia, Canada) and marine (Highborne Cay, Bahamas) to hypersaline (Shark Bay, Australia) microbialites to decipher their geomicrobiological role. The freshwater microbialite communities were clearly distinct from their marine and hypersaline counterparts. Chlorophytes had higher numerical abundance in freshwater microbialites; whereas pennate diatoms dominated numerically in marine microbialites. Despite the differences, protists across ecosystems may have adopted similar roles and functions. We suggest a consistent biogeochemical role of protists across microbialites globally; but that salinity may shape protist composition and evolution in these ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M Bonacolta
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Pieter T Visscher
- Department of Marine Sciences and Earth Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Javier Del Campo
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Richard Allen White Iii
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- North Carolina Research Center (NCRC), Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Kannapolis, NC, USA.
- Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER), Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA.
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2
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Danovaro R, Levin LA, Fanelli G, Scenna L, Corinaldesi C. Microbes as marine habitat formers and ecosystem engineers. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1407-1419. [PMID: 38844822 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02407-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Despite their small individual size, marine prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes can form large 3D structures and complex habitats. These habitats contribute to seafloor heterogeneity, facilitating colonization by animals and protists. They also provide food and refuge for a variety of species and promote novel ecological interactions. Here we illustrate the role of microbes as ecosystem engineers and propose a classification based on five types of habitat: microbial mats, microbial forests, microbial-mineralized habitats, microbial outcrops and microbial nodules. We also describe the metabolic processes of microbial habitat formers and their ecological roles, highlighting current gaps in knowledge. Their biogeography indicates that these habitats are widespread in all oceans and are continuously being discovered across latitudes and depths. These habitats are also expected to expand under future global change owing to their ability to exploit extreme environmental conditions. Given their high ecological relevance and their role in supporting endemic species and high biodiversity levels, microbial habitats should be included in future spatial planning, conservation and management measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Danovaro
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Lisa A Levin
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ginevra Fanelli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Scenna
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Cinzia Corinaldesi
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy.
- Department of Materials, Environmental Sciences and Urban Planning, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
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3
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Cubillos CF, Aguilar P, Moreira D, Bertolino P, Iniesto M, Dorador C, López-García P. Exploring the prokaryote-eukaryote interplay in microbial mats from an Andean athalassohaline wetland. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0007224. [PMID: 38456669 PMCID: PMC10986560 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00072-24] [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: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbial community assembly results from the interaction between biotic and abiotic factors. However, environmental selection is thought to predominantly shape communities in extreme ecosystems. Salar de Huasco, situated in the high-altitude Andean Altiplano, represents a poly-extreme ecosystem displaying spatial gradients of physicochemical conditions. To disentangle the influence of abiotic and biotic factors, we studied prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities from microbial mats and underlying sediments across contrasting areas of this athalassohaline ecosystem. The prokaryotic communities were primarily composed of bacteria, notably including a significant proportion of photosynthetic organisms like Cyanobacteria and anoxygenic photosynthetic members of Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria and Chloroflexi. Additionally, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Deltaproteobacteria were abundantly represented. Among eukaryotes, photosynthetic organisms (Ochrophyta and Archaeplastida) were predominant, alongside relatively abundant ciliates, cercozoans, and flagellated fungi. Salinity emerged as a key driver for the assembly of prokaryotic communities. Collectively, abiotic factors influenced both prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities, particularly those of algae. However, prokaryotic communities strongly correlated with photosynthetic eukaryotes, suggesting a pivotal role of biotic interactions in shaping these communities. Co-occurrence networks suggested potential interactions between different organisms, such as diatoms with specific photosynthetic and heterotrophic bacteria or with protist predators, indicating influences beyond environmental selection. While some associations may be explained by environmental preferences, the robust biotic correlations, alongside insights from other ecosystems and experimental studies, suggest that symbiotic and trophic interactions significantly shape microbial mat and sediment microbial communities in this athalassohaline ecosystem.IMPORTANCEHow biotic and abiotic factors influence microbial community assembly is still poorly defined. Here, we explore their influence on prokaryotic and eukaryotic community assembly within microbial mats and sediments of an Andean high-altitude polyextreme wetland system. We show that, in addition to abiotic elements, mutual interactions exist between prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities. Notably, photosynthetic eukaryotes exhibit a strong correlation with prokaryotic communities, specifically diatoms with certain bacteria and other protists. Our findings underscore the significance of biotic interactions in community assembly and emphasize the necessity of considering the complete microbial community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina F. Cubillos
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Pablo Aguilar
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana, Instituto Antofagasta and Centro de Bioingeniería y Biotecnología (CeBiB), Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus of Austral Invasive Salmonids - INVASAL, Concepción, Chile
| | - David Moreira
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Paola Bertolino
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Miguel Iniesto
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Cristina Dorador
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana, Instituto Antofagasta and Centro de Bioingeniería y Biotecnología (CeBiB), Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
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Kąkol M, Tagliasacchi E, Borkowski A, Słowakiewicz M. Influence of different sample preparation techniques on imaging viruses and virus-like particles by scanning electron and scanning transmission electron microscopes. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1279720. [PMID: 38033599 PMCID: PMC10682772 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1279720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) were applied in many laboratories to visualize and image viruses and virus-like particles (VLPs). Two bacteriophages, P1 and Φ6, were chosen as model microorganisms known for their distinct structure, and viruses obtained from biofilms associated with modern travertines (Terme di Saturnia, Italy; Karahayıt "Kızılsu" and Pamukkale, Turkey) were also investigated. Three protocols, (1) full, (2) simplified, and (3) all at once were developed and tested for sample preparation and imaging. The full procedure enabled the observation of P1 bacteriophages, whereas the simplified protocol, successful in visualizing Φ6, did not yield satisfactory results for P1. The preservation state of the latter appeared to be compromised and led to less informative images in SEM and STEM. Viruses in biofilms exhibited various levels of mineralization and aggregation, complicating their characterization. In the all at once procedure, although effective in preserving bacteriophage tails, excessive coating and thickening of samples with heavy chemical reagents led to a reduction in overall image quality. Despite a final washing step, some residues of chemical reagents (OsO4 and uranyl acetate) remained, impacting the clarity of the images. Finally, the results obtained emphasize the critical role of sample preparation and imaging techniques in effectively visualizing and characterizing viruses and VLPs. The choice of analytical procedure significantly influences the resolution and preservation state of the observed bacteriophages and VLPs. It is suggested that the appropriate imaging technique is carefully selected based on the specific objectives of the project and the nature of the samples being investigated to obtain the best images of the viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Kąkol
- Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Andrzej Borkowski
- Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland
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Georgieva ML, Bilanenko EN, Ponizovskaya VB, Kokaeva LY, Georgiev AA, Efimenko TA, Markelova NN, Kuvarina AE, Sadykova VS. Haloalkalitolerant Fungi from Sediments of the Big Tambukan Saline Lake (Northern Caucasus): Diversity and Antimicrobial Potential. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2587. [PMID: 37894245 PMCID: PMC10609068 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
We have performed a characterization of cultivated haloalkalitolerant fungi from the sediments of Big Tambukan Lake in order to assess their biodiversity and antimicrobial activity. This saline, slightly alkaline lake is known as a source of therapeutic sulfide mud used in sanatoria of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, Russia. Though data on bacteria and algae observed in this lake are available in the literature, data on fungi adapted to the conditions of the lake are lacking. The diversity of haloalkalitolerant fungi was low and represented by ascomycetes of the genera Acremonium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Chordomyces, Emericellopsis, Fusarium, Gibellulopsis, Myriodontium, Penicillium, and Pseudeurotium. Most of the fungi were characterized by moderate alkaline resistance, and they tolerated NaCl concentrations up to 10% w/v. The analysis of the antimicrobial activity of fungi showed that 87.5% of all strains were active against Bacillus subtilis, and 39.6% were also determined to be effective against Escherichia coli. The majority of the strains were also active against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans, about 66.7% and 62.5%, respectively. These studies indicate, for the first time, the presence of polyextremotolerant fungi in the sediments of Big Tambukan Lake, which probably reflects their involvement in the formation of therapeutic muds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina L. Georgieva
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, St. Bolshaya Pirogovskaya 11, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (T.A.E.); (N.N.M.); (A.E.K.)
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (E.N.B.); (V.B.P.); (L.Y.K.); (A.A.G.)
| | - Elena N. Bilanenko
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (E.N.B.); (V.B.P.); (L.Y.K.); (A.A.G.)
| | - Valeria B. Ponizovskaya
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (E.N.B.); (V.B.P.); (L.Y.K.); (A.A.G.)
| | - Lyudmila Y. Kokaeva
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (E.N.B.); (V.B.P.); (L.Y.K.); (A.A.G.)
- Faculty of Soil Sciences, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anton A. Georgiev
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (E.N.B.); (V.B.P.); (L.Y.K.); (A.A.G.)
| | - Tatiana A. Efimenko
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, St. Bolshaya Pirogovskaya 11, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (T.A.E.); (N.N.M.); (A.E.K.)
| | - Natalia N. Markelova
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, St. Bolshaya Pirogovskaya 11, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (T.A.E.); (N.N.M.); (A.E.K.)
| | - Anastasia E. Kuvarina
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, St. Bolshaya Pirogovskaya 11, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (T.A.E.); (N.N.M.); (A.E.K.)
| | - Vera S. Sadykova
- Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, St. Bolshaya Pirogovskaya 11, 119021 Moscow, Russia; (T.A.E.); (N.N.M.); (A.E.K.)
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6
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Fungal Contamination in Microalgal Cultivation: Biological and Biotechnological Aspects of Fungi-Microalgae Interaction. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8101099. [PMID: 36294664 PMCID: PMC9605242 DOI: 10.3390/jof8101099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last few decades, the increasing interest in microalgae as sources of new biomolecules and environmental remediators stimulated scientists’ investigations and industrial applications. Nowadays, microalgae are exploited in different fields such as cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals and as human and animal food supplements. Microalgae can be grown using various cultivation systems depending on their final application. One of the main problems in microalgae cultivations is the possible presence of biological contaminants. Fungi, among the main contaminants in microalgal cultures, are able to influence the production and quality of biomass significantly. Here, we describe fungal contamination considering both shortcomings and benefits of fungi-microalgae interactions, highlighting the biological aspects of this interaction and the possible biotechnological applications.
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7
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Espinosa-Asuar L, Monroy-Guzmán C, Madrigal-Trejo D, Navarro-Miranda M, Sánchez-Pérez J, Buenrostro Muñoz J, Villar J, Cifuentes Camargo JF, Kalambokidis M, Esquivel-Hernandez DA, Viladomat Jasso M, Escalante AE, Velez P, Figueroa M, Martinez-Cardenas A, Ramirez-Barahona S, Gasca-Pineda J, Eguiarte LE, Souza V. Diversity of an uncommon elastic hypersaline microbial mat along a small-scale transect. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13579. [PMID: 35757167 PMCID: PMC9220918 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
We evaluated the microbial diversity and metabolome profile of an uncommon hypersaline elastic microbial mat from Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (CCB) in the Chihuahuan Desert of Coahuila, México. We collected ten samples on a small scale transect (1.5-m) and described its microbial diversity through NGS-based ITS and 16S rDNA gene sequencing. A very low number of taxa comprised a considerable proportion of the mat and were shared across all sampling points, whereas the rare biosphere was more phylogenetically diverse (Faith's Phylogenetic Diversity (FPD) index) and phylogenetically disperse (using a null model distribution of Phylogenetic Species Clustering (nmdPSC)) than the abundant (high read count) taxa for both analyzed libraries. We also found a distinctive metabolome profile for each sample and were able to tentatively annotate several classes of compounds with relevant biological properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Espinosa-Asuar
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Camila Monroy-Guzmán
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - David Madrigal-Trejo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Marisol Navarro-Miranda
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Jazmin Sánchez-Pérez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Jhoselinne Buenrostro Muñoz
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Juan Villar
- Pontifica Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | | | - Maria Kalambokidis
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Diego A. Esquivel-Hernandez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Mariette Viladomat Jasso
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Ana E. Escalante
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Patricia Velez
- Departamento de Botánica, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Mario Figueroa
- Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | | | - Santiago Ramirez-Barahona
- Departamento de Botánica, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Jaime Gasca-Pineda
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Luis E. Eguiarte
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
| | - Valeria Souza
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CdMx, México
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8
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Albright MBN, Gallegos-Graves LV, Feeser KL, Montoya K, Emerson JB, Shakya M, Dunbar J. Experimental evidence for the impact of soil viruses on carbon cycling during surface plant litter decomposition. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 2:24. [PMID: 37938672 PMCID: PMC9723558 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-022-00109-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
To date, the potential impact of viral communities on biogeochemical cycles in soil has largely been inferred from correlational evidence, such as virus-driven changes in microbial abundances, viral auxiliary metabolic genes, and links with soil physiochemical properties. To more directly test the impact of soil viruses on carbon cycling during plant litter decomposition, we added concentrated viral community suspensions to complex litter decomposer communities in 40-day microcosm experiments. Microbial communities from two New Mexico alpine soils, Pajarito (PJ) and Santa Fe (SF), were inoculated onto grass litter on sand, and three treatments were applied in triplicate to each set of microcosms: addition of buffer (no added virus), live virus (+virus), or killed-virus (+killed-virus) fractions extracted from the same soil. Significant differences in respiration were observed between the +virus and +killed-virus treatments in the PJ, but not the SF microcosms. Bacterial and fungal community composition differed significantly by treatment in both PJ and SF microcosms. Combining data across both soils, viral addition altered links between bacterial and fungal diversity, dissolved organic carbon and total nitrogen. Overall, we demonstrate that increasing viral pressure in complex microbial communities can impact terrestrial biogeochemical cycling but is context-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaeline B N Albright
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, US.
- Allonnia LLC, Boston, MA, US.
| | | | - Kelli L Feeser
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, US
| | - Kyana Montoya
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, US
| | - Joanne B Emerson
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, US
| | - Migun Shakya
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, US
| | - John Dunbar
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, US
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Takashima Y, Nakayama T, Degawa Y. Revisiting the isolation source after half a century: Emericellopsis mirabilis on a yellow-green alga. MYCOSCIENCE 2021; 62:260-267. [PMID: 37092170 PMCID: PMC9721506 DOI: 10.47371/mycosci.2021.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Fungi-algae interactions, such as lichen-forming fungi and parasitic chytrids on phytoplankton, are common in ecosystems. In contrast, interactions between filamentous fungi and soil algae that can be observed with the naked eye have been given little attention and remain unexplored. Here, we report a fungus that was associated with a visible symptom of dead algae on a soil surface in Sugadaira-kogen, Nagano, central Japan. Acremonium-like conidiophores were growing on vesicles and dead bodies of a yellow-green alga, Botrydium granulatum. The fungus was identified as Emericellopsis mirabilis based on its morphology by microscopic observation, phylogenetic analysis, and the similarity of the isolation substrate with the first description of the species. Co-culture experiments showed a filamentous cell differentiation of the alga by the fungus, but no harmful or beneficial effects on algal growth. Therefore, we speculate that E. mirabilis is a facultative parasite of B. granulatum under natural conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Takashima
- Sugadaira Research Station, Mountain Science Center, University of Tsukuba
| | - Takeshi Nakayama
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
| | - Yousuke Degawa
- Sugadaira Research Station, Mountain Science Center, University of Tsukuba
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10
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The Abundance and Diversity of Fungi in a Hypersaline Microbial Mat from Guerrero Negro, Baja California, México. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7030210. [PMID: 33809206 PMCID: PMC7999539 DOI: 10.3390/jof7030210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The abundance and diversity of fungi were evaluated in a hypersaline microbial mat from Guerrero Negro, México, using a combination of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) amplification of domain-specific primers, and metagenomic sequencing. Seven different layers were analyzed in the mat (Layers 1–7) at single millimeter resolution (from the surface to 7 mm in depth). The number of copies of the 18S rRNA gene of fungi ranged between 106 and 107 copies per g mat, being two logarithmic units lower than of the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria. The abundance of 18S rRNA genes of fungi varied significantly among the layers with layers 2–5 mm from surface contained the highest numbers of copies. Fifty-six fungal taxa were identified by metagenomic sequencing, classified into three different phyla: Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Microsporidia. The prevalent genera of fungi were Thermothelomyces, Pyricularia, Fusarium, Colletotrichum, Aspergillus, Botrytis, Candida and Neurospora. Genera of fungi identified in the mat were closely related to genera known to have saprotrophic and parasitic lifestyles, as well as genera related to human and plant pathogens and fungi able to perform denitrification. This research suggests that fungi in the mat may participate in nutrient recycling, modification of community composition through parasitic activities, and denitrification.
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