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Tang X, Zhang M, Fang Z, Yang Q, Zhang W, Zhou J, Zhao B, Fan T, Wang C, Zhang C, Xia Y, Zheng Y. Changing microbiome community structure and functional potential during permafrost thawing on the Tibetan Plateau. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad117. [PMID: 37766397 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad117] [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: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Large amounts of carbon sequestered in permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are becoming vulnerable to microbial decomposition in a warming world. However, knowledge about how the responsible microbial community responds to warming-induced permafrost thaw on the TP is still limited. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive comparison of the microbial communities and their functional potential in the active layer of thawing permafrost on the TP. We found that the microbial communities were diverse and varied across soil profiles. The microbial diversity declined and the relative abundance of Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Euryarchaeota, and Bathyarchaeota significantly increased with permafrost thawing. Moreover, warming reduced the similarity and stability of active layer microbial communities. The high-throughput qPCR results showed that the abundance of functional genes involved in liable carbon degradation and methanogenesis increased with permafrost thawing. Notably, the significantly increased mcrA gene abundance and the higher methanogens to methanotrophs ratio implied enhanced methanogenic activities during permafrost thawing. Overall, the composition and functional potentials of the active layer microbial community in the Tibetan permafrost region are susceptible to warming. These changes in the responsible microbial community may accelerate carbon degradation, particularly in the methane releases from alpine permafrost ecosystems on the TP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotong Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Miao Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Zhengkun Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Qing Yang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Wan Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Jiaxing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Bixi Zhao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Tongyu Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Congzhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Chuanlun Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Yu Xia
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Yanhong Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
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Cowan DA, Cary SC, DiRuggiero J, Eckardt F, Ferrari B, Hopkins DW, Lebre PH, Maggs-Kölling G, Pointing SB, Ramond JB, Tribbia D, Warren-Rhodes K. 'Follow the Water': Microbial Water Acquisition in Desert Soils. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1670. [PMID: 37512843 PMCID: PMC10386458 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071670] [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: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Water availability is the dominant driver of microbial community structure and function in desert soils. However, these habitats typically only receive very infrequent large-scale water inputs (e.g., from precipitation and/or run-off). In light of recent studies, the paradigm that desert soil microorganisms are largely dormant under xeric conditions is questionable. Gene expression profiling of microbial communities in desert soils suggests that many microbial taxa retain some metabolic functionality, even under severely xeric conditions. It, therefore, follows that other, less obvious sources of water may sustain the microbial cellular and community functionality in desert soil niches. Such sources include a range of precipitation and condensation processes, including rainfall, snow, dew, fog, and nocturnal distillation, all of which may vary quantitatively depending on the location and geomorphological characteristics of the desert ecosystem. Other more obscure sources of bioavailable water may include groundwater-derived water vapour, hydrated minerals, and metabolic hydro-genesis. Here, we explore the possible sources of bioavailable water in the context of microbial survival and function in xeric desert soils. With global climate change projected to have profound effects on both hot and cold deserts, we also explore the potential impacts of climate-induced changes in water availability on soil microbiomes in these extreme environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - S Craig Cary
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3216, New Zealand
| | - Jocelyne DiRuggiero
- Departments of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Departments of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Frank Eckardt
- Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Belinda Ferrari
- School of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - David W Hopkins
- Scotland's Rural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
| | - Pedro H Lebre
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | | | - Stephen B Pointing
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore
| | - Jean-Baptiste Ramond
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
- Departamento Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
| | - Dana Tribbia
- School of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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Tian H, Liu J, Zhang Y, Liu Q. Stress response and signalling of a low-temperature bioaugmentation system in decentralized wastewater treatment: Degradation characteristics, community structure, and bioaugmented mechanisms. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 342:118257. [PMID: 37290305 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Low temperatures present challenges for stable wastewater treatment operations in cold regions. Low-temperature effective microorganisms (LTEM) were added as a bioaugmentation strategy at a decentralized treatment facility to improve performance. The effects of a low-temperature bioaugmentation system (LTBS) with LTEM at low temperatures (4 °C) on organic pollutant performance, microbial community changes, and the metabolic pathways of functional genes and functional enzymes were studied. To explore the bioaugmentation mechanism of LTBS based on stress response and signalling. The results showed that the start-up time of the LTBS (S2) with LTEM was shorter (8 days) and that it removed COD and NH4+-N at higher rates (87 % and 72 %, respectively) at 4 °C. LTEM effectively degraded complex macromolecular organics into small molecular organics, and decomposing sludge flocs and the changing the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) structure removed more organics and nitrogen. LTEM and local microbial communities (nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria) improved the ability of organic matter degradation and denitrification of the LTBS and formed a core microbial community dominated by LTEM (Bacillus and Pseudomonas). Finally, based on the functional enzymes and metabolic pathways of the LTBS, a low-temperature strengthening mechanism consisting of 6 cold stress responses and signal pathways under low temperatures was formed. This study demonstrated that the LTEM-dominated LTBS could provide an engineering alternative for future decentralized wastewater treatment in cold regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Tian
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment (Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Jianwei Liu
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Urban Sewage System Construction and Risk Control, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment (Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100044, China.
| | - Yuxiu Zhang
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Qianqian Liu
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China
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Waldrop MP, Chabot CL, Liebner S, Holm S, Snyder MW, Dillon M, Dudgeon SR, Douglas TA, Leewis MC, Walter Anthony KM, McFarland JW, Arp CD, Bondurant AC, Taş N, Mackelprang R. Permafrost microbial communities and functional genes are structured by latitudinal and soil geochemical gradients. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023:10.1038/s41396-023-01429-6. [PMID: 37217592 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01429-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Permafrost underlies approximately one quarter of Northern Hemisphere terrestrial surfaces and contains 25-50% of the global soil carbon (C) pool. Permafrost soils and the C stocks within are vulnerable to ongoing and future projected climate warming. The biogeography of microbial communities inhabiting permafrost has not been examined beyond a small number of sites focused on local-scale variation. Permafrost is different from other soils. Perennially frozen conditions in permafrost dictate that microbial communities do not turn over quickly, thus possibly providing strong linkages to past environments. Thus, the factors structuring the composition and function of microbial communities may differ from patterns observed in other terrestrial environments. Here, we analyzed 133 permafrost metagenomes from North America, Europe, and Asia. Permafrost biodiversity and taxonomic distribution varied in relation to pH, latitude and soil depth. The distribution of genes differed by latitude, soil depth, age, and pH. Genes that were the most highly variable across all sites were associated with energy metabolism and C-assimilation. Specifically, methanogenesis, fermentation, nitrate reduction, and replenishment of citric acid cycle intermediates. This suggests that adaptations to energy acquisition and substrate availability are among some of the strongest selective pressures shaping permafrost microbial communities. The spatial variation in metabolic potential has primed communities for specific biogeochemical processes as soils thaw due to climate change, which could cause regional- to global- scale variation in C and nitrogen processing and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark P Waldrop
- Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA.
| | - Christopher L Chabot
- California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA, 91330, USA
| | - Susanne Liebner
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stine Holm
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Michael W Snyder
- California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA, 91330, USA
| | - Megan Dillon
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Steven R Dudgeon
- California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA, 91330, USA
| | - Thomas A Douglas
- U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory 9th Avenue, Building 4070 Fort, Wainwright, AK, 99703, USA
| | - Mary-Cathrine Leewis
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2560 Boulevard Hochelaga, Québec, QC, G1V 2J3, Canada
| | - Katey M Walter Anthony
- Water and Environmental Research Center, University Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Jack W McFarland
- Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Christopher D Arp
- Water and Environmental Research Center, University Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Allen C Bondurant
- Water and Environmental Research Center, University Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Neslihan Taş
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Rachel Mackelprang
- California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA, 91330, USA.
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Romanowicz KJ, Kling GW. Summer thaw duration is a strong predictor of the soil microbiome and its response to permafrost thaw in arctic tundra. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:6220-6237. [PMID: 36135820 PMCID: PMC10092252 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming has increased permafrost thaw in arctic tundra and extended the duration of annual thaw (number of thaw days in summer) along soil profiles. Predicting the microbial response to permafrost thaw depends largely on knowing how increased thaw duration affects the composition of the soil microbiome. Here, we determined soil microbiome composition from the annually thawed surface active layer down through permafrost from two tundra types at each of three sites on the North Slope of Alaska, USA. Variations in soil microbial taxa were found between sites up to ~90 km apart, between tundra types, and between soil depths. Microbiome differences at a site were greatest across transitions from thawed to permafrost depths. Results from correlation analysis based on multi-decadal thaw surveys show that differences in thaw duration by depth were significantly, positively correlated with the abundance of dominant taxa in the active layer and negatively correlated with dominant taxa in the permafrost. Microbiome composition within the transition zone was statistically similar to that in the permafrost, indicating that recent decades of intermittent thaw have not yet induced a shift from permafrost to active-layer microbes. We suggest that thaw duration rather than thaw frequency has a greater impact on the composition of microbial taxa within arctic soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl J Romanowicz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - George W Kling
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Fungi in Permafrost-Affected Soils of the Canadian Arctic: Horizon- and Site-Specific Keystone Taxa Revealed by Co-Occurrence Network. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9091943. [PMID: 34576837 PMCID: PMC8466989 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9091943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Permafrost-affected soil stores a significant amount of organic carbon. Identifying the biological constraints of soil organic matter transformation, e.g., the interaction of major soil microbial soil organic matter decomposers, is crucial for predicting carbon vulnerability in permafrost-affected soil. Fungi are important players in the decomposition of soil organic matter and often interact in various mutualistic relationships during this process. We investigated four different soil horizon types (including specific horizons of cryoturbated soil organic matter (cryoOM)) across different types of permafrost-affected soil in the Western Canadian Arctic, determined the composition of fungal communities by sequencing (Illumina MPS) the fungal internal transcribed spacer region, assigned fungal lifestyles, and by determining the co-occurrence of fungal network properties, identified the topological role of keystone fungal taxa. Compositional analysis revealed a significantly higher relative proportion of the litter saprotroph Lachnum and root-associated saprotroph Phialocephala in the topsoil and the ectomycorrhizal close-contact exploring Russula in cryoOM, whereas Sites 1 and 2 had a significantly higher mean proportion of plant pathogens and lichenized trophic modes. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed the lowest modularity and average path length, and highest clustering coefficient in cryoOM, which suggested a lower network resistance to environmental perturbation. Zi-Pi plot analysis suggested that some keystone taxa changed their role from generalist to specialist, depending on the specific horizon concerned, Cladophialophora in topsoil, saprotrophic Mortierella in cryoOM, and Penicillium in subsoil were classified as generalists for the respective horizons but specialists elsewhere. The litter saprotrophic taxon Cadophora finlandica played a role as a generalist in Site 1 and specialist in the rest of the sites. Overall, these results suggested that fungal communities within cryoOM were more susceptible to environmental change and some taxa may shift their role, which may lead to changes in carbon storage in permafrost-affected soil.
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