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Guo X, Yan Q, Wang F, Wang W, Zhang Z, Liu Y, Liu K. Habitat-specific patterns of bacterial communities in a glacier-fed lake on the Tibetan Plateau. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2024; 100:fiae018. [PMID: 38378869 PMCID: PMC10903976 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiae018] [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: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Different types of inlet water are expected to affect microbial communities of lake ecosystems due to changing environmental conditions and the dispersal of species. However, knowledge of the effects of changes in environmental conditions and export of microbial assemblages on lake ecosystems is limited, especially for glacier-fed lakes. Here, we collected water samples from the surface water of a glacier-fed lake and its two fed streams on the Tibetan Plateau to investigate the importance of glacial and non-glacial streams as sources of diversity for lake bacterial communities. Results showed that the glacial stream was an important source of microorganisms in the studied lake, contributing 45.53% to the total bacterial community in the lake water, while only 19.14% of bacterial community in the lake water was seeded by the non-glacial stream. Bacterial communities were significantly different between the glacier-fed lake and its two fed streams. pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, water temperature and total nitrogen had a significant effect on bacterial spatial turnover, and together explained 36.2% of the variation of bacterial distribution among habitats. Moreover, bacterial co-occurrence associations tended to be stronger in the lake water than in stream habitats. Collectively, this study may provide an important reference for assessing the contributions of different inlet water sources to glacier-fed lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuezi Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qi Yan
- Center for the Pan-Third Pole Environment, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Feng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Wenqiang Wang
- Center for the Pan-Third Pole Environment, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Zhihao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yongqin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Center for the Pan-Third Pole Environment, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Keshao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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2
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Xing T, Liu K, Ji M, Chen Y, Liu Y. Bacterial diversity in a continuum from supraglacial habitats to a proglacial lake on the Tibetan Plateau. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2024; 371:fnae021. [PMID: 38521984 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnae021] [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: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Mountain glaciers are frequently assessed for their hydrological connectivity from glaciers to proglacial lakes. Ecological process on glacier surfaces and downstream ecosystems have often been investigated separately, but few studies have focused on the connectivity between the different glacial habitats. Therefore, it remains a limited understanding of bacterial community assembly across different habitats along the glacier hydrological continuum. In this study, we sampled along a glacial catchment from supraglacial snow, cryoconite holes, supraglacial runoff, ice-marginal moraine and proglacial lake on the Tibetan Plateau. The bacterial communities in these habitats were analyzed using high-throughput DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to determine the bacterial composition and assembly. Our results showed that each habitat hosted unique bacterial communities, with higher bacterial α-diversity in transitional habitats (e.g. runoff and ice-marginal moraine). Null model analysis indicated that deterministic processes predominantly shaped bacterial assembly in snow, cryoconite holes and lake, while stochastic process dominantly governed bacterial community in transitional habitats. Collectively, our findings suggest that local environment play a critical role in filtering bacterial community composition within glacier habitats. This study enhances our understanding of microbial assembly process in glacier environments and provides valuable insights into the factors governing bacterial community compositions across different habitats along the glacial hydrological continuum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Keshao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Mukan Ji
- Center for the Pan-Third Pole Environment, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yuying Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yongqin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Center for the Pan-Third Pole Environment, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
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3
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Znamínko M, Falteisek L, Vrbická K, Klímová P, Christiansen JR, Jørgensen CJ, Stibal M. Methylotrophic Communities Associated with a Greenland Ice Sheet Methane Release Hotspot. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 86:3057-3067. [PMID: 37843656 PMCID: PMC10640400 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02302-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Subglacial environments provide conditions suitable for the microbial production of methane, an important greenhouse gas, which can be released from beneath the ice as a result of glacial melting. High gaseous methane emissions have recently been discovered at Russell Glacier, an outlet of the southwestern margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet, acting not only as a potential climate amplifier but also as a substrate for methane consuming microorganisms. Here, we describe the composition of the microbial assemblage exported in meltwater from the methane release hotspot at Russell Glacier and its changes over the melt season and as it travels downstream. We found that a substantial part (relative abundance 27.2% across the whole dataset) of the exported assemblage was made up of methylotrophs and that the relative abundance of methylotrophs increased as the melt season progressed, likely due to the seasonal development of the glacial drainage system. The methylotrophs were dominated by representatives of type I methanotrophs from the Gammaproteobacteria; however, their relative abundance decreased with increasing distance from the ice margin at the expense of type II methanotrophs and/or methylotrophs from the Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria. Our results show that subglacial methane release hotspot sites can be colonized by microorganisms that can potentially reduce methane emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matěj Znamínko
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.
- Current address: Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Lukáš Falteisek
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Kristýna Vrbická
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Petra Klímová
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jesper R Christiansen
- Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Marek Stibal
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.
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4
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Zhang C, Ren Z. The role of subsurface ice in sustaining bacteria in continental and maritime glaciers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 896:165324. [PMID: 37414181 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165324] [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: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
In supraglacial environments, surface and subsurface ices are two distinct and connected microhabitats in terms of physicochemical and biological aspects. At the frontline of climate change, glaciers lose tremendous ice masses to downstream ecosystems, serving as crucial sources of both biotic and abiotic materials. In this study, we studied the disparities and relationships of microbial communities between surface and subsurface ices collected from a maritime and a continental glacier during summer. The results showed that surface ices had significantly higher nutrients and were more physiochemically different than subsurface ices. Despite lower nutrients, subsurface ices had higher alpha-diversity with more unique and enriched operational taxonomic units (OTUs) than surface ices, indicating the potential role of subsurface as a bacterial refuge. Sorensen dissimilarity between bacterial communities in surface ices and subsurface ices was mainly contributed by the turnover component, suggesting strong species replacement from surface to subsurface ices due to large environmental gradients. For different glaciers, the maritime glacier had significantly higher alpha-diversity than the continental glacier. The difference between surface and subsurface communities was more pronounced in the maritime glacier than in the continental glacier. The network analysis revealed that surface-enriched and subsurface-enriched OTUs formed independent modules, with surface-enriched OTUs having closer interconnections and greater importance in the network of the maritime glacier. This study highlights the important role of subsurface ice as a bacterial refuge and enriches our knowledge of microbial properties in glaciers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Zhang
- School of Engineering Technology, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China; Instrumentation and Service Center for Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Ze Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
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5
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Jaarsma AH, Sipes K, Zervas A, Jiménez FC, Ellegaard-Jensen L, Thøgersen MS, Stougaard P, Benning LG, Tranter M, Anesio AM. Exploring microbial diversity in Greenland Ice Sheet supraglacial habitats through culturing-dependent and -independent approaches. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad119. [PMID: 37791411 PMCID: PMC10580271 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The microbiome of Greenland Ice Sheet supraglacial habitats is still underinvestigated, and as a result there is a lack of representative genomes from these environments. In this study, we investigated the supraglacial microbiome through a combination of culturing-dependent and -independent approaches. We explored ice, cryoconite, biofilm, and snow biodiversity to answer: (1) how microbial diversity differs between supraglacial habitats, (2) if obtained bacterial genomes reflect dominant community members, and (3) how culturing versus high throughput sequencing changes our observations of microbial diversity in supraglacial habitats. Genomes acquired through metagenomic sequencing (133 high-quality MAGs) and whole genome sequencing (73 bacterial isolates) were compared to the metagenome assemblies to investigate abundance within the total environmental DNA. Isolates obtained in this study were not dominant taxa in the habitat they were sampled from, in contrast to the obtained MAGs. We demonstrate here the advantages of using metagenome SSU rRNA genes to reflect whole-community diversity. Additionally, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept of the application of in situ culturing in a supraglacial setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ate H Jaarsma
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Katie Sipes
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Athanasios Zervas
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Lea Ellegaard-Jensen
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Mariane S Thøgersen
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Peter Stougaard
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Liane G Benning
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstr. 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Martyn Tranter
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Alexandre M Anesio
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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6
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Girard C, Vincent WF, Culley AI. Arctic bacterial diversity and connectivity in the coastal margin of the Last Ice Area. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:105. [PMID: 37752298 PMCID: PMC10522646 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00313-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Arctic climate change is leading to sea-ice attrition in the Last Ice Area along the northern coast of Canada and Greenland, but less attention has been given to the associated land-based ecosystems. Here we evaluated bacterial community structure in a hydrologically coupled cryo-ecosystem in the region: Thores Glacier, proglacial Thores Lake, and its outlet to the sea. Deep amplicon sequencing revealed that Polaromonas was ubiquitous, but differed genetically among diverse niches. Surface glacier-ice was dominated by Cyanobacteria, while the perennially ice-capped, well-mixed water column of Thores Lake had a unique assemblage of Chloroflexi, Actinobacteriota, and Planctomycetota. Species richness increased downstream, but glacier microbes were little detected in the lake, suggesting strong taxonomic sorting. Ongoing climate change and the retreat of Thores Glacier would lead to complete drainage and loss of the lake microbial ecosystem, indicating the extreme vulnerability of diverse cryohabitats and unique microbiomes in the Last Ice coastal margin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Girard
- Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique & Institut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
- Centre d'études nordiques (CEN), Québec, QC, Canada.
- Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie et en écologie aquatique (GRIL), Montréal, QC, Canada.
- Département des sciences fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), Chicoutimi, QC, Canada.
| | - Warwick F Vincent
- Centre d'études nordiques (CEN), Québec, QC, Canada
- Département de biologie & Institut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- Takuvik Joint International Laboratory, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Alexander I Culley
- Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique & Institut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- Centre d'études nordiques (CEN), Québec, QC, Canada
- Takuvik Joint International Laboratory, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
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7
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von Friesen LW, Paulsen ML, Müller O, Gründger F, Riemann L. Glacial meltwater and seasonality influence community composition of diazotrophs in Arctic coastal and open waters. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad067. [PMID: 37349965 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad067] [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: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The Arctic Ocean is particularly affected by climate change with unknown consequences for primary productivity. Diazotrophs-prokaryotes capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia-have been detected in the often nitrogen-limited Arctic Ocean but distribution and community composition dynamics are largely unknown. We performed amplicon sequencing of the diazotroph marker gene nifH from glacial rivers, coastal, and open ocean regions and identified regionally distinct Arctic communities. Proteobacterial diazotrophs dominated all seasons, epi- to mesopelagic depths and rivers to open waters and, surprisingly, Cyanobacteria were only sporadically identified in coastal and freshwaters. The upstream environment of glacial rivers influenced diazotroph diversity, and in marine samples putative anaerobic sulphate-reducers showed seasonal succession with highest prevalence in summer to polar night. Betaproteobacteria (Burkholderiales, Nitrosomonadales, and Rhodocyclales) were typically found in rivers and freshwater-influenced waters, and Delta- (Desulfuromonadales, Desulfobacterales, and Desulfovibrionales) and Gammaproteobacteria in marine waters. The identified community composition dynamics, likely driven by runoff, inorganic nutrients, particulate organic carbon, and seasonality, imply diazotrophy a phenotype of ecological relevance with expected responsiveness to ongoing climate change. Our study largely expands baseline knowledge of Arctic diazotrophs-a prerequisite to understand underpinning of nitrogen fixation-and supports nitrogen fixation as a contributor of new nitrogen in the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa W von Friesen
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, DK-3000 Helsingør, Denmark
| | - Maria L Paulsen
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114-116, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Oliver Müller
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Thormøhlens gate 53A, NO-5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - Friederike Gründger
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114-116, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lasse Riemann
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, DK-3000 Helsingør, Denmark
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8
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Varliero G, Lebre PH, Frey B, Fountain AG, Anesio AM, Cowan DA. Glacial Water: A Dynamic Microbial Medium. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1153. [PMID: 37317127 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051153] [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: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial communities and nutrient dynamics in glaciers and ice sheets continuously change as the hydrological conditions within and on the ice change. Glaciers and ice sheets can be considered bioreactors as microbiomes transform nutrients that enter these icy systems and alter the meltwater chemistry. Global warming is increasing meltwater discharge, affecting nutrient and cell export, and altering proglacial systems. In this review, we integrate the current understanding of glacial hydrology, microbial activity, and nutrient and carbon dynamics to highlight their interdependence and variability on daily and seasonal time scales, as well as their impact on proglacial environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilda Varliero
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Pedro H Lebre
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Beat Frey
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Andrew G Fountain
- Departments of Geology and Geography, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97212, USA
| | - Alexandre M Anesio
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Don A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
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9
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Bradley JA, Trivedi CB, Winkel M, Mourot R, Lutz S, Larose C, Keuschnig C, Doting E, Halbach L, Zervas A, Anesio AM, Benning LG. Active and dormant microorganisms on glacier surfaces. GEOBIOLOGY 2023; 21:244-261. [PMID: 36450703 PMCID: PMC10099831 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Glacier and ice sheet surfaces host diverse communities of microorganisms whose activity (or inactivity) influences biogeochemical cycles and ice melting. Supraglacial microbes endure various environmental extremes including resource scarcity, frequent temperature fluctuations above and below the freezing point of water, and high UV irradiance during summer followed by months of total darkness during winter. One strategy that enables microbial life to persist through environmental extremes is dormancy, which despite being prevalent among microbial communities in natural settings, has not been directly measured and quantified in glacier surface ecosystems. Here, we use a combination of metabarcoding and metatranscriptomic analyses, as well as cell-specific activity (BONCAT) incubations to assess the diversity and activity of microbial communities from glacial surfaces in Iceland and Greenland. We also present a new ecological model for glacier microorganisms and simulate physiological state-changes in the glacial microbial community under idealized (i) freezing, (ii) thawing, and (iii) freeze-thaw conditions. We show that a high proportion (>50%) of bacterial cells are translationally active in-situ on snow and ice surfaces, with Actinomycetota, Pseudomonadota, and Planctomycetota dominating the total and active community compositions, and that glacier microorganisms, even when frozen, could resume translational activity within 24 h after thawing. Our data suggest that glacial microorganisms respond rapidly to dynamic and changing conditions typical of their natural environment. We deduce that the biology and biogeochemistry of glacier surfaces are shaped by processes occurring over short (i.e., daily) timescales, and thus are susceptible to change following the expected alterations to the melt-regime of glaciers driven by climate change. A better understanding of the activity of microorganisms on glacier surfaces is critical in addressing the growing concern of climate change in Polar regions, as well as for their use as analogues to life in potentially habitable icy worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Bradley
- Queen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesBerlinGermany
| | | | - Matthias Winkel
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesBerlinGermany
- Bundesanstalt für Risikobewertung (BfR)BerlinGermany
| | - Rey Mourot
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesBerlinGermany
- Freie University BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Stefanie Lutz
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesBerlinGermany
| | - Catherine Larose
- Environmental Microbial GenomicsUniversité de LyonEcully CedexFrance
| | | | - Eva Doting
- Environmental ScienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
| | - Laura Halbach
- Environmental ScienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
| | | | | | - Liane G. Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesBerlinGermany
- Freie University BerlinBerlinGermany
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10
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Vrbická K, Kohler TJ, Falteisek L, Hawkings JR, Vinšová P, Bulínová M, Lamarche-Gagnon G, Hofer S, Kellerman AM, Holt AD, Cameron KA, Schön M, Wadham JL, Stibal M. Catchment characteristics and seasonality control the composition of microbial assemblages exported from three outlet glaciers of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1035197. [PMID: 36523833 PMCID: PMC9745319 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1035197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Glacial meltwater drains into proglacial rivers where it interacts with the surrounding landscape, collecting microbial cells as it travels downstream. Characterizing the composition of the resulting microbial assemblages in transport can inform us about intra-annual changes in meltwater flowpaths beneath the glacier as well as hydrological connectivity with proglacial areas. Here, we investigated how the structure of suspended microbial assemblages evolves over the course of a melt season for three proglacial catchments of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), reasoning that differences in glacier size and the proportion of glacierized versus non-glacierized catchment areas will influence both the identity and relative abundance of microbial taxa in transport. Streamwater samples were taken at the same time each day over a period of 3 weeks (summer 2018) to identify temporal patterns in microbial assemblages for three outlet glaciers of the GrIS, which differed in glacier size (smallest to largest; Russell, Leverett, and Isunnguata Sermia [IS]) and their glacierized: proglacial catchment area ratio (Leverett, 76; Isunnguata Sermia, 25; Russell, 2). DNA was extracted from samples, and 16S rRNA gene amplicons sequenced to characterize the structure of assemblages. We found that microbial diversity was significantly greater in Isunnguata Sermia and Russell Glacier rivers compared to Leverett Glacier, the latter of which having the smallest relative proglacial catchment area. Furthermore, the microbial diversity of the former two catchments continued to increase over monitored period, presumably due to increasing hydrologic connectivity with proglacial habitats. Meanwhile, diversity decreased over the monitored period in Leverett, which may have resulted from the evolution of an efficient subglacial drainage system. Linear discriminant analysis further revealed that bacteria characteristic to soils were disproportionately represented in the Isunnguata Sermia river, while putative methylotrophs were disproportionately abundant in Russell Glacier. Meanwhile, taxa typical for glacierized habitats (i.e., Rhodoferax and Polaromonas) dominated in the Leverett Glacier river. Our findings suggest that the proportion of deglaciated catchment area is more influential to suspended microbial assemblage structure than absolute glacier size, and improve our understanding of hydrological flowpaths, particulate entrainment, and transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristýna Vrbická
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Tyler J. Kohler
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lukáš Falteisek
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jon R. Hawkings
- Department of Earth and Environment, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Petra Vinšová
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Marie Bulínová
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- Department of Geosciences, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Guillaume Lamarche-Gagnon
- Department of Geosciences, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Stefan Hofer
- Department of Geosciences, UiO University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne M. Kellerman
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Amy D. Holt
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Karen A. Cameron
- School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Martina Schön
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jemma L. Wadham
- Department of Geosciences, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Marek Stibal
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
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