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Rubio C, Lázaro R. Patterns in biocrust recovery over time in semiarid southeast Spain. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1184065. [PMID: 37396363 PMCID: PMC10309646 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1184065] [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: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are communities of microorganisms, fungi, algae, lichens and mosses inhabiting on the soil surface and within the uppermost soil millimetres. They play an important ecological role in drylands, determining physical and chemical soil properties and reducing soil erosion. Studies on biocrust natural recovery establish highly variable recovery times. The different objectives and methodologies of experimentation and analysis, strongly influence these predictions. The main purpose of this research is to analyze the recovery dynamics of four biocrust communities and their relationship with microclimatic variables. In 2004, in Tabernas Desert, some of us removed the biocrust in central 30 cm × 30 cm area of three 50 cm × 50 cm plots in each of four biocrust communities (Cyanobacteria, Squamarina, Diploschistes, and Lepraria), installing a microclimatic station in each one with sensors for temperature and humidity of the soil and air, dew point, PAR and rain. Yearly, the 50 cm × 50 cm plots were photographed, and the cover of every species was monitored in every 5 cm × 5 cm cell of a 36-cells grid covering the removed central area. We analyzed different functions to fit the cover recovery, the differences in cover recovery speed between communities, the recovery dynamics from the spatial analysis of the plot, the changes in dissimilarity and biodiversity and the possible relationships with the climatic variables. The recovery of the biocrust cover fits to a sigmoidal function. The community dominated by Cyanobacteria developed faster than those dominated by lichens. The Squamarina and Diploschistes communities recovered faster than that of Lepraria and appears to be influenced by the surrounding undisturbed areas. Species-based dissimilarity between consecutive inventories fluctuated and decreased over time, while biodiversity increases in a similar way. The speed of recovery of the biocrust in each community, along with the order in which the species appeared, support the hypothesis about the succession, which would include three phases: firstly Cyanobacteria, then Diploschistes and/or Squamarina and finally Lepraria. The relationship between biocrust recovery and microclimate is complex and this work highlights the need to carry out further research on this topic and on biocrust dynamics in general.
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Steven B, Phillips ML, Belnap J, Gallegos-Graves LV, Kuske CR, Reed SC. Resistance, Resilience, and Recovery of Dryland Soil Bacterial Communities Across Multiple Disturbances. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:648455. [PMID: 33959111 PMCID: PMC8095321 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.648455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dryland ecosystems are sensitive to perturbations and generally slow to recover post disturbance. The microorganisms residing in dryland soils are especially important as they contribute to soil structure and nutrient cycling. Disturbance can have particularly strong effects on dryland soil structure and function, yet the natural resistance and recovery of the microbial components of dryland soils has not been well documented. In this study, the recovery of surface soil bacterial communities from multiple physical and environmental disturbances is assessed. Samples were collected from three field sites in the vicinity of Moab, UT, United States, 6 to 7 years after physical and climate disturbance manipulations had been terminated, allowing for the assessment of community recovery. Additionally, samples were collected in a transect that included three habitat patches: the canopy zone soils under the dominant shrubs, the interspace soils that are colonized by biological soil crusts, and edge soils at the plot borders. Field site and habitat patch were significant factors structuring the bacterial communities, illustrating that sites and habitats harbored unique soil microbiomes. Across the different sites and disturbance treatments, there was evidence of significant bacterial community recovery, as bacterial biomass and diversity were not significantly different than control plots. There was, however, a small number of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequence variants that distinguished particular treatments, suggesting that legacy effects of the disturbances still remained. Taken together, these data suggest that dryland bacterial communities may possess a previously unappreciated potential to recover within years of the original disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blaire Steven
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Michala L Phillips
- United States Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, United States
| | - Jayne Belnap
- United States Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, United States
| | | | - Cheryl R Kuske
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States
| | - Sasha C Reed
- United States Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, United States
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Jung P, D’Agostino PM, Büdel B, Lakatos M. Symphyonema bifilamentata sp. nov., the Right Fischerella ambigua 108b: Half a Decade of Research on Taxonomy and Bioactive Compounds in New Light. Microorganisms 2021; 9:745. [PMID: 33918311 PMCID: PMC8065813 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9040745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Since 1965 a cyanobacterial strain termed 'Fischerella ambigua 108b' was the object of several studies investigating its potential as a resource for new bioactive compounds in several European institutes. Over decades these investigations uncovered several unique small molecules and their respective biosynthetic pathways, including the polychlorinated triphenyls of the ambigol family and the tjipanazoles. However, the true taxonomic character of the producing strain remained concealed until now. Applying a polyphasic approach considering the phylogenetic position based on the 16S rRNA and the protein coding gene rbcLX, secondary structures and morphological features, we present the strain 'Fischerella ambigua 108b' as Symphyonema bifilamentata sp. nov. 97.28. Although there is the type species (holotype) S. sinense C.-C. Jao 1944 there is no authentic living strain or material for genetic analyses for the genus Symphyonema available. Thus we suggest and provide an epitypification of S. bifilamentata sp. nov. 97.28 as a valid reference for the genus Symphyonema. Its affiliation to the family Symphyonemataceae sheds not only new light on this rare taxon but also on the classes of bioactive metabolites of these heterocytous and true-branching cyanobacteria which we report here. We show conclusively that the literature on the isolation of bioactive products from this organism provides further support for a clear distinction between the secondary metabolism of Symphyonema bifilamentata sp. nov. 97.28 compared to related and other taxa, pointing to the assignment of this organism into a separate genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Applied Logistics and Polymer Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, Germany;
| | - Paul M. D’Agostino
- Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technical University of Dresden, Chair of Technical Biochemistry, Bergstraße 66, 01069 Dresden, Germany;
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Biology Institute, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger Str. 52, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany;
| | - Michael Lakatos
- Applied Logistics and Polymer Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, Germany;
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Biodiversity of Algae and Cyanobacteria in Biological Soil Crusts Collected Along a Climatic Gradient in Chile Using an Integrative Approach. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8071047. [PMID: 32674483 PMCID: PMC7409284 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8071047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Biocrusts are associations of various prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms in the top millimeters of soil, which can be found in every climate zone on Earth. They stabilize soils and introduce carbon and nitrogen into this compartment. The worldwide occurrence of biocrusts was proven by numerous studies in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America, leaving South America understudied. Using an integrative approach, which combines morphological and molecular characters (small subunit rRNA and ITS region), we examined the diversity of key biocrust photosynthetic organisms at four sites along the latitudinal climate gradient in Chile. The most northern study site was located in the Atacama Desert (arid climate), followed by open shrubland (semiarid climate), a dry forest region (Mediterranean climate) and a mixed broad leaved-coniferous forest (temperate climate) in the south. The lowest species richness was recorded in the desert (18 species), whereas the highest species richness was observed in the Mediterranean zone (40 species). Desert biocrusts were composed exclusively of single-celled Chlorophyta algae, followed by cyanobacteria. Chlorophyta, Streptophyta and cyanobacteria dominated semiarid biocrusts, whereas Mediterranean and temperate Chilean biocrusts were composed mostly of Chlorophyta, Streptophyta and Ochrophyta. Our investigation of Chilean biocrust suggests high biodiversity of South American biocrust phototrophs.
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Kidron GJ, Xiao B, Benenson I. Data variability or paradigm shift? Slow versus fast recovery of biological soil crusts-a review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 721:137683. [PMID: 32197290 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Biological soil crusts, known also as biocrusts, provide valuable ecosystem services, especially in arid and semiarid regions. They may affect geomorphological (stability), hydrological (infiltration, evaporation), biochemical (carbon and nitrogen fixation) and ecological (germination and growth of vascular plants) processes, and their disturbance may have important ecological consequences. The common view, as reflected in hundreds of papers, regards biocrusts as having extremely slow recovery with characteristic time of up to hundreds and even thousands of years. Long recovery time implies that disturbance or climate change may have severe long-lasting consequences even once the conditions return to their initial state, triggering ample efforts to hasten biocrust recovery by inoculation. We critically analyze available estimates of the crust recovery time and present systematic measurements and theoretical considerations that attest to relatively rapid recovery of the crusts. We conclude that the likely recovery time of cyanobacterial crusts is 5-10 years, while that of lichen- and moss-dominated crusts is 10-20 years. Subsequently, costly and potentially negative effects to the ecosystem during inoculation should be weighed against the fast natural recovery of the biocrusts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giora J Kidron
- Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University, Givat Ram Campus, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
| | - Bo Xiao
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
| | - Itzhak Benenson
- Department of Geography and Human Environment, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
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Sommer V, Karsten U, Glaser K. Halophilic Algal Communities in Biological Soil Crusts Isolated From Potash Tailings Pile Areas. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
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Jung P, Schermer M, Briegel-Williams L, Baumann K, Leinweber P, Karsten U, Lehnert L, Achilles S, Bendix J, Büdel B. Water availability shapes edaphic and lithic cyanobacterial communities in the Atacama Desert. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2019; 55:1306-1318. [PMID: 31378942 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.12908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In the Atacama Desert, cyanobacteria grow on various substrates such as soils (edaphic) and quartz or granitoid stones (lithic). Both edaphic and lithic cyanobacterial communities have been described but no comparison between both communities of the same locality has yet been undertaken. In the present study, we compared both cyanobacterial communities along a precipitation gradient ranging from the arid National Park Pan de Azúcar (PA), which resembles a large fog oasis in the Atacama Desert extending to the semiarid Santa Gracia Natural Reserve (SG) further south, as well as along a precipitation gradient within PA. Various microscopic techniques, as well as culturing and partial 16S rRNA sequencing, were applied to identify 21 cyanobacterial species; the diversity was found to decline as precipitation levels decreased. Additionally, under increasing xeric stress, lithic community species composition showed higher divergence from the surrounding edaphic community, resulting in indigenous hypolithic and chasmoendolithic cyanobacterial communities. We conclude that rain and fog water, respectively, cause contrasting trends regarding cyanobacterial species richness in the edaphic and lithic microhabitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße 13, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Michael Schermer
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße 13, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Laura Briegel-Williams
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße 13, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Karen Baumann
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Soil Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18051, Rostock, Germany
| | - Peter Leinweber
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Soil Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18051, Rostock, Germany
| | - Ulf Karsten
- Applied Ecology and Phycology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Straße 3, 18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - Lukas Lehnert
- Faculty of Geography, Philipps-University of Marburg, Deutschhausstraße 10, 35037, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Achilles
- Faculty of Geography, Philipps-University of Marburg, Deutschhausstraße 10, 35037, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jörg Bendix
- Faculty of Geography, Philipps-University of Marburg, Deutschhausstraße 10, 35037, Marburg, Germany
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße 13, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany
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Jung P, Briegel-Williams L, Schermer M, Büdel B. Strong in combination: Polyphasic approach enhances arguments for cold-assigned cyanobacterial endemism. Microbiologyopen 2018; 8:e00729. [PMID: 30239166 PMCID: PMC6528576 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria of biological soil crusts (BSCs) represent an important part of circumpolar and Alpine ecosystems, serve as indicators for ecological condition and climate change, and function as ecosystem engineers by soil stabilization or carbon and nitrogen input. The characterization of cyanobacteria from both polar regions remains extremely important to understand geographic distribution patterns and community compositions. This study is the first of its kind revealing the efficiency of combining denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), light microscopy and culture‐based 16S rRNA gene sequencing, applied to polar and Alpine cyanobacteria dominated BSCs. This study aimed to show the living proportion of cyanobacteria as an extension to previously published meta‐transcriptome data of the same study sites. Molecular fingerprints showed a distinct clustering of cyanobacterial communities with a close relationship between Arctic and Alpine populations, which differed from those found in Antarctica. Species richness and diversity supported these results, which were also confirmed by microscopic investigations of living cyanobacteria from the BSCs. Isolate‐based sequencing corroborated these trends as cold biome clades were assigned, which included a potentially new Arctic clade of Oculatella. Thus, our results contribute to the debate regarding biogeography of cyanobacteria of cold biomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, Biology Institute, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Laura Briegel-Williams
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, Biology Institute, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Michael Schermer
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, Biology Institute, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, Biology Institute, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
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