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Kurbessoian T, Ahmed SA, Quan Y, de Hoog S, Stajich JE. Description of new micro-colonial fungi species Neophaeococcomyces mojavensis, Coniosporium tulheliwenetii, and Taxawa tesnikishii cultured from biological soil crusts. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.12.598762. [PMID: 38915581 PMCID: PMC11195213 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.12.598762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Black yeasts and relatives comprise Micro-Colonial Fungi (MCFs) which are slow-growing stress-tolerant micro-eukaryotes that specialize in extreme environments. MCFs are paraphyletic and found in the Orders Chaetothyriales (Eurotiomycetes) and Dothideales (Dothidiomycetes). We have isolated and described three new MCFs species from desert biological soil crusts (BSCs) collected from two arid land regions: Joshua Tree National Park (Mojave Desert) and UC Natural Reserve at Boyd Deep Canyon (confluence of Mojave and Sonoran Deserts). BSCs are composite assemblages of cyanobacteria, eukaryotic algae, fungi, lichens, and bryophytes embedded into the surface of desert soils, providing a protective buffer against the harsh desert environment. Our work focused on one type of desert BSC, the cyanolichen crust dominated by Collema sp. Using culture-dependent protocols, three MCFs were axenically isolated from their respective samples along with the extracted DNA. Their genomes were sequenced using Illumina and Nanopore, and finally assembled and annotated using hybrid assembly approaches and established bioinformatics pipelines to conduct final taxonomic phylogenetic analysis and placement. The three species described here are unique specimen from desert BSCs, here we introduce, Neophaeococcomyces mojavensis (Chaetothyriales), Cladosporium tulheliwenetii (Dothideales), and Taxawa tesnikishii (Dothideales).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Kurbessoian
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology and Institute of Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, 92521, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Sarah A. Ahmed
- Radboudumc/CWZ Ceter of Expertise for Mycology, Nijmegen, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Yu Quan
- Radboudumc/CWZ Ceter of Expertise for Mycology, Nijmegen, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sybren de Hoog
- Radboudumc/CWZ Ceter of Expertise for Mycology, Nijmegen, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jason E. Stajich
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology and Institute of Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, 92521, Riverside, CA, USA
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Krueger-Hadfield SA. Let's talk about sex: Why reproductive systems matter for understanding algae. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2024; 60:581-597. [PMID: 38743848 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13462] [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: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Sex is a crucial process that has molecular, genetic, cellular, organismal, and population-level consequences for eukaryotic evolution. Eukaryotic life cycles are composed of alternating haploid and diploid phases but are constrained by the need to accommodate the phenotypes of these different phases. Critical gaps in our understanding of evolutionary drivers of the diversity in algae life cycles include how selection acts to stabilize and change features of the life cycle. Moreover, most eukaryotes are partially clonal, engaging in both sexual and asexual reproduction. Yet, our understanding of the variation in their reproductive systems is largely based on sexual reproduction in animals or angiosperms. The relative balance of sexual versus asexual reproduction not only controls but also is in turn controlled by standing genetic variability, thereby shaping evolutionary trajectories. Thus, we must quantitatively assess the consequences of the variation in life cycles on reproductive systems. Algae are a polyphyletic group spread across many of the major eukaryotic lineages, providing powerful models by which to resolve this knowledge gap. There is, however, an alarming lack of data about the population genetics of most algae and, therefore, the relative frequency of sexual versus asexual processes. For many algae, the occurrence of sexual reproduction is unknown, observations have been lost in overlooked papers, or data on population genetics do not yet exist. This greatly restricts our ability to forecast the consequences of climate change on algal populations inhabiting terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. This perspective summarizes our extant knowledge and provides some future directions to pursue broadly across micro- and macroalgal species.
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Sorochkina K, Martens-Habbena W, Reardon CL, Inglett PW, Strauss SL. Nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities differ between perennial agroecosystem crops. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2024; 100:fiae064. [PMID: 38637314 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiae064] [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: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Biocrusts, common in natural ecosystems, are specific assemblages of microorganisms at or on the soil surface with associated microorganisms extending into the top centimeter of soil. Agroecosystem biocrusts have similar rates of nitrogen (N) fixation as those in natural ecosystems, but it is unclear how agricultural management influences their composition and function. This study examined the total bacterial and diazotrophic communities of biocrusts in a citrus orchard and a vineyard that shared a similar climate and soil type but differed in management. To contrast climate and soil type, these biocrusts were also compared with those from an apple orchard. Unlike natural ecosystem biocrusts, these agroecosystem biocrusts were dominated by proteobacteria and had a lower abundance of cyanobacteria. All of the examined agroecosystem biocrust diazotroph communities were dominated by N-fixing cyanobacteria from the Nostocales order, similar to natural ecosystem cyanobacterial biocrusts. Lower irrigation and fertilizer in the vineyard compared with the citrus orchard could have contributed to biocrust microbial composition, whereas soil type and climate could have differentiated the apple orchard biocrust. Season did not influence the bacterial and diazotrophic community composition of any of these agroecosystem biocrusts. Overall, agricultural management and climatic and edaphic factors potentially influenced the community composition and function of these biocrusts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira Sorochkina
- Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Southwest Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL, United States
| | - Willm Martens-Habbena
- Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
| | - Catherine L Reardon
- Soil and Water Conservation Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Pendleton, OR, United States
| | - Patrick W Inglett
- Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Sarah L Strauss
- Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Southwest Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL, United States
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Phillips ML, Lauria C, Spector T, Bradford JB, Gehring C, Osborne BB, Howell A, Grote EE, Rondeau RJ, Trimber GM, Robinson B, Reed SC. Trajectories and tipping points of piñon-juniper woodlands after fire and thinning. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17149. [PMID: 38342970 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17149] [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: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
Piñon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are a dominant community type across the Intermountain West, comprising over a million acres and experiencing critical effects from increasing wildfire. Large PJ mortality and regeneration failure after catastrophic wildfire have elevated concerns about the long-term viability of PJ woodlands. Thinning is increasingly used to safeguard forests from fire and in an attempt to increase climate resilience. We have only a limited understanding of how fire and thinning will affect the structure and function of PJ ecosystems. Here, we examined vegetation structure, microclimate conditions, and PJ regeneration dynamics following ~20 years post-fire and thinning treatments. We found that burned areas had undergone a state shift that did not show signs of returning to their previous state. This shift was characterized by (1) distinct plant community composition dominated by grasses; (2) a lack of PJ recruitment; (3) a decrease in the sizes of interspaces in between plants; (4) lower abundance of late successional biological soil crusts; (5) lower mean and minimum daily soil moisture values; (6) lower minimum daily vapor pressure deficit; and (7) higher photosynthetically active radiation. Thinning created distinct plant communities and served as an intermediate between intact and burned communities. More intensive thinning decreased PJ recruitment and late successional biocrust cover. Our results indicate that fire has the potential to create drier and more stressful microsite conditions, and that, in the absence of active management following fire, there may be shifts to persistent ecological states dominated by grasses. Additionally, more intensive thinning had a larger impact on community structure and recruitment than less intensive thinning, suggesting that careful consideration of goals could help avoid unintended consequences. While our results indicate the vulnerability of PJ ecosystems to fire, they also highlight management actions that could be adapted to create conditions that promote PJ re-establishment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michala L Phillips
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Cara Lauria
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, Utah, USA
| | - Tova Spector
- U.S. Forest Service, Intermountain Region 4, Ogden, Utah, USA
| | - John B Bradford
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Catherine Gehring
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Brooke B Osborne
- Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University, Moab, Utah, USA
| | - Armin Howell
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, Utah, USA
| | - Edmund E Grote
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, Utah, USA
| | - Renee J Rondeau
- Colorado State University, Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Hesperus, Colorado, USA
| | - Gillian M Trimber
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | | | - Sasha C Reed
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, Utah, USA
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Rakotondraibe HLR, Spjut RW, Addo EM. Chemical Constituents Isolated from the Lichen Biome of Selected Species Native to North America. PROGRESS IN THE CHEMISTRY OF ORGANIC NATURAL PRODUCTS 2024; 124:185-233. [PMID: 39101985 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-59567-7_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
A lichen is a symbiotic association composed of a primary mycobionts and one or more photobionts living mutualistically together, forming a distinct morphological entity beneficial to their partnership and to other associated fungi, photobionts, and bacteria that collectively make up the lichen biome. The taxonomic identification of a lichen species often requires determination of the primary mycobiont's secondary metabolites, the key morphological characteristics of the thallus, and how it relates to other lichen species as seen in DNA phylogeny. This chapter covers lichens and their bionts, taxonomic identification, and their chemical constituents as exemplified by what is found in lichen biomes, especially those endemic to North America. Extraction and isolation, as well as updates on dereplication methods using mass spectrometric GNPS and NMR spectroscopic spin network fingerprint procedures, and marker-based techniques to identify lichens are discussed. The isolation and structure elucidation of secondary metabolites of an endolichenic Penicillium species that produces bioactive compounds will be described in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ermias Mekuria Addo
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
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Hansen FA, James DK, Anderson JP, Meredith CS, Dominguez AJ, Pombubpa N, Stajich JE, Romero-Olivares AL, Salley SW, Pietrasiak N. Landscape characteristics shape surface soil microbiomes in the Chihuahuan Desert. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1135800. [PMID: 37350785 PMCID: PMC10282155 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1135800] [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: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Soil microbial communities, including biological soil crust microbiomes, play key roles in water, carbon and nitrogen cycling, biological weathering, and other nutrient releasing processes of desert ecosystems. However, our knowledge of microbial distribution patterns and ecological drivers is still poor, especially so for the Chihuahuan Desert. Methods This project investigated the effects of trampling disturbance on surface soil microbiomes, explored community composition and structure, and related patterns to abiotic and biotic landscape characteristics within the Chihuahuan Desert biome. Composite soil samples were collected in disturbed and undisturbed areas of 15 long-term ecological research plots in the Jornada Basin, New Mexico. Microbial diversity of cross-domain microbial groups (total Bacteria, Cyanobacteria, Archaea, and Fungi) was obtained via DNA amplicon metabarcode sequencing. Sequence data were related to landscape characteristics including vegetation type, landforms, ecological site and state as well as soil properties including gravel content, soil texture, pH, and electrical conductivity. Results Filamentous Cyanobacteria dominated the photoautotrophic community while Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria dominated among the heterotrophic bacteria. Thaumarchaeota were the most abundant Archaea and drought adapted taxa in Dothideomycetes and Agaricomycetes were most abundant fungi in the soil surface microbiomes. Apart from richness within Archaea (p = 0.0124), disturbed samples did not differ from undisturbed samples with respect to alpha diversity and community composition (p ≥ 0.05), possibly due to a lack of frequent or impactful disturbance. Vegetation type and landform showed differences in richness of Bacteria, Archaea, and Cyanobacteria but not in Fungi. Richness lacked strong relationships with soil variables. Landscape features including parent material, vegetation type, landform type, and ecological sites and states, exhibited stronger influence on relative abundances and microbial community composition than on alpha diversity, especially for Cyanobacteria and Fungi. Soil texture, moisture, pH, electrical conductivity, lichen cover, and perennial plant biomass correlated strongly with microbial community gradients detected in NMDS ordinations. Discussion Our study provides first comprehensive insights into the relationships between landscape characteristics, associated soil properties, and cross-domain soil microbiomes in the Chihuahuan Desert. Our findings will inform land management and restoration efforts and aid in the understanding of processes such as desertification and state transitioning, which represent urgent ecological and economical challenges in drylands around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick A. Hansen
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | - Darren K. James
- Jornada Experimental Range Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | - John P. Anderson
- Jornada Experimental Range Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | | | - Andrew J. Dominguez
- Plant and Environmental Sciences Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | - Nuttapon Pombubpa
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Jason E. Stajich
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | | | - Shawn W. Salley
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | - Nicole Pietrasiak
- Plant and Environmental Sciences Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States
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Rolli E, Marasco R, Fusi M, Scaglia B, Schubotz F, Mapelli F, Ciccazzo S, Brusetti L, Trombino L, Tambone F, Adani F, Borin S, Daffonchio D. Environmental micro-niche filtering shapes bacterial pioneer communities during primary colonization of a Himalayas' glacier forefield. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:5998-6016. [PMID: 36325730 PMCID: PMC10099744 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The pedogenesis from the mineral substrate released upon glacier melting has been explained with the succession of consortia of pioneer microorganisms, whose structure and functionality are determined by the environmental conditions developing in the moraine. However, the microbiome variability that can be expected in the environmentally heterogeneous niches occurring in a moraine at a given successional stage is poorly investigated. In a 50 m2 area in the forefield of the Lobuche glacier (Himalayas, 5050 m above sea level), we studied six sites of primary colonization presenting different topographical features (orientation, elevation and slope) and harbouring greyish/dark biological soil crusts (BSCs). The spatial vicinity of the sites opposed to their topographical differences, allowed us to examine the effect of environmental conditions independently from the time of deglaciation. The bacterial microbiome diversity and their co-occurrence network, the bacterial metabolisms predicted from 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, and the microbiome intact polar lipids were investigated in the BSCs and the underlying sediment deep layers (DLs). Different bacterial microbiomes inhabited the BSCs and the DLs, and their composition varied among sites, indicating a niche-specific role of the micro-environmental conditions in the bacterial communities' assembly. In the heterogeneous sediments of glacier moraines, physico-chemical and micro-climatic variations at the site-spatial scale are crucial in shaping the microbiome microvariability and structuring the pioneer bacterial communities during pedogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Rolli
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Ramona Marasco
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marco Fusi
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.,Centre for Conservation and Restoration Science, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Barbara Scaglia
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy-Gruppo Ricicla Lab, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Florence Schubotz
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Francesca Mapelli
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sonia Ciccazzo
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Brusetti
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Luca Trombino
- Department of Earth Sciences 'Ardito Desio', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Fulvia Tambone
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy-Gruppo Ricicla Lab, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Adani
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy-Gruppo Ricicla Lab, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Borin
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Daffonchio
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
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García-Carmona M, Lepinay C, García-Orenes F, Baldrian P, Arcenegui V, Cajthaml T, Mataix-Solera J. Moss biocrust accelerates the recovery and resilience of soil microbial communities in fire-affected semi-arid Mediterranean soils. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 846:157467. [PMID: 35868386 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157467] [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: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
After wildfires in Mediterranean ecosystems, ruderal mosses are pioneer species, stabilizing the soil surface previous to the establishment of vascular vegetation. However, little is known about the implication of pioneer moss biocrusts for the recovery and resilience of soils in early post-fire stages in semi-arid areas. Therefore, we studied the effects of the burgeoning biocrust on soil physicochemical and biochemical properties and the diversity and composition of microbial communities after a moderate-to-high wildfire severity. Seven months after the wildfire, the biocrust softened the strong impact of the fire in soils, affecting the diversity and composition of bacteria and fungi community compared to the uncrusted soils exposed to unfavourable environmental stress. Soil moisture, phosphorous, and enzyme activities representing the altered biogeochemical cycles after the fire, were the main explanatory variables for biocrust microbial community composition under the semi-arid conditions. High bacterial diversity was found in soils under mosses, while long-lasting legacies are expected in the fungal community, which showed greater sensitivity to the fire. The composition of bacterial and fungal communities at several taxonomical levels was profoundly altered by the presence of the moss biocrust, showing a rapid successional transition toward the unburned soil community. Pioneer moss biocrust play an important role improving the resilience of soil microbial communities. In the context of increasing fire intensity, studying the moss biocrust effects on the recovery of soils microbiome is essential to understanding the resistance and resilience of Mediterranean forests to wildfires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minerva García-Carmona
- GEA-Environmental Soil Science Group, Department of Agrochemistry and Environment, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche, Spain.
| | - Clémentine Lepinay
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 14220 Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Fuensanta García-Orenes
- GEA-Environmental Soil Science Group, Department of Agrochemistry and Environment, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche, Spain
| | - Petr Baldrian
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 14220 Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Victoria Arcenegui
- GEA-Environmental Soil Science Group, Department of Agrochemistry and Environment, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche, Spain
| | - Tomáš Cajthaml
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 14220 Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Jorge Mataix-Solera
- GEA-Environmental Soil Science Group, Department of Agrochemistry and Environment, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche, Spain
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Syntrichia caninervis adapt to mercury stress by altering submicrostructure and physiological properties in the Gurbantünggüt Desert. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11717. [PMID: 35810254 PMCID: PMC9271083 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15822-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sewage and industrial waste discharges have been found to have a deleterious effect on plant growth and environmental safety through the accumulation of trace metal mercury (Hg) in soils. Although the effects of Hg on vascular plants have been reported in terms of enzyme activity, oxidative damage and physiology, few studies have been done on non-vascular plants. A simulation experiment including 7 Hg concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75 µM) was conducted to investigate the influence of Hg stress on ultrastructure and physiological properties of biocrust moss Syntrichia. caninervis across 7 consecutive days. The results showed that the lowest lethal concentration of S. caninervis was 30 µM Hg. The mortality rate of the plants increased significantly with Hg concentrations. The ultrastructure did not change significantly at Hg concentration ≤ 20 µM, while exceeding which, cell walls began to separate, nuclei began to blur, and chloroplasts began to expand. The soluble sugars (SS), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities increased initially and then decreased with the increase of concentration in the time gradient, with the largest values at 20 µM. The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline (Pro) increased with the increase of Hg concentration, both reached peak value at 50 µM. However, chlorophyll (Chl) contents continued to decrease along both the concentration and time gradients. Pearson correlation and principal component analysis showed that two principal components (PC1 and PC2) explained 73.9% of the variance in plant adaptation to Hg stress. SOD, POD, Chl, SS, and Pro all responded well to Hg in S. caninervis. Our study showed that Hg stress caused changes in ultrastructure and physiological metabolism of S. caninervis. 20 µM was the maximum concentration of Hg that biocrust moss S. caninervis can tolerate. S. caninervis mainly adopted two adaptation strategies related to exclusion and accumulation to reduce Hg stress.
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Concostrina-Zubiri L, Prieto M, Hurtado P, Escudero A, Martínez I. Functional diversity regulates the effects of habitat degradation on biocrust phylogenetic and taxonomic diversities. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2599. [PMID: 35343001 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2599] [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: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Biocrusts are major contributors to dryland diversity, functioning, and services. However, little is known about how habitat degradation will impact multiple facets of biocrust diversity and measurable functional traits. We evaluated changes in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of biocrust-forming lichens along a habitat degradation gradient related to the presence of linear infrastructure (i.e., a road) and a profound agricultural driven transformation. To do so, we selected 50 remnants of a Mediterranean shrubland. We considered several surrogates of habitat quality and causal disturbance on the various diversity facets of biocrusts by using structural equation modeling, hypothesizing that habitat degradation primarily affects functional diversity, which in turn regulates changes in taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities, and also that taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities are coupled. Fragment connectivity, distance to linear infrastructure (i.e., a road) and, particularly, soil fertility (i.e., soil P concentration), had mostly negative effects on biocrust functional diversity, which in turn affected both taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities. However, we found no direct effects of habitat degradation variables on the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities. We also found that increases in phylogenetic diversity had a positive effect on taxonomic diversity along the habitat degradation gradient. Our results indicate that functional diversity of biocrusts is strongly affected by habitat degradation, which may profoundly alter their contribution to ecosystem functioning and services. Furthermore, functional diversity regulates the response of biocrust taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity to habitat degradation. These findings indicate that habitat degradation alters and simplifies the diversity of functional traits of biocrust-forming lichens, leading to biodiversity loss, with important consequences for the conservation of global drylands biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - María Prieto
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Hurtado
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Biología (Botánica), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Martínez
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
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Biological Crusts to Increase Soil Carbon Sequestration: New Challenges in a New Environment. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10111190. [PMID: 34827183 PMCID: PMC8614986 DOI: 10.3390/biology10111190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The major priority of research in the present day is to conserve the environment by reducing GHG emissions. A proposed solution by an expert panel from 195 countries meeting at COP 21 was to increase global SOC stocks by 0.4% year−1 to compensate for GHG emissions, the ‘4 per 1000′ agreement. In this context, the application of biocrusts is a promising framework with which to increase SOC and other soil functions in the soil–plant continuum. Despite the importance of biocrusts, their application to agriculture is limited due to: (1) competition with native microbiota, (2) difficulties in applying them on a large scale, (3) a lack of studies based on carbon (C) balance and suitable for model parameterization, and (4) a lack of studies evaluating the contribution of biocrust weathering to increase C sequestration. Considering these four challenges, we propose three perspectives for biocrust application: (1) natural microbiome engineering by a host plant, using biocrusts; (2) quantifying the contribution of biocrusts to C sequestration in soils; and (3) enhanced biocrust weathering to improve C sequestration. Thus, we focus this opinion article on new challenges by using the specialized microbiome of biocrusts to be applied in a new environment to counteract the negative effects of climate change.
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Algal Toxic Compounds and Their Aeroterrestrial, Airborne and other Extremophilic Producers with Attention to Soil and Plant Contamination: A Review. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13050322. [PMID: 33946968 PMCID: PMC8145420 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13050322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The review summarizes the available knowledge on toxins and their producers from rather disparate algal assemblages of aeroterrestrial, airborne and other versatile extreme environments (hot springs, deserts, ice, snow, caves, etc.) and on phycotoxins as contaminants of emergent concern in soil and plants. There is a growing body of evidence that algal toxins and their producers occur in all general types of extreme habitats, and cyanobacteria/cyanoprokaryotes dominate in most of them. Altogether, 55 toxigenic algal genera (47 cyanoprokaryotes) were enlisted, and our analysis showed that besides the “standard” toxins, routinely known from different waterbodies (microcystins, nodularins, anatoxins, saxitoxins, cylindrospermopsins, BMAA, etc.), they can produce some specific toxic compounds. Whether the toxic biomolecules are related with the harsh conditions on which algae have to thrive and what is their functional role may be answered by future studies. Therefore, we outline the gaps in knowledge and provide ideas for further research, considering, from one side, the health risk from phycotoxins on the background of the global warming and eutrophication and, from the other side, the current surge of interest which phycotoxins provoke due to their potential as novel compounds in medicine, pharmacy, cosmetics, bioremediation, agriculture and all aspects of biotechnological implications in human life.
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Pombubpa N, Pietrasiak N, De Ley P, Stajich JE. Insights into dryland biocrust microbiome: geography, soil depth and crust type affect biocrust microbial communities and networks in Mojave Desert, USA. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 96:5861315. [PMID: 32573682 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Biocrusts are the living skin of drylands, comprising diverse microbial communities that are essential to desert ecosystems. Despite there being extensive knowledge on biocrust ecosystem functions and lichen and moss biodiversity, little is known about factors structuring diversity among their microbial communities. We used amplicon-based metabarcode sequencing to survey microbial communities from biocrust surface and subsurface soils at four sites located within the Mojave Desert. Five biocrust types were examined: Light-algal/Cyanobacteria, Cyanolichen, Green-algal lichen, Smooth-moss and Rough-moss crust types. Microbial diversity in biocrusts was structured by several characteristics: (i) central versus southern Mojave sites displayed different community signatures, (ii) indicator taxa of plant-associated fungi (plant pathogens and wood saprotrophs) were identified at each site, (iii) surface and subsurface microbial communities were distinct and (iv) crust types had distinct indicator taxa. Network analysis ranked bacteria-bacteria interactions as the most connected of all within-domain and cross-domain interaction networks in biocrust surface samples. Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Ascomycota functioned as hubs among all phyla. The bacteria Pseudonocardia sp. (Pseudonocardiales, Actinobacteria) and fungus Alternaria sp. (Pleosporales, Ascomycota) were the most connected had the highest node degree. Our findings provide crucial insights for dryland microbial community ecology, conservation and sustainable management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuttapon Pombubpa
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.,Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521 USA
| | - Nicole Pietrasiak
- Plant and Environmental Sciences Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
| | - Paul De Ley
- Department of Nematology, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Jason E Stajich
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.,Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521 USA
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Goudet MMM, Orr DJ, Melkonian M, Müller KH, Meyer MT, Carmo-Silva E, Griffiths H. Rubisco and carbon-concentrating mechanism co-evolution across chlorophyte and streptophyte green algae. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 227:810-823. [PMID: 32249430 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Green algae expressing a carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) are usually associated with a Rubisco-containing micro-compartment, the pyrenoid. A link between the small subunit (SSU) of Rubisco and pyrenoid formation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has previously suggested that specific RbcS residues could explain pyrenoid occurrence in green algae. A phylogeny of RbcS was used to compare the protein sequence and CCM distribution across the green algae and positive selection in RbcS was estimated. For six streptophyte algae, Rubisco catalytic properties, affinity for CO2 uptake (K0.5 ), carbon isotope discrimination (δ13 C) and pyrenoid morphology were compared. The length of the βA-βB loop in RbcS provided a phylogenetic marker discriminating chlorophyte from streptophyte green algae. Rubisco kinetic properties in streptophyte algae have responded to the extent of inducible CCM activity, as indicated by changes in inorganic carbon uptake affinity, δ13 C and pyrenoid ultrastructure between high and low CO2 conditions for growth. We conclude that the Rubisco catalytic properties found in streptophyte algae have coevolved and reflect the strength of any CCM or degree of pyrenoid leakiness, and limitations to inorganic carbon in the aquatic habitat, whereas Rubisco in extant land plants reflects more recent selective pressures associated with improved diffusive supply of the terrestrial environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam M M Goudet
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Douglas J Orr
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Michael Melkonian
- Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cologne, 50674, Cologne, Germany
- Central Collection of Algal Cultures, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Karin H Müller
- Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Moritz T Meyer
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | | | - Howard Griffiths
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
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Aanderud ZT, Bahr J, Robinson DM, Belnap J, Campbell TP, Gill RA, McMillian B, St. Clair S. The Burning of Biocrusts Facilitates the Emergence of a Bare Soil Community of Poorly-Connected Chemoheterotrophic Bacteria With Depressed Ecosystem Services. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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