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Viladomat Jasso M, García-Ulloa M, Zapata-Peñasco I, Eguiarte LE, Souza V. Metagenomic insight into taxonomic composition, environmental filtering and functional redundancy for shaping worldwide modern non-lithifying microbial mats. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17412. [PMID: 38827283 PMCID: PMC11144394 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Modern microbial mats are relictual communities mostly found in extreme environments worldwide. Despite their significance as representatives of the ancestral Earth and their important roles in biogeochemical cycling, research on microbial mats has largely been localized, focusing on site-specific descriptions and environmental change experiments. Here, we present a global comparative analysis of non-lithifying microbial mats, integrating environmental measurements with metagenomic data from 62 samples across eight sites, including two new samples from the recently discovered Archaean Domes from Cuatro Ciénegas, Mexico. Our results revealed a notable influence of environmental filtering on both taxonomic and functional compositions of microbial mats. Functional redundancy appears to confer resilience to mats, with essential metabolic pathways conserved across diverse and highly contrasting habitats. We identified six highly correlated clusters of taxa performing similar ecological functions, suggesting niche partitioning and functional specialization as key mechanisms shaping community structure. Our findings provide insights into the ecological principles governing microbial mats, and lay the foundation for future research elucidating the intricate interplay between environmental factors and microbial community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariette Viladomat Jasso
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | | | - Icoquih Zapata-Peñasco
- Dirección de Investigación en Transformación de Hidrocarburos, Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Luis E. Eguiarte
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Valeria Souza
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- Centro de Estudios del Cuaternario de Fuego-Patagonia y Antártica (CEQUA), Punta Arenas, Chile
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Medina-Chávez NO, Torres-Cerda A, Chacón JM, Harcombe WR, De la Torre-Zavala S, Travisano M. Disentangling a metabolic cross-feeding in a halophilic archaea-bacteria consortium. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1276438. [PMID: 38179456 PMCID: PMC10764424 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1276438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbial syntrophy, a cooperative metabolic interaction among prokaryotes, serves a critical role in shaping communities, due to the auxotrophic nature of many microorganisms. Syntrophy played a key role in the evolution of life, including the hypothesized origin of eukaryotes. In a recent exploration of the microbial mats within the exceptional and uniquely extreme Cuatro Cienegas Basin (CCB), a halophilic isolate, designated as AD140, emerged as a standout due to its distinct growth pattern. Subsequent genome sequencing revealed AD140 to be a co-culture of a halophilic archaeon from the Halorubrum genus and a marine halophilic bacterium, Marinococcus luteus, both occupying the same ecological niche. This intriguing coexistence hints at an early-stage symbiotic relationship that thrives on adaptability. By delving into their metabolic interdependence through genomic analysis, this study aims to uncover shared characteristics that enhance their symbiotic association, offering insights into the evolution of halophilic microorganisms and their remarkable adaptations to high-salinity environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahui Olin Medina-Chávez
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Abigail Torres-Cerda
- Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto de Biotecnología, San Nicolás de los Garza, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico
| | - Jeremy M. Chacón
- Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - William R. Harcombe
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Susana De la Torre-Zavala
- Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto de Biotecnología, San Nicolás de los Garza, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico
| | - Michael Travisano
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- Minnesota Center for the Philosophy of Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
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Cisneros-Martínez AM, Eguiarte LE, Souza V. Metagenomic comparisons reveal a highly diverse and unique viral community in a seasonally fluctuating hypersaline microbial mat. Microb Genom 2023; 9:mgen001063. [PMID: 37459167 PMCID: PMC10438804 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001063] [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: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In spring 2016, a shallow hypersaline pond (50×25 m) was found in the Cuatro Cienegas Basin (CCB). This pond, known as Archaean Domes (AD) because of its elastic microbial mats that form dome-shaped structures due to the production of reducing gases reminiscent of the Archaean eon, such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, harbour a highly diverse microbial community, rich in halophilic and methanogenic archaea. AD is a seasonally fluctuating hypersaline site, with salinity ranging from low hypersaline (5.3%) during the wet season to high hypersaline (saturation) during the dry season. To characterize the viral community and to test whether it resembles those of other hypersaline sites (whose diversity is conditioned by salinity), or if it is similar to other CCB sites (with which it shares a common geological history), we generated 12 metagenomes from different seasons and depths over a 4 year period and compared them to 35 metagenomes from varied environments. Haloarchaeaviruses were detected, but were never dominant (average of 15.37 % of the total viral species), and the viral community structure and diversity were not affected by environmental fluctuations. In fact, unlike other viral communities at hypersaline sites, AD remained more diverse than other environments regardless of season. β-Diversity analyses show that AD is closely related to other CCB sites, although it has a unique viral community that forms a cluster of its own. The similarity of two surface samples to the 30 and 50 cm depth samples, as well as the observed increase in diversity at greater depths, supports the hypothesis that the diversity of CCB has evolved as a result of a long time environmental stability of a deep aquifer that functions as a 'seed bank' of great microbial diversity that is transported to the surface by sporadic groundwater upwelling events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Miguel Cisneros-Martínez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Luis E. Eguiarte
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Valeria Souza
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
- Centro de Estudios del Cuaternario de Fuego-Patagonia y Antártica (CEQUA), Punta Arenas, Chile
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