1
|
Lai Z, Liu Z, Zhao Y, Qin S, Zhang W, Lang T, Zhu Z, Sun Y. Distinct microbial communities under different rock-associated microhabitats in the Qaidam Desert. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 250:118462. [PMID: 38367835 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118462] [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: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Hypolithic communities, which occupy highly specialised microhabitats beneath translucent rocks in desert and arid environments, have assembly mechanisms and ecosystem functions are not fully understood. Thus, in this study, we aimed to examine the microbial community structure, assembly, and function of light-accessible (under quartz, calcite, and hypolithic lichen-dominated biocrusts) and light-inaccessible microhabitats (under basalt and adjacent soil) in the Qaidam Desert, China. The results showed that hypolithic communities have different characteristics compared with microbial communities of light-inaccessible microhabitats. Notably, hypolithic bacterial communities were dominated by Cyanobacteria, whereas light-inaccessible microhabitats showed a predominance of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. Although the class Dothideomycetes (phylum: Ascomycota) dominated the fungal communities between the two microhabitat types, Sordariomycetes were more prevalent in light-accessible microhabitats. Network and robustness analyses showed that hypolithic communities were less complex and more resilient than microbial communities in light-inaccessible microhabitats. Our results indicated that deterministic processes, specifically homogeneous selection, govern the establishment of bacterial and fungal communities in light-accessible and light-inaccessible microhabitats. The hypolithic community showed an increased frequency of phylotypes that exhibited increased tolerance to functional stress response pathways. In contrast to light-inaccessible microhabitats, light-accessible microhabitats showed a slight decrease and a notable increase in the prevalence of carbon fixation pathways in prokaryotes and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms, respectively. For fungi, light-accessible microhabitats enriched saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal groups. These results highlight the importance of complex and diverse microhabitats in desert regions, which serve as vital shelters for microbes. Combining future research on interactions between hypolithic communities and environments may enhance our current understanding of their pivotal roles in sustaining desert ecosystems. This knowledge then be applied to design and implement informed conservation efforts to preserve these unique rock-associated microhabitats in desert ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zongrui Lai
- Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Zhen Liu
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Yellow River Delta Modern Agriculture, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhao
- Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Shugao Qin
- Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Wenqi Zhang
- Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Tao Lang
- MNR Key Laboratory for Geo-Environmental Monitoring of Great Bay Area & Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bio-resource and Eco-environmental Science, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China; College of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Baise University, Baise, Guangxi 533000, China.
| | - Zhengjie Zhu
- College of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Baise University, Baise, Guangxi 533000, China
| | - Yanfei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pushkareva E, Elster J, Kudoh S, Imura S, Becker B. Microbial community composition of terrestrial habitats in East Antarctica with a focus on microphototrophs. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1323148. [PMID: 38249463 PMCID: PMC10797080 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1323148] [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: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The Antarctic terrestrial environment harbors a diverse community of microorganisms, which have adapted to the extreme conditions. The aim of this study was to describe the composition of microbial communities in a diverse range of terrestrial environments (various biocrusts and soils, sands from ephemeral wetlands, biofilms, endolithic and hypolithic communities) in East Antarctica using both molecular and morphological approaches. Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed the dominance of Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria and Firmicutes, while sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene showed the prevalence of Alveolata, Chloroplastida, Metazoa, and Rhizaria. This study also provided a comprehensive assessment of the microphototrophic community revealing a diversity of cyanobacteria and eukaryotic microalgae in various Antarctic terrestrial samples. Filamentous cyanobacteria belonging to the orders Oscillatoriales and Pseudanabaenales dominated prokaryotic community, while members of Trebouxiophyceae were the most abundant representatives of eukaryotes. In addition, the co-occurrence analysis showed a prevalence of positive correlations with bacterial taxa frequently co-occurring together.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Pushkareva
- Department of Biology, Botanical Institute, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Josef Elster
- Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Třeboň, Czechia
- Centre for Polar Ecology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Sakae Kudoh
- Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Tachikawa, Japan
- National Institute of Polar Research, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Tachikawa, Japan
| | - Satoshi Imura
- Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Tachikawa, Japan
- National Institute of Polar Research, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Tachikawa, Japan
| | - Burkhard Becker
- Department of Biology, Botanical Institute, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| |
Collapse
|