1
|
Dorador C, Fink P, Hengst M, Icaza G, Villalobos AS, Vejar D, Meneses D, Zadjelovic V, Burmann L, Moelzner J, Harrod C. Microbial community composition and trophic role along a marked salinity gradient in Laguna Puilar, Salar de Atacama, Chile. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2018; 111:1361-1374. [PMID: 29744693 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-018-1091-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
The geological, hydrological and microbiological features of the Salar de Atacama, the most extensive evaporitic sedimentary basin in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, have been extensively studied. In contrast, relatively little attention has been paid to the composition and roles of microbial communities in hypersaline lakes which are a unique feature in the Salar. In the present study biochemical, chemical and molecular biological tools were used to determine the composition and roles of microbial communities in water, microbial mats and sediments along a marked salinity gradient in Laguna Puilar which is located in the "Los Flamencos" National Reserve. The bacterial communities at the sampling sites were dominated by members of the phyla Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria. Stable isotope and fatty acid analyses revealed marked variability in the composition of microbial mats at different sampling sites both horizontally (at different sites) and vertically (in the different layers). The Laguna Puilar was shown to be a microbially dominated ecosystem in which more than 60% of the fatty acids at particular sites are of bacterial origin. Our pioneering studies also suggest that the energy budgets of avian consumers (three flamingo species) and dominant invertebrates (amphipods and gastropods) use minerals as a source of energy and nutrients. Overall, the results of this study support the view that the Salar de Atacama is a heterogeneous and fragile ecosystem where small changes in environmental conditions may alter the balance of microbial communities with possible consequences at different trophic levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Dorador
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile. .,Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Angamos 601, Antofagasta, Chile. .,Centre for Biotechnology & Bioengineering (CeBiB), Santiago, Chile.
| | - Patrick Fink
- Workgroup Aquatic Chemical Ecology, University of Cologne, Cologne Biocenter, ZülpicherStraße 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Martha Hengst
- Centre for Biotechnology & Bioengineering (CeBiB), Santiago, Chile.,Laboratory of Molecular Ecology and Applied Microbiology, Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Gonzalo Icaza
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile.,Centre for Biotechnology & Bioengineering (CeBiB), Santiago, Chile
| | - Alvaro S Villalobos
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile.,Marine Microbiology, GEOMAR Helmholtz, Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Drina Vejar
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile.,Centre for Biotechnology & Bioengineering (CeBiB), Santiago, Chile
| | - Daniela Meneses
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile.,Centre for Biotechnology & Bioengineering (CeBiB), Santiago, Chile
| | - Vinko Zadjelovic
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Lisa Burmann
- Workgroup Aquatic Chemical Ecology, University of Cologne, Cologne Biocenter, ZülpicherStraße 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jana Moelzner
- Workgroup Aquatic Chemical Ecology, University of Cologne, Cologne Biocenter, ZülpicherStraße 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany
| | - Chris Harrod
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile.,Núcleo Milenio INVASAL, Concepción, Chile
| |
Collapse
|