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Huang IS, Pinnell LJ, Turner JW, Abdulla H, Boyd L, Linton EW, Zimba PV. Preliminary Assessment of Microbial Community Structure of Wind-Tidal Flats in the Laguna Madre, Texas, USA. Biology (Basel) 2020; 9:E183. [PMID: 32707990 PMCID: PMC7464120 DOI: 10.3390/biology9080183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Aside from two samples collected nearly 50 years ago, little is known about the microbial composition of wind tidal flats in the hypersaline Laguna Madre, Texas. These mats account for ~42% of the lagoon's area. These microbial communities were sampled at four locations that historically had mats in the Laguna Madre, including Laguna Madre Field Station (LMFS), Nighthawk Bay (NH), and two locations in Kenedy Ranch (KRN and KRS). Amplicon sequencing of 16S genes determined the presence of 51 prokaryotic phyla dominated by Bacteroidota, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, Desulfobacteria, Firmicutes, Halobacteria, and Proteobacteria. The microbial community structure of NH and KR is significantly different to LMFS, in which Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria were most abundant. Twenty-three cyanobacterial taxa were identified via genomic analysis, whereas 45 cyanobacterial taxa were identified using morphological analysis, containing large filamentous forms on the surface, and smaller, motile filamentous and coccoid forms in subsurface mat layers. Sample sites were dominated by species in Oscillatoriaceae (i.e., Lyngbya) and Coleofasciculaceae (i.e., Coleofasciculus). Most cyanobacterial sequences (~35%) could not be assigned to any established taxa at the family/genus level, given the limited knowledge of hypersaline cyanobacteria. A total of 73 cyanobacterial bioactive metabolites were identified using ultra performance liquid chromatography-Orbitrap MS analysis from these commu nities. Laguna Madre seems unique compared to other sabkhas in terms of its microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- I.-Shuo Huang
- Center for Coastal Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA;
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA
| | - Lee J. Pinnell
- Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA; (L.J.P.); (J.W.T.)
- A. Watson Armour III Center for Animal Health and Welfare, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Jeffrey W. Turner
- Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA; (L.J.P.); (J.W.T.)
| | - Hussain Abdulla
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA;
| | - Lauren Boyd
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA; (L.B.); (E.W.L.)
| | - Eric W. Linton
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA; (L.B.); (E.W.L.)
| | - Paul V. Zimba
- Center for Coastal Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA;
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