Estuarine gradients dictate spatiotemporal variations of microbiome networks in the Chesapeake Bay

Environmental Microbiome

Min Wang¹  Hualong Wang²  Chuanlun Zhang³  Feng Chen⁴  Jinjun Kan⁵ 

[1] College of Marine Life Sciences, and Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China;College of Marine Life Sciences, and Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China;Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, MD, USA;Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China;Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China;Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China;Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, MD, USA;Microbiology Division, Stroud Water Research Center, Avondale, PA, USA;Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China;

关键词: Estuarine gradients;    Planktonic microbiomes;    Co-occurrence;    Network stability;    Chesapeake Bay;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40793-021-00392-z

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAnnually reoccurring microbial populations with strong spatial and temporal variations have been identified in estuarine environments, especially in those with long residence time such as the Chesapeake Bay (CB). However, it is unclear how microbial taxa cooccurr and how the inter-taxa networks respond to the strong environmental gradients in the estuaries.ResultsHere, we constructed co-occurrence networks on prokaryotic microbial communities in the CB, which included seasonal samples from seven spatial stations along the salinity gradients for three consecutive years. Our results showed that spatiotemporal variations of planktonic microbiomes promoted differentiations of the characteristics and stability of prokaryotic microbial networks in the CB estuary. Prokaryotic microbial networks exhibited a clear seasonal pattern where microbes were more closely connected during warm season compared to the associations during cold season. In addition, microbial networks were more stable in the lower Bay (ocean side) than those in the upper Bay (freshwater side). Multivariate regression tree (MRT) analysis and piecewise structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that temperature, salinity and total suspended substances along with nutrient availability, particulate carbon and Chl a, affected the distribution and co-occurrence of microbial groups, such as Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia. Interestingly, compared to the abundant groups (such as SAR11, Saprospiraceae and Actinomarinaceae), the rare taxa including OM60 (NOR5) clade (Gammaproteobacteria), Micrococcales (Actinobacteria), and NS11-12 marine group (Bacteroidetes) contributed greatly to the stability of microbial co-occurrence in the Bay. Modularity and cluster structures of microbial networks varied spatiotemporally, which provided valuable insights into the ‘small world’ (a group of more interconnected species), network stability, and habitat partitioning/preferences.ConclusionOur results shed light on how estuarine gradients alter the spatiotemporal variations of prokaryotic microbial networks in the estuarine ecosystem, as well as their adaptability to environmental disturbances and co-occurrence network complexity and stability.

【 授权许可】

CC BY