Microbial Hotspots in Lithic Microhabitats Inferred from DNA Fractionation and Metagenomics in the Atacama Desert

Microorganisms

Yunha Hwang¹  FelixL. Arens¹  Jacob Heinz¹  Dirk Schulze-Makuch¹  Janosch Schirmack¹  SamuelP. Kounaves²  Markus Flury³  Gisle Vestergaard⁴  AlexanderJ. Probst⁵  RainerU. Meckenstock⁵  TillL. V. Bornemann⁵  Mark Pannekens⁵  Jan Frösler⁵  Beate Schneider⁶  Daniel Lipus⁶  Dirk Wagner⁶  Kai Mangelsdorf⁷  Mickael Baqué⁸  Jean-Pierre de Vera⁹  Pedro Zamorano^1,10  Bernardita Valenzuela^1,10  Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin^1,11  Jenny Uhl^1,11  Michael Schloter^1,12  JohanS. Sáenz^1,12 

[1] Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany;Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02155, USA;Department of Crop and Soil Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA;Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark;Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141 Essen, Germany;GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany;GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Organic Geochemistry, 14473 Potsdam, Germany;German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, 12489 Berlin, Germany;German Aerospace Center (DLR), Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC), 51147 Cologne, Germany;Laboratorio de Microorganismos Extremófilos, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Av. Angamos 601, Antofagasta 1240000, Chile;Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany;Research Unit for Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany;

关键词: hyperarid;    habitat;    desert ecology;    extremophile;    endolith;    hypolith;   

DOI  :  10.3390/microorganisms9051038

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The existence of microbial activity hotspots in temperate regions of Earth is driven by soil heterogeneities, especially the temporal and spatial availability of nutrients. Here we investigate whether microbial activity hotspots also exist in lithic microhabitats in one of the most arid regions of the world, the Atacama Desert in Chile. While previous studies evaluated the total DNA fraction to elucidate the microbial communities, we here for the first time use a DNA separation approach on lithic microhabitats, together with metagenomics and other analysis methods (i.e., ATP, PLFA, and metabolite analysis) to specifically gain insights on the living and potentially active microbial community. Our results show that hypolith colonized rocks are microbial hotspots in the desert environment. In contrast, our data do not support such a conclusion for gypsum crust and salt rock environments, because only limited microbial activity could be observed. The hypolith community is dominated by phototrophs, mostly Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi, at both study sites. The gypsum crusts are dominated by methylotrophs and heterotrophic phototrophs, mostly Chloroflexi, and the salt rocks (halite nodules) by phototrophic and halotolerant endoliths, mostly Cyanobacteria and Archaea. The major environmental constraints in the organic-poor arid and hyperarid Atacama Desert are water availability and UV irradiation, allowing phototrophs and other extremophiles to play a key role in desert ecology.

【 授权许可】

Unknown