Thrive or survive: prokaryotic life in hypersaline soils

Environmental Microbiome

卷:18

Research

Antonio Ventosa¹  Blanca Vera-Gargallo²  Marcela Hernández³  Marc G. Dumont⁴ 

[1] Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sevilla, 41012, Sevilla, Spain;

[2] Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sevilla, 41012, Sevilla, Spain;School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ, Southampton, UK;

[3] School of Biological Sciences, Norwich Research Park, University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, Norwich, UK;

[4] School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ, Southampton, UK;

关键词: Hypersaline environments;    Saline soil;    Stable isotope probing;    Prokaryotic communities;    Amplicon sequencing;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40793-023-00475-z

 received in 2022-09-06, accepted in 2023-02-24,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSoil services are central to life on the planet, with microorganisms as their main drivers. Thus, the evaluation of soil quality requires an understanding of the principles and factors governing microbial dynamics within it. High salt content is a constraint for life affecting more than 900 million hectares of land, a number predicted to rise at an alarming rate due to changing climate. Nevertheless, little is known about how microbial life unfolds in these habitats. In this study, DNA stable-isotope probing (DNA-SIP) with 18O-water was used to determine for the first time the taxa able to grow in hypersaline soil samples (ECe = 97.02 dS/m). We further evaluated the role of light on prokaryotes growth in this habitat.ResultsWe detected growth of both archaea and bacteria, with taxon-specific growth patterns providing insights into the drivers of success in saline soils. Phylotypes related to extreme halophiles, including haloarchaea and Salinibacter, which share an energetically efficient mechanism for salt adaptation (salt-in strategy), dominated the active community. Bacteria related to moderately halophilic and halotolerant taxa, such as Staphylococcus, Aliifodinibius, Bradymonadales or Chitinophagales also grew during the incubations, but they incorporated less heavy isotope. Light did not stimulate prokaryotic photosynthesis but instead restricted the growth of most bacteria and reduced the diversity of archaea that grew.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that life in saline soils is energetically expensive and that soil heterogeneity and traits such as exopolysaccharide production or predation may support growth in hypersaline soils. The contribution of phototrophy to supporting the heterotrophic community in saline soils remains unclear. This study paves the way toward a more comprehensive understanding of the functioning of these environments, which is fundamental to their management. Furthermore, it illustrates the potential of further research in saline soils to deepen our understanding of the effect of salinity on microbial communities.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023. corrected publication 2023

【 图 表 】

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