Kinetics and pathways of sub-lithic microbial community (hypolithon) development.

Autor: Bosch J; Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.; Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic., Lebre PH; Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa., Marais E; Gobabeb-Namib Research Institute, Walvis Bay, Namibia., Maggs-Kölling G; Gobabeb-Namib Research Institute, Walvis Bay, Namibia., Cowan DA; Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Environmental microbiology reports [Environ Microbiol Rep] 2024 Jun; Vol. 16 (3), pp. e13290.
DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13290
Abstrakt: Type I hypolithons are microbial communities dominated by Cyanobacteria. They adhere to the underside of semi-translucent rocks in desert pavements, providing them with a refuge from the harsh abiotic stresses found on the desert soil surface. Despite their crucial role in soil nutrient cycling, our understanding of their growth rates and community development pathways remains limited. This study aimed to quantify the dynamics of hypolithon formation in the pavements of the Namib Desert. We established replicate arrays of sterile rock tiles with varying light transmission in two areas of the Namib Desert, each with different annual precipitation regimes. These were sampled annually over 7 years, and the samples were analysed using eDNA extraction and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Our findings revealed that in the zone with higher precipitation, hypolithon formation became evident in semi-translucent rocks 3 years after the arrays were set up. This coincided with a Cyanobacterial 'bloom' in the adherent microbial community in the third year. In contrast, no visible hypolithon formation was observed at the array set up in the hyper-arid zone. This study provides the first quantitative evidence of the kinetics of hypolithon development in hot desert environments, suggesting that development rates are strongly influenced by precipitation regimes.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Environmental Microbiology Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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