Abstract
Soda lakes environment is known to be variable and can have distinct differences according to geographical location. In this study, we investigated the effect of different environmental conditions of six adjacent soda lakes on bacterial communities and their functioning using a metagenomic approach combined with flow cytometry and chemical analyses. Ordination analysis using flow cytometry and water chemistry data from two sampling periods (wet and dry) clustered soda lakes in three different profiles: eutrophic turbid (ET), oligotrophic turbid (OT), and clear vegetated oligotrophic (CVO). Analysis of bacterial community composition and functioning corroborated this ordination; the exception was one ET lake, that was similar to one OT lake during the wet season, indicating drastic shifts between seasons. Microbial abundance and diversity increased during the dry period, along with a considerable number of limnological variables, all indicative of a strong effect of the precipitation-evaporation balance in these systems. Cyanobacteria were linked to high electric conductivity, pH, and nutrient availability, whereas Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Betaproteobacteria were correlated with landscape morphology variability (surface water, surface perimeter, and lake volume) and less stressed lake conditions. Stress response metabolism was overrepresented in ET and OT lakes and underrepresented in CVO lakes. Altogether, this study illustrated the sensitivity of tropical soda lakes to climate change, as slight changes in hydrological regimes might produce drastic shifts in community diversity.
Using flow cytometry for counting natural planktonic bacteria and understanding the structure of planktonic bacterial communities