Functional filtering and random processes affect the assembly of microbial communities of snow algae blooms at Maritime Antarctic

2021 ◽  
pp. 150305
Author(s):  
Daniela F. Soto ◽  
Andrea Franzetti ◽  
Iván Gómez ◽  
Pirjo Huovinen
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Random Processes ◽  
Maritime Antarctic ◽  
Snow Algae ◽  
Algae Blooms

scholarly journals When snows bloom: snow algae associated microbial communities are underpinned by trophic partitioning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avery Tucker ◽  
Shawn Brown
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Snow Algae ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Algae Blooms ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi ◽  
Trophic Partitioning

Snow microbial communities (algae, bacteria, and fungi) play major roles in snow ecosystem processes and are linked to snowmelt dynamics, but patterns and mechanisms underpinning their spatial distributions, community assembly, and maintenance dynamics are poorly understood. Here we examine nival microbial communities and physicochemical measures across a semi-continental scale and across categorical snow algae bloom zones to elucidate interrelation between communities and their environment. Evidence suggests that trophic partitioning may be a major driver of snow community sub-networks. Samples from snows from the Cascade Mountains (USA) and the Rocky Mountains (USA) were collected from active red snow algae blooms from the center of the bloom (medial), from the edge of the bloom (peripheral), and in adjacent ‘white’ snow. Medial sections of snow algae blooms show increased levels of anemophilous bisaccate pollen, lower oxidation-reduction potential, decreased algal and increased bacterial richness, and increased levels of potassium. Fungal communities between the Cascade and Rocky Mountains are distinct but bacterial and algal communities show little intracontinental differentiation. Ecological modules were identified using a weighted gene co-expression analysis (WGCNA), which shows that dominant microbial consortia correlate differentially to environmental parameters, suggesting complex subcommunities drive observed ecological patterns. Individual OTU networks (fungi and bacteria) show high levels of network connectivity compared to networks based on the snow algae Sanguina nivaloides, which underscores associative differences between algal dominated networks and other OTU networks, indicative of trophic partitioning.

scholarly journals Laws of diversity and variation in microbial communities

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacopo Grilli
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Random Processes ◽  
Environmental Stochasticity ◽  
Mechanistic Models ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Quantitative Understanding

How coexistence of many species is maintained is a fundamental and unanswered question in ecology. Coexistence is a puzzle because we lack a quantitative understanding of the variation in species presence and abundance. Whether variation in ecological communities is driven by deterministic or random processes is one of the most controversial issues in ecology. Here, we study the variation of species presence and abundance in microbial communities from a macroecological standpoint. We identify three novel, fundamental, and universal macroecological laws that characterize the fluctuation of species abundance across communities and over time. These three laws — in addition to predicting the presence and absence of species, diversity and other commonly studied macroecological patterns — allow to test mechanistic models and general theories aiming at describing the fundamental processes shaping microbial community composition and dynamics. We show that a mathematical model based on environmental stochasticity quantitatively predicts the three macroecological laws, as well as non-stationary properties of community dynamics.

scholarly journals Variation in Snow Algae Blooms in the Coast Range of British Columbia

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casey B. Engstrom ◽  
Kurt M. Yakimovich ◽  
Lynne M. Quarmby
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Coast Range ◽  
Snow Algae ◽  
Algae Blooms

scholarly journals Revealing the Characteristics of the Antarctic Snow Alga Chlorominima collina gen. et sp. nov. Through Taxonomy, Physiology, and Transcriptomics

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisca E. Gálvez ◽  
Mónica Saldarriaga-Córdoba ◽  
Pirjo Huovinen ◽  
Andrea X. Silva ◽  
Iván Gómez
Keyword(s):  
New Taxon ◽  
King George Island ◽  
Maritime Antarctic ◽  
Antarctic Region ◽  
Snow Algae ◽  
Antarctic Snow ◽  
Snow Alga ◽  
Species Type ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Distinct Taxon

Snow algae play crucial roles in cold ecosystems, however, many aspects related to their biology, adaptations and especially their diversity are not well known. To improve the identification of snow algae from colored snow, in the present study we used a polyphasic approach to describe a new Antarctic genus, Chlorominima with the species type Chlorominima collina. This new taxon was isolated of colored snow collected from the Collins Glacier (King George Island) in the Maritime Antarctic region. Microscopy revealed biflagellated ellipsoidal cells with a rounded posterior end, a C-shaped parietal chloroplast without a pyrenoid, eyespot, and discrete papillae. Several of these characteristics are typical of the genus Chloromonas, but the new isolate differs from the described species of this genus by the unusual small size of the cells, the presence of several vacuoles, the position of the nucleus and the shape of the chloroplast. Molecular analyzes confirm that the isolated alga does not belong to Chloromonas and therefore forms an independent lineage, which is closely related to other unidentified Antarctic and Arctic strains, forming a polar subclade in the Stephanosphaerinia phylogroup within the Chlamydomonadales. Secondary structure comparisons of the ITS2 rDNA marker support the idea that new strain is a distinct taxon within of Caudivolvoxa. Physiological experiments revealed psychrophilic characteristics, which are typical of true snow algae. This status was confirmed by the partial transcriptome obtained at 2°C, in which various cold-responsive and cryoprotective genes were identified. This study explores the systematics, cold acclimatization strategies and their implications for the Antarctic snow flora.

scholarly journals Snow algae blooms are beneficial for microinvertebrates assemblages (Tardigrada and Rotifera) on seasonal snow patches in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masato Ono ◽  
Nozomu Takeuchi ◽  
Krzysztof Zawierucha
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
High Biomass ◽  
Population Densities ◽  
Snow Algae ◽  
Seasonal Snow ◽  
Algae Blooms ◽  
Surface Snow ◽  
Northern Japan

AbstractAlthough studies on snow algae and macroinvertebrates have been frequently conducted on snow patches, only few surveys have been focused on microinvertebrates which reach high biomass and play various trophic roles in other cold habitats. The aims of this study were (1) to search for microinvertebrates in seasonal surface snow patches located on the slope of Mt. Gassan, in northern Japan, and (2) to identify factors determining their distribution associated with snow algal blooms of various colorations (orange, green, and golden-brown) collected from the same sampling site over two seasons (2018, 2019). Microscopic observation revealed presence of two major groups of microinvertebrates: Tardigrada and Rotifera. They were concentrated in green snow colored by blooms of Chloromonas sp. in comparison to orange or golden-brown snow and only a few were found in white snow. Mean body length of tardigrades increased throughout the melt season, their intestine content was green and they laid eggs on colored snow. These results suggest that tardigrades preferentially grew and reproduced on green snow patches. Population densities of tardigrades, rotifers and concentration of chlorophyll a were significantly correlated. Our study indicates that green snow patches in temperate mountainous forests constitute important and unique low-temperature ecosystems for microinvertebrates. Snow covered by algae is an unrecognized novel habitats for tardigrades and rotifers.

scholarly journals Non-random processes determine the colonization of groundwater sediments by microbial communities in a pristine porous aquifer

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 327-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Fillinger ◽  
Yuxiang Zhou ◽  
Claudia Kellermann ◽  
Christian Griebler
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Random Processes ◽  
Porous Aquifer

scholarly journals Differential Colonization and Succession of Microbial Communities in Rock and Soil Substrates on a Maritime Antarctic Glacier Forefield

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Garrido-Benavent ◽  
Sergio Pérez-Ortega ◽  
Jorge Durán ◽  
Carmen Ascaso ◽  
Stephen B. Pointing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Maritime Antarctic ◽  
Glacier Forefield ◽  
Rock And Soil ◽  
Soil Substrates

scholarly journals Macroecological laws describe variation and diversity in microbial communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacopo Grilli
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Logistic Model ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Random Processes ◽  
Environmental Stochasticity ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Stochastic Logistic Model ◽  
Over Time

Abstract How the coexistence of many species is maintained is a fundamental and unresolved question in ecology. Coexistence is a puzzle because we lack a mechanistic understanding of the variation in species presence and abundance. Whether variation in ecological communities is driven by deterministic or random processes is one of the most controversial issues in ecology. Here, I study the variation of species presence and abundance in microbial communities from a macroecological standpoint. I identify three macroecological laws that quantitatively characterize the fluctuation of species abundance across communities and over time. Using these three laws, one can predict species’ presence and absence, diversity, and commonly studied macroecological patterns. I show that a mathematical model based on environmental stochasticity, the stochastic logistic model, quantitatively predicts the three macroecological laws, as well as non-stationary properties of community dynamics.

A peek in the micro-sized world: a review of design principles, engineering tools, and applications of engineered microbial community

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-409
Author(s):  
Baizhen Gao ◽  
Rushant Sabnis ◽  
Tommaso Costantini ◽  
Robert Jinkerson ◽  
Qing Sun
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Environmental Remediation ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
New Gene ◽  
Global Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Synthetic Microbial Communities

Microbial communities drive diverse processes that impact nearly everything on this planet, from global biogeochemical cycles to human health. Harnessing the power of these microorganisms could provide solutions to many of the challenges that face society. However, naturally occurring microbial communities are not optimized for anthropogenic use. An emerging area of research is focusing on engineering synthetic microbial communities to carry out predefined functions. Microbial community engineers are applying design principles like top-down and bottom-up approaches to create synthetic microbial communities having a myriad of real-life applications in health care, disease prevention, and environmental remediation. Multiple genetic engineering tools and delivery approaches can be used to ‘knock-in' new gene functions into microbial communities. A systematic study of the microbial interactions, community assembling principles, and engineering tools are necessary for us to understand the microbial community and to better utilize them. Continued analysis and effort are required to further the current and potential applications of synthetic microbial communities.

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