scholarly journals Leave no stone unturned: The hidden potential of carbon and nitrogen cycling by novel, highly adapted Thaumarchaeota in the Atacama Desert hyperarid core

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunha Hwang ◽  
Dirk Schulze-Makuch ◽  
Felix L. Arens ◽  
Johan S. Saenz ◽  
Panagiotis S. Adam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Ammonia Oxidation ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Atacama Desert ◽  
Uv Resistance ◽  
Metal Transporters ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Oligotrophic Ecosystems

AbstractThe hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert is an extremely harsh environment previously thought to be colonized by only a few heterotrophic bacterial species. In addition, carbon and nitrogen cycling in these highly oligotrophic ecosystems are poorly understood. Here we genomically resolved a novel genus of Thaumarchaeota, Ca. Nitrosodesertus, found below boulders of the Atacama hyperarid core, and used comparative genomics to analyze their pangenome and site-specific adaptations. Their genomes contain genes for ammonia oxidation and the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate carbon fixation pathway, indicating a chemolithoautotrophic lifestyle. Ca. Nitrosodesertus possesses the capacity for tolerating extensive environmental stress highlighted by the presence of genes against oxidative stress, DNA damage and genes for the formation of biofilms. These features are likely responsible for their dominance in samples with extremely low water content across three different boulder fields and eight different boulders. Genome-specific adaptations of the genomes included the presence of additional genes for UV resistance, heavy metal transporters, multiple types of ATP synthases, and divergent genes for aquaporins. Our results suggest that Thaumarchaeota mediate important carbon and nitrogen cycling in the hyperarid core of the Atacama and are part of its continuous and indigenous microbiome.

scholarly journals Leave no stone unturned: individually adapted xerotolerant Thaumarchaeota sheltered below the boulders of the Atacama Desert hyperarid core

Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunha Hwang ◽  
Dirk Schulze-Makuch ◽  
Felix L. Arens ◽  
Johan S. Saenz ◽  
Panagiotis S. Adam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Ammonia Oxidation ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Atacama Desert ◽  
Metal Transporters ◽  
Damage Site ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Terrestrial Habitats ◽  
Acetate Utilization ◽  
Genomic Characterization

Abstract Background The hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert is an extremely harsh environment thought to be colonized by only a few heterotrophic bacterial species. Current concepts for understanding this extreme ecosystem are mainly based on the diversity of these few species, yet a substantial area of the Atacama Desert hyperarid topsoil is covered by expansive boulder accumulations, whose underlying microbiomes have not been investigated so far. With the hypothesis that these sheltered soils harbor uniquely adapted microbiomes, we compared metagenomes and geochemistry between soils below and beside boulders across three distantly located boulder accumulations in the Atacama Desert hyperarid core. Results Genome-resolved metagenomics of eleven samples revealed substantially different microbial communities in soils below and beside boulders, despite the presence of shared species. Archaea were found in significantly higher relative abundance below the boulders across all samples within distances of up to 205 km. These key taxa belong to a novel genus of ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota, Candidatus Nitrosodeserticola. We resolved eight mid-to-high quality genomes of this genus and used comparative genomics to analyze its pangenome and site-specific adaptations. Ca. Nitrosodeserticola genomes contain genes for ammonia oxidation, the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate carbon fixation pathway, and acetate utilization indicating a chemolithoautotrophic and mixotrophic lifestyle. They also possess the capacity for tolerating extreme environmental conditions as highlighted by the presence of genes against oxidative stress and DNA damage. Site-specific adaptations of the genomes included the presence of additional genes for heavy metal transporters, multiple types of ATP synthases, and divergent genes for aquaporins. Conclusion We provide the first genomic characterization of hyperarid soil microbiomes below the boulders in the Atacama Desert, and report abundant and highly adapted Thaumarchaeaota with ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation potential. Ca. Nitrosodeserticola genomes provide the first metabolic and physiological insight into a thaumarchaeal lineage found in globally distributed terrestrial habitats characterized by various environmental stresses. We consequently expand not only the known genetic repertoire of Thaumarchaeota but also the diversity and microbiome functioning in hyperarid ecosystems.

scholarly journals Microbial carbon and nitrogen cycling responses to drought and temperature in differently managed mountain grasslands

2019 ◽  
Vol 135 ◽  
pp. 144-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Fuchslueger ◽  
Birgit Wild ◽  
Maria Mooshammer ◽  
Mounir Takriti ◽  
Sandra Kienzl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Mountain Grasslands ◽  
Microbial Carbon

Integrated eco-strategies towards sustainable carbon and nitrogen cycling in agriculture

2021 ◽  
Vol 293 ◽  
pp. 112856
Author(s):  
Jean Damascene Harindintwali ◽  
Jianli Zhou ◽  
Bertrand Muhoza ◽  
Fang Wang ◽  
Anna Herzberger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling

Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling and Ecosystem Service in Cities

Urban Soils ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. 121-136
Author(s):  
Weixing Zhu ◽  
Beth A. Egitto ◽  
Ian D. Yesilonis ◽  
Richard V. Pouyat
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Soil Carbon And Nitrogen

Effects of Soil Warming on Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling

2000 ◽  
pp. 357-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey E. Rustad ◽  
Jerry M. Melillo ◽  
Myron J. Mitchell ◽  
Ivan J. Fernandez ◽  
Paul A. Steudler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Soil Warming ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling

scholarly journals Changes of Soil Microbes Related with Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling after Long-Term CO2 Enrichment in a Typical Chinese Maize Field

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiantian Diao ◽  
Zhengping Peng ◽  
Xiaoguang Niu ◽  
Rongquan Yang ◽  
Fen Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
16S Rrna ◽  
Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Soil Microbes ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria ◽  
Rhizospheric Soil ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Maize Field

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration (eCO2) has been the most important driving factor and characteristic of climate change. To clarify the effects of eCO2 on the soil microbes and on the concurrent status of soil carbon and nitrogen, an experiment was conducted in a typical summer maize field based on a 10-year mini FACE (Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) system in North China. Both rhizospheric and bulk soils were collected for measurement. The soil microbial carbon (MBC), nitrogen (MBN), and soil mineral N were measured at two stages. Characteristics of microbes were assayed for both rhizospheric soil and bulk soils at the key stage. We examined the plasmid copy numbers, diversities, and community structures of bacteria (in terms of 16s rRNA), fungi (in terms of ITS-internal transcribed spacer), ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and denitrifiers including nirK, nirS, and nosZ using the Miseq sequencing technique. Results showed that under eCO2 conditions, both MBC and MBN in rhizospheric soil were increased significantly. The quantity of ITS was increased in the eCO2 treatment compared with that in the ambient CO2 (aCO2) treatment, while the quantity of 16s rRNA in rhizospheric soil showed decrease in the rhizospheric soil in the eCO2 treatment. ECO2 changed the relative abundance of microbes in terms of compositional proportion of some orders or genera particularly in the rhizospheric soil-n particular, Chaetomium increased for ITS, Subgroups 4 and 6 increased for 16s rRNA, Nitrosospira decreased for AOB, and some genera showed increase for nirS, nirK, and nosZ. Nitrate N was the main inorganic nitrogen form at the tasseling stage and both quantities of AOB and denitrifiers, as well as the nosZ/(nirS+nirK) showed an increase under eCO2 conditions particularly in the rhizospheric soil. The Nitrosospira decreased in abundance under eCO2 conditions in the rhizospheric soil and some genera of denitrifiers also showed differences in abundance. ECO2 did not change the diversities of microbes significantly. In general, results suggested that 10 years of eCO2 did affect the active component of C and N pools (such as MBC and MBN) and both the quantities and relative abundance of microbes which are involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling, possibly due to the differences in both the quantities and component of substrate for relevant microbes in the rhizospheric soils.

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