scholarly journals Microbial community structure in the Western Tropical South Pacific

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Bock ◽  
France Van Wambeke ◽  
Moïra Dion ◽  
Solange Duhamel
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
N2 Fixation ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
General Level ◽  
Bottom Up

Abstract. Accounting for 40 percent of the earth's surface, oligotrophic regions play an important role in global biogeochemical cycles, with microbial communities in these areas representing an important term in global carbon budgets. While the general structure of microbial communities has been well documented in the global ocean, some remote regions such as the Western Tropical South Pacific (WTSP), remain fundamentally unexplored. Moreover, the biotic and abiotic factors constraining microbial abundances and distribution remain not-well resolved. In this study, we quantified the spatial (vertical and horizontal) distribution of major microbial plankton groups along a transect through the WTSP during the austral summer of 2015, capturing important autotrophic and heterotrophic assemblages including cytometrically determined abundances of non-pigmented protists (also called flagellates). Using environmental parameters (e.g. nutrients and light availability) as well as statistical analyses, we estimated the role of bottom-up and top-down controls in constraining the structure of the WTSP microbial communities in biogeochemically distinct regions. At the most general level, we found a typical tropical structure, characterized by high abundances of Prochlorococcus at the surface, a clear deep chlorophyll maximum at all sampling sites, and a deep nitracline. Despite their relatively low abundances, picophytoeukaryotes (PPE) accounted for up to half of depth-integrated phytoplankton biomass in the lower euphotic zone. While present at all stations, Synechococcus accounted for only 2 % and 4 % of total phytoplankton abundance and biomass, respectively. Our results show that the microbial community structure of the WTSP is typical of highly stratified regions, and underline the significant contribution to total biomass by PPE populations. Strong relationships between N2 fixation rates and plankton abundances demonstrate the central role of N2 fixation in regulating ecosystem processes in the WTSP, while comparative analyses of abundance data suggest microbial community structure to be increasingly regulated by bottom-up processes under nutrient limitation, possibly in response to shifts in abundances of high nucleic acid bacteria (HNA).

scholarly journals Microbial community structure in the western tropical South Pacific

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 3909-3925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Bock ◽  
France Van Wambeke ◽  
Moïra Dion ◽  
Solange Duhamel
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
N2 Fixation ◽  
Phytoplankton Biomass ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Bottom Up

Abstract. Oligotrophic regions play a central role in global biogeochemical cycles, with microbial communities in these areas representing an important term in global carbon budgets. While the general structure of microbial communities has been well documented in the global ocean, some remote regions such as the western tropical South Pacific (WTSP) remain fundamentally unexplored. Moreover, the biotic and abiotic factors constraining microbial abundances and distribution remain not well resolved. In this study, we quantified the spatial (vertical and horizontal) distribution of major microbial plankton groups along a transect through the WTSP during the austral summer of 2015, capturing important autotrophic and heterotrophic assemblages including cytometrically determined abundances of non-pigmented protists (also called flagellates). Using environmental parameters (e.g., nutrients and light availability) as well as statistical analyses, we estimated the role of bottom–up and top–down controls in constraining the structure of the WTSP microbial communities in biogeochemically distinct regions. At the most general level, we found a “typical tropical structure”, characterized by a shallow mixed layer, a clear deep chlorophyll maximum at all sampling sites, and a deep nitracline. Prochlorococcus was especially abundant along the transect, accounting for 68 ± 10.6 % of depth-integrated phytoplankton biomass. Despite their relatively low abundances, picophytoeukaryotes (PPE) accounted for up to 26 ± 11.6 % of depth-integrated phytoplankton biomass, while Synechococcus accounted for only 6 ± 6.9 %. Our results show that the microbial community structure of the WTSP is typical of highly stratified regions, and underline the significant contribution to total biomass by PPE populations. Strong relationships between N2 fixation rates and plankton abundances demonstrate the central role of N2 fixation in regulating ecosystem processes in the WTSP, while comparative analyses of abundance data suggest microbial community structure to be increasingly regulated by bottom–up processes under nutrient limitation, possibly in response to shifts in abundances of high nucleic acid bacteria (HNA).

scholarly journals Stochastic Assembly Leads to Alternative Communities with Distinct Functions in a Bioreactor Microbial Community

mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jizhong Zhou ◽  
Wenzong Liu ◽  
Ye Deng ◽  
Yi-Huei Jiang ◽  
Kai Xue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Microbial Biodiversity ◽  
Stochastic Assembly

ABSTRACTThe processes and mechanisms of community assembly and its relationships to community functioning are central issues in ecology. Both deterministic and stochastic factors play important roles in shaping community composition and structure, but the connection between community assembly and ecosystem functioning remains elusive, especially in microbial communities. Here, we used microbial electrolysis cell reactors as a model system to examine the roles of stochastic assembly in determining microbial community structure and functions. Under identical environmental conditions with the same source community, ecological drift (i.e., initial stochastic colonization) and subsequent biotic interactions created dramatically different communities with little overlap among 14 identical reactors, indicating that stochastic assembly played dominant roles in determining microbial community structure. Neutral community modeling analysis revealed that deterministic factors also played significant roles in shaping microbial community structure in these reactors. Most importantly, the newly formed communities differed substantially in community functions (e.g., H2production), which showed strong linkages to community structure. This study is the first to demonstrate that stochastic assembly plays a dominant role in determining not only community structure but also ecosystem functions. Elucidating the links among community assembly, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning is critical to understanding ecosystem functioning, biodiversity preservation, and ecosystem management.IMPORTANCEMicroorganisms are the most diverse group of life known on earth. Although it is well documented that microbial natural biodiversity is extremely high, it is not clear why such high diversity is generated and maintained. Numerous studies have established the roles of niche-based deterministic factors (e.g., pH, temperature, and salt) in shaping microbial biodiversity, the importance of stochastic processes in generating microbial biodiversity is rarely appreciated. Moreover, while microorganisms mediate many ecosystem processes, the relationship between microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning remains largely elusive. Using a well-controlled laboratory system, this study provides empirical support for the dominant role of stochastic assembly in creating variations of microbial diversity and the first explicit evidence for the critical role of community assembly in influencing ecosystem functioning. The results presented in this study represent important contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms, especially stochastic processes, involved in shaping microbial biodiversity.

Phylum-Specific Primer Design and Implication in Quantification of the Microbial Community Structure in GuJingGong Pit Mud

2014 ◽  
Vol 1051 ◽  
pp. 311-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Mei Luo ◽  
Zhi Lei Gao ◽  
Hui Min Zhang ◽  
An Jun Li ◽  
Hong Kui He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Real Time Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Pit Mud ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Primers

In recent years, despite the significant improvement of sequencing technologies such as the pyrosequencing, rapid evaluation of microbial community structures remains very difficult because of the abundance and complexity of organisms in almost all natural microbial communities. In this paper, a group of phylum-specific primers were elaborately designed based on a single nucleotide discrimination technology to quantify the main microbial community structure from GuJingGong pit mud samples using the real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Specific PCR (polymerase chain reaction) primers targeting a particular group would provide promising sensitivity and more in-depth assessment of microbial communities.

A quantitative comparison of microbial community structure of estuarine sediments from microcosms and the field

1986 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Federle ◽  
Robert J. Livingston ◽  
Loretta E. Wolfe ◽  
David C. White
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Estuarine Sediments ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Multivariate Statistical ◽  
Apalachicola Bay ◽  
Sound Experiment

Estuarine soft-bottom sediments in microcosms and the field were compared with regard to microbial community structure. Community structure was determined by analyzing the fatty acids derived from the microbial lipids in the sediments. Fatty acid profiles were compared using a multivariate statistical approach. Experiments were performed using sediments from St. George Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida. The community structure of St. George Sound sediments was apparently controlled by epibenthic predators. In Apalachicola Bay, the dominant influences were physical factors related to the flow of the Apalachicola River. In the St. George Sound experiment, microbial communities in the microcosms differed from those in the field after only 2 weeks, and the degree of this difference increased substantially as time progressed. In the Apalachicola Bay experiment, although microbial communities in the microcosms were detectably different from those in the field, the degree of this difference was not large nor did it increase with time. This differential behavior of sediment communities from different sites may be related to the different ecological factors regulating community composition at these sites.

Spatial variation in microbial community structure, richness, and diversity in an alluvial aquifer

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (9) ◽  
pp. 1135-1151 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.G. Medihala ◽  
J.R. Lawrence ◽  
G.D.W. Swerhone ◽  
D.R. Korber
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Alluvial Aquifer ◽  
Gradient Gel Electrophoresis

Relatively little is known regarding the spatial variability of microbial communities in aquifers where well fouling is an issue. In this study 2 water wells were installed in an alluvial aquifer located adjacent to the North Saskatchewan River and an associated piezometer network developed to facilitate the study of microbial community structure, richness, and diversity. Carbon utilization data analysis revealed reduced microbial activity in waters collected close to the wells. Functional PCR and quantitative PCR analysis indicated spatial variability in the potential for iron-, sulphate-, and nitrate-reducing activity at all locations in the aquifer. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of aquifer water samples using principal components analyses indicated that the microbial community composition was spatially variable, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis sequence analysis revealed that bacteria belonging to the genera Acidovorax , Rhodobacter , and Sulfuricurvum were common throughout the aquifer. Shannon’s richness (H′) and Pielou’s evenness (J′) indices revealed a varied microbial diversity (H′ = 1.488–2.274) and an even distribution of microbial communities within the aquifer (J′ = 0.811–0.917). Overall, these analyses revealed that the aquifer’s microbial community varied spatially in terms of composition, richness, and metabolic activity. Such information may facilitate the diagnosis, prevention, and management of fouling.

scholarly journals Relationships between Microbial Community Structure and Hydrochemistry in a Landfill Leachate-Polluted Aquifer

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 4619-4629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilfred F. M. Röling ◽  
Boris M. van Breukelen ◽  
Martin Braster ◽  
Bin Lin ◽  
Henk W. van Verseveld
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
16S Rdna ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Landfill Leachate ◽  
Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Numerical Comparison ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria

ABSTRACT Knowledge about the relationship between microbial community structure and hydrogeochemistry (e.g., pollution, redox and degradation processes) in landfill leachate-polluted aquifers is required to develop tools for predicting and monitoring natural attenuation. In this study analyses of pollutant and redox chemistry were conducted in parallel with culture-independent profiling of microbial communities present in a well-defined aquifer (Banisveld, The Netherlands). Degradation of organic contaminants occurred under iron-reducing conditions in the plume of pollution, while upstream of the landfill and above the plume denitrification was the dominant redox process. Beneath the plume iron reduction occurred. Numerical comparison of 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA)-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles of Bacteria andArchaea in 29 groundwater samples revealed a clear difference between the microbial community structures inside and outside the contaminant plume. A similar relationship was not evident in sediment samples. DGGE data were supported by sequencing cloned 16S rDNA. Upstream of the landfill members of the β subclass of the class Proteobacteria(β-proteobacteria) dominated. This group was not encountered beneath the landfill, where gram-positive bacteria dominated. Further downstream the contribution of gram-positive bacteria to the clone library decreased, while the contribution of δ-proteobacteria strongly increased and β-proteobacteria reappeared. The β-proteobacteria (Acidovorax,Rhodoferax) differed considerably from those found upstream (Gallionella, Azoarcus). Direct comparisons of cloned 16S rDNA with bands in DGGE profiles revealed that the data from each analysis were comparable. A relationship was observed between the dominant redox processes and the bacteria identified. In the iron-reducing plume members of the familyGeobacteraceae made a strong contribution to the microbial communities. Because the only known aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading, iron-reducing bacteria areGeobacter spp., their occurrence in landfill leachate-contaminated aquifers deserves more detailed consideration.

scholarly journals Defining marine microbial biomes from environmental and dispersal filtered metapopulations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus V. Lindh
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Dispersal Limitation ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Microbial Populations ◽  
Microbial Biogeography ◽  
Metapopulation Theory ◽  
Mock Communities

SummaryEnergy and matter fluxes essential for all life1 are modulated by spatial and temporal shifts in microbial community structure resulting from environmental and dispersal filtering2,3, emphasizing the continued need to characterize microbial biogeography4,5. Yet, application of metapopulation theory, traditionally used in general ecology for understanding shifts in biogeographical patterns among macroorganisms, has not been tested extensively for defining marine microbial populations filtered by environmental conditions and dispersal limitation at global ocean scales. Here we show, from applying metapopulation theory on two major global ocean datasets6,7, that microbial populations exhibit core- and satellite distributions with cosmopolitan compared to geographically restricted distributions of populations. We found significant bimodal occupancy-frequency patterns (the different number of species occupying different number of patches) at varying spatial scales, where shifts from bimodal to unimodal patterns indicated environmental and dispersal filtering. Such bimodal occupancy-frequency patterns were validated in Longhurst’s classical biogeographical framework and in silico where observed bimodal patterns often aligned with specific biomes and provinces described by Longhurst and where found to be non-random in randomized datasets and mock communities. Taken together, our results show that application of metapopulation theory provides a framework for determining distinct microbial biomes maintained by environmental and dispersal filtering.

scholarly journals The impact of stand age and fertilization on the soil microbiome of Miscanthus × giganteus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanying Ma ◽  
Fernando Igne Rocha ◽  
Jaejin Lee ◽  
Jinlyung Choi ◽  
Mauricio Tejera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
N Fertilizer ◽  
Soil Microbiome ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Miscanthus Giganteus

Yield of the perennial grass Miscanthus × giganteus has shown an inconsistent and unpredictable response to nitrogen (N) fertilizer, yet fertilization underpins the crop’s environmental and economic sustainability. The interactions among soil microbial communities, N availability, and M. × giganteus and management may explain changes in plant productivity. In this study, soil samples from different stand ages of M. × giganteus in a replicated chronosequence field trial were used to investigate the effects of stand age and N fertilizer rates on microbial community structure. We hypothesized that there is a definable M. × giganteus soil microbiome and that this community varies significantly with stand age and fertilization. Our results showed that the main phyla in soil microbial communities, regardless of plant age, are similar but microbial community structures are significantly different. The variation in observed microbial communities generally decreases in older stand ages. The amount of N fertilizer applied also affected the microbial community structure associated with different aged M. × giganteus. Specifically, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria) and Acidobacteria (Subgroup Gp1) increased shortly after fertilization and were more associated with younger M. × giganteus. Further, our results show a significant relationship between bacterial alpha diversity and fertilization rates and that this response is also impacted by stand age. Overall, our results emphasize linkages between microbial community structure, plant age, and fertilization in M. × giganteus.

scholarly journals Nitrapyrin has far reaching effects on the soil microbial community structure, composition, diversity and functions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Schmidt ◽  
Xiao-Bo Wang ◽  
Paolina Garbeva ◽  
Étienne Yergeau
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Ammonia Oxidizers ◽  
Soil Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Fungal Community Structure

AbstractNitrapyrin is one of the most common nitrification inhibitors that are used to retain N in the ammonia form in soil to improve crop yields and quality. Whereas the inhibitory effect of nitrapyrin is supposedly specific to ammonia oxidizers, in view of the keystone role of this group in soils, nitrapyrin could have far-reaching impacts. Here, we tested the hypothesis that nitrapyrin leads to large shifts in soil microbial community structure, composition, diversity and functions, beyond its effect on ammonia-oxidizers. To test this hypothesis, we set-up a field experiment where wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. AC Walton) was fertilized with ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) and supplemented or not with nitrapyrin. Rhizosphere and bulk soils were sampled twice, DNA was extracted, the 16S rRNA gene and ITS region were amplified and sequenced to follow shifts in archaeal, bacterial and fungal community structure, composition and diversity. To assess microbial functions, several genes involved in the nitrogen cycle were quantified by real-time qPCR and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were trapped in the rhizosphere at the moment of sampling. As expected, sampling date and plant compartment had overwhelming effects on the microbial communities. However, within these strong effects, we found statistically significant effects of nitrapyrin on the relative abundance of Thaumarchaeota, Proteobacteria, Nitrospirae and Basidiomycota, and on several genera. Nitrapyrin also significantly affected bacterial and fungal community structure, and the abundance of all the N-cycle gene tested, but always in interaction with sampling date. In contrast, nitrapyrin had no significant effect on the emission of VOCs, where only sampling date significantly influenced the profiles observed. Our results point out far-reaching effects of nitrapyrin on soil and plant associated microbial communities, well beyond its predicted direct effect on ammonia-oxidizers. In the longer term, these shifts might counteract the positive effect of nitrapyrin on crop nutrition and greenhouse gas emissions.

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