TY - JOUR A1 - Krause, Sascha A1 - Le Roux, Xavier A1 - Niklaus, Pascal A. A1 - Van Bodegom, Peter M. A1 - Lennon, Jay T. A1 - Bertilsson, Stefan A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter A1 - Philippot, Laurent A1 - Bodelier, Paul L. E. T1 - Trait-based approaches for understanding microbial biodiversity and ecosystem functioning JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - In ecology, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEE) research has seen a shift in perspective from taxonomy to function in the last two decades, with successful application of trait-based approaches. This shift offers opportunities for a deeper mechanistic understanding of the role of biodiversity in maintaining multiple ecosystem processes and services. In this paper, we highlight studies that have focused on BEE of microbial communities with an emphasis on integrating trait-based approaches to microbial ecology. In doing so, we explore some of the inherent challenges and opportunities of understanding BEE using microbial systems. For example, microbial biologists characterize communities using gene phylogenies that are often unable to resolve functional traits. Additionally, experimental designs of existing microbial BEE studies are often inadequate to unravel BEE relationships. We argue that combining eco-physiological studies with contemporary molecular tools in a trait-based framework can reinforce our ability to link microbial diversity to ecosystem processes. We conclude that such trait-based approaches are a promising framework to increase the understanding of microbial BEE relationships and thus generating systematic principles in microbial ecology and more generally ecology. KW - functional traits KW - ecosystem function KW - ecological theory KW - study designs KW - microbial diversity Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00251 SN - 1664-302X VL - 5 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cesar Fernández, Guillermo A1 - Lecomte, Karina A1 - Vignoni, Paula A1 - Soto-Rueda, Eliana Marcela A1 - Coria, Silvia H. A1 - Lirio, Juan Manuel A1 - Mlewski, Estela Cecilia T1 - Prokaryotic diversity and biogeochemical characteristics of benthic microbial ecosystems from James Ross Archipelago (West Antarctica) JF - Polar biology : current research and development in science and technology N2 - The James Ross archipelago houses numerous lakes and ponds. In this region, a vast diatom and cyanobacterial variety has been reported; however, the prokaryotic diversity in microbial mats from these lakes remains poorly explored. Here, a high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene in microbial mats from Lake Bart-Roja in James Ross Island and lakes Pan Negro and North Pan Negro located in Vega Island was performed. Combined with mineralogical and environmental characteristics, we analyzed the diversity and structure of the microbial communities. Sequences assigned to Archaea were extremely low, while Bacteria domain prevailed with the abundance of Proteobacteria (mostly Betaproteobacteriales) followed by Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Firmicutes, and Cyanobacteria. Local environmental conditions, such as conductivity and Eh, provided differential microbial assemblages that might have implications in the oligotrophic status of the lakes. Consequently, a clear segregation at the family level was observed. In this sense, the assigned diversity was related to taxa recognized as denitrifiers and sulfur oxidizers. Particularly, in Lake Pan Negro sulfur-reducing and methanogenic representatives were also found and positively correlate with alkalinity and water depth. Moreover, Deinococcus-Thermus was observed in Lake Bart-Roja, while Melainabacteria (Cyanobacteria)-poorly reported in Antarctic mats-was detected in Lake Pan Negro. Epsilonbacteraeota was exclusively found in this lake, suggesting new potential phylotypes. This study contributes to the understanding of the diversity, composition, and structure of Antarctic benthic microbial ecosystems and provides highly valuable information, which can be used as a proxy to evaluate environmental changes affecting Antarctic microbiota. KW - Antarctica KW - microbial mats KW - microbial diversity KW - 16S rRNA genes KW - James Ross archipelago Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02997-z SN - 0722-4060 SN - 1432-2056 VL - 45 IS - 3 SP - 405 EP - 418 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ; Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pieck, Angelika A1 - Herlemann, Daniel P. P. A1 - Juergens, Klaus A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - Particle-Associated Differ from Free-Living Bacteria in Surface Waters of the Baltic Sea JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - Many studies on bacterial community composition (BCC) do not distinguish between particle associated (PA) and free-living (FL) bacteria or neglect the PA fraction by pre-filtration removing most particles. Although temporal and spatial gradients in environmental variables are known to shape BCC, it remains unclear how and to what extent PA and FL bacterial diversity responds to such environmental changes. To elucidate the BCC of both bacterial fractions related to different environmental settings, we studied surface samples of three Baltic Sea stations (marine, mesohaline, and oligohaline) in two different seasons (summer and fall/winter). Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed significant differences in BCC of both bacterial fractions among stations and seasons, with a particularly high number of PA operational taxonomic units (OTUs at genus-level) at the marine station in both seasons. "Shannon and Simpson indices" showed a higher diversity of PA than FL bacteria at the marine station in both seasons and at the oligohaline station in fall/winter. In general, a high fraction of bacterial OTUs was found exclusively in the PA fraction (52% of total OTUs). These findings indicate that PA bacteria significantly contribute to overall bacterial richness and that they differ from FL bacteria. Therefore, to gain a deeper understanding on diversity and dynamics of aquatic bacteria, PA and FL bacteria should be generally studied independently. KW - microbial communities KW - microbial diversity KW - particle-associated and free-living bacteria KW - Baltic Sea KW - salinity gradient KW - seasons KW - 454-pyrosequencing Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.01297 SN - 1664-302X VL - 6 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Liu, Qi A1 - Adler, Karsten A1 - Lipus, Daniel A1 - Kämpf, Horst A1 - Bussert, Robert A1 - Plessen, Birgit A1 - Schulz, Hans-Martin A1 - Krauze, Patryk A1 - Horn, Fabian A1 - Wagner, Dirk A1 - Mangelsdorf, Kai A1 - Alawi, Mashal T1 - Microbial signatures in deep CO2-saturated miocene sediments of the active Hartousov mofette system (NW Czech Republic) JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - The Hartousov mofette system is a natural CO2 degassing site in the central Cheb Basin (Eger Rift, Central Europe). In early 2016 a 108 m deep core was obtained from this system to investigate the impact of ascending mantle-derived CO2 on indigenous deep microbial communities and their surrounding life habitat. During drilling, a CO2 blow out occurred at a depth of 78.5 meter below surface (mbs) suggesting a CO2 reservoir associated with a deep low-permeable CO2-saturated saline aquifer at the transition from Early Miocene terrestrial to lacustrine sediments. Past microbial communities were investigated by hopanoids and glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) reflecting the environmental conditions during the time of deposition rather than showing a signal of the current deep biosphere. The composition and distribution of the deep microbial community potentially stimulated by the upward migration of CO2 starting during Mid Pleistocene time was investigated by intact polar lipids (IPLs), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis. The deep biosphere is characterized by microorganisms that are linked to the distribution and migration of the ascending CO2-saturated groundwater and the availability of organic matter instead of being linked to single lithological units of the investigated rock profile. Our findings revealed high relative abundances of common soil and water bacteria, in particular the facultative, anaerobic and potential iron-oxidizing Acidovorax and other members of the family Comamonadaceae across the whole recovered core. The results also highlighted the frequent detection of the putative sulfate-oxidizing and CO2-fixating genus Sulfuricurvum at certain depths. A set of new IPLs are suggested to be indicative for microorganisms associated to CO2 accumulation in the mofette system. KW - geo-bio interaction KW - CO2 KW - mofette systems KW - Eger Rift KW - microbial lipid KW - biomarker KW - microbial diversity KW - deep biosphere KW - saline groundwater Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.543260 SN - 1664-302X VL - 11 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER -