Environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica

Ecological theories posit that heterogeneity in environmental conditions greatly affects community structure and function. However, the degree to which ecological theory developed using plant- and animal-dominated systems applies to microbiomes is unclear. Investigating the metabolic strategies foun...

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Main Authors: Dillon, Megan L, Hawes, Ian, Jungblut, Anne D, Mackey, Tyler J, Eisen, Jonathan A, Doran, Peter T, Sumner, Dawn Y
Other Authors: Loiselle, Steven Arthur
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: eScholarship, University of California 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68h2m436
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spelling ftcdlib:oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt68h2m436 2024-01-07T09:39:25+01:00 Environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica Dillon, Megan L Hawes, Ian Jungblut, Anne D Mackey, Tyler J Eisen, Jonathan A Doran, Peter T Sumner, Dawn Y Loiselle, Steven Arthur e0231053 2020-01-01 application/pdf https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68h2m436 unknown eScholarship, University of California qt68h2m436 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68h2m436 public PLOS ONE, vol 15, iss 4 Microbiology Biological Sciences Ecology Genetics Human Genome Antarctic Regions Bacteria Carbon Cycle Geologic Sediments Lakes Metagenome Microbiota Oxygen Photosynthesis Phylogeny General Science & Technology article 2020 ftcdlib 2023-12-11T19:07:12Z Ecological theories posit that heterogeneity in environmental conditions greatly affects community structure and function. However, the degree to which ecological theory developed using plant- and animal-dominated systems applies to microbiomes is unclear. Investigating the metabolic strategies found in microbiomes are particularly informative for testing the universality of ecological theories because microorganisms have far wider metabolic capacity than plants and animals. We used metagenomic analyses to explore the relationships between the energy and physicochemical gradients in Lake Fryxell and the metabolic capacity of its benthic microbiome. Statistical analysis of the relative abundance of metabolic marker genes and gene family diversity shows that oxygenic photosynthesis, carbon fixation, and flavin-based electron bifurcation differentiate mats growing in different environmental conditions. The pattern of gene family diversity points to the likely importance of temporal environmental heterogeneity in addition to resource gradients. Overall, we found that the environmental heterogeneity of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and oxygen concentration ([O2]) in Lake Fryxell provide the framework by which metabolic diversity and composition of the community is structured, in accordance with its phylogenetic structure. The organization of the resulting microbial ecosystems are consistent with the maximum power principle and the species sorting model. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica University of California: eScholarship Antarctic Fryxell ENVELOPE(163.183,163.183,-77.617,-77.617) Lake Fryxell ENVELOPE(163.183,163.183,-77.617,-77.617)
institution Open Polar
collection University of California: eScholarship
op_collection_id ftcdlib
language unknown
topic Microbiology
Biological Sciences
Ecology
Genetics
Human Genome
Antarctic Regions
Bacteria
Carbon Cycle
Geologic Sediments
Lakes
Metagenome
Microbiota
Oxygen
Photosynthesis
Phylogeny
General Science & Technology
spellingShingle Microbiology
Biological Sciences
Ecology
Genetics
Human Genome
Antarctic Regions
Bacteria
Carbon Cycle
Geologic Sediments
Lakes
Metagenome
Microbiota
Oxygen
Photosynthesis
Phylogeny
General Science & Technology
Dillon, Megan L
Hawes, Ian
Jungblut, Anne D
Mackey, Tyler J
Eisen, Jonathan A
Doran, Peter T
Sumner, Dawn Y
Environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica
topic_facet Microbiology
Biological Sciences
Ecology
Genetics
Human Genome
Antarctic Regions
Bacteria
Carbon Cycle
Geologic Sediments
Lakes
Metagenome
Microbiota
Oxygen
Photosynthesis
Phylogeny
General Science & Technology
description Ecological theories posit that heterogeneity in environmental conditions greatly affects community structure and function. However, the degree to which ecological theory developed using plant- and animal-dominated systems applies to microbiomes is unclear. Investigating the metabolic strategies found in microbiomes are particularly informative for testing the universality of ecological theories because microorganisms have far wider metabolic capacity than plants and animals. We used metagenomic analyses to explore the relationships between the energy and physicochemical gradients in Lake Fryxell and the metabolic capacity of its benthic microbiome. Statistical analysis of the relative abundance of metabolic marker genes and gene family diversity shows that oxygenic photosynthesis, carbon fixation, and flavin-based electron bifurcation differentiate mats growing in different environmental conditions. The pattern of gene family diversity points to the likely importance of temporal environmental heterogeneity in addition to resource gradients. Overall, we found that the environmental heterogeneity of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and oxygen concentration ([O2]) in Lake Fryxell provide the framework by which metabolic diversity and composition of the community is structured, in accordance with its phylogenetic structure. The organization of the resulting microbial ecosystems are consistent with the maximum power principle and the species sorting model.
author2 Loiselle, Steven Arthur
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Dillon, Megan L
Hawes, Ian
Jungblut, Anne D
Mackey, Tyler J
Eisen, Jonathan A
Doran, Peter T
Sumner, Dawn Y
author_facet Dillon, Megan L
Hawes, Ian
Jungblut, Anne D
Mackey, Tyler J
Eisen, Jonathan A
Doran, Peter T
Sumner, Dawn Y
author_sort Dillon, Megan L
title Environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica
title_short Environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica
title_full Environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica
title_fullStr Environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica
title_full_unstemmed Environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica
title_sort environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in lake fryxell, antarctica
publisher eScholarship, University of California
publishDate 2020
url https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68h2m436
op_coverage e0231053
long_lat ENVELOPE(163.183,163.183,-77.617,-77.617)
ENVELOPE(163.183,163.183,-77.617,-77.617)
geographic Antarctic
Fryxell
Lake Fryxell
geographic_facet Antarctic
Fryxell
Lake Fryxell
genre Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
genre_facet Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
op_source PLOS ONE, vol 15, iss 4
op_relation qt68h2m436
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68h2m436
op_rights public
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