Structural and functional characterization of Southern Ocean microbes
Thesis (PhD (Genetics))--University of Pretoria, 2022. Understanding the ecological patterns of microbiota in natural ecosystems is fundamental for predicting their responses to global change. As mediators of biogeochemical cycles, microbiota are essential for ecosystem functioning in the oceans. Es...
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ftunivpretoria:oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/83672 2023-06-11T04:16:59+02:00 Structural and functional characterization of Southern Ocean microbes Makhalanyane, Thulani P. Castillo Vaca, Diego José 2011-05-09 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/2263/83672 en eng University of Pretoria * A2022 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/83672 © 2022 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. UCTD Genetics Microbial Ecology Genomics Bioinformatics Metagenomics Biotechnology Thesis 2011 ftunivpretoria 2023-05-09T00:25:17Z Thesis (PhD (Genetics))--University of Pretoria, 2022. Understanding the ecological patterns of microbiota in natural ecosystems is fundamental for predicting their responses to global change. As mediators of biogeochemical cycles, microbiota are essential for ecosystem functioning in the oceans. Estimates suggest that nearly half of the Earth’s net primary productivity occurs in the oceans. Yet surprisingly, the oceans are the least studied ecosystems. Physical oceanographic studies have shown that the Southern Ocean (SO) is a crucial marine carbon and heat storage. This research supports the solubility pump as the main driver of oceanographic processes in the SO. Recent studies on phytoplankton have shown the centrality of biological processes, but comparatively less is known regarding the role played by microorganisms. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the structure and function of SO microbial communities. We assessed microbiota from the epipelagic to the bathy- and abyssopelagic zones of the ocean, revealing remarkable insights regarding microbial community dynamics. The applications of several culture-independent techniques allowed us to substantially reduce the knowledge deficit regarding SO microbiomes and the effect of nutrient variables on their diversity and structure. The effect of an early spring phytoplankton bloom on the abundance, diversity, and structure of prokaryotes was assessed. Our results showed that an early spring bloom had limited effects on microbiota but increased total prokaryotic abundances in epipelagic waters. We also observed some compositional changes including an increase of Cyanobacteria. However, diversity and community structure remained consistent. Specific physicochemical parameters factors appear to drive microbial communities , including the availability of various nutrients and oceanographic variables determining SO water masses. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing allowed us to provide a compendium dataset of 628 metagenome-assembled genomes. Of ... Thesis Southern Ocean University of Pretoria: UPSpace Southern Ocean |
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Open Polar |
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University of Pretoria: UPSpace |
op_collection_id |
ftunivpretoria |
language |
English |
topic |
UCTD Genetics Microbial Ecology Genomics Bioinformatics Metagenomics Biotechnology |
spellingShingle |
UCTD Genetics Microbial Ecology Genomics Bioinformatics Metagenomics Biotechnology Structural and functional characterization of Southern Ocean microbes |
topic_facet |
UCTD Genetics Microbial Ecology Genomics Bioinformatics Metagenomics Biotechnology |
description |
Thesis (PhD (Genetics))--University of Pretoria, 2022. Understanding the ecological patterns of microbiota in natural ecosystems is fundamental for predicting their responses to global change. As mediators of biogeochemical cycles, microbiota are essential for ecosystem functioning in the oceans. Estimates suggest that nearly half of the Earth’s net primary productivity occurs in the oceans. Yet surprisingly, the oceans are the least studied ecosystems. Physical oceanographic studies have shown that the Southern Ocean (SO) is a crucial marine carbon and heat storage. This research supports the solubility pump as the main driver of oceanographic processes in the SO. Recent studies on phytoplankton have shown the centrality of biological processes, but comparatively less is known regarding the role played by microorganisms. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the structure and function of SO microbial communities. We assessed microbiota from the epipelagic to the bathy- and abyssopelagic zones of the ocean, revealing remarkable insights regarding microbial community dynamics. The applications of several culture-independent techniques allowed us to substantially reduce the knowledge deficit regarding SO microbiomes and the effect of nutrient variables on their diversity and structure. The effect of an early spring phytoplankton bloom on the abundance, diversity, and structure of prokaryotes was assessed. Our results showed that an early spring bloom had limited effects on microbiota but increased total prokaryotic abundances in epipelagic waters. We also observed some compositional changes including an increase of Cyanobacteria. However, diversity and community structure remained consistent. Specific physicochemical parameters factors appear to drive microbial communities , including the availability of various nutrients and oceanographic variables determining SO water masses. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing allowed us to provide a compendium dataset of 628 metagenome-assembled genomes. Of ... |
author2 |
Makhalanyane, Thulani P. Castillo Vaca, Diego José |
format |
Thesis |
title |
Structural and functional characterization of Southern Ocean microbes |
title_short |
Structural and functional characterization of Southern Ocean microbes |
title_full |
Structural and functional characterization of Southern Ocean microbes |
title_fullStr |
Structural and functional characterization of Southern Ocean microbes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Structural and functional characterization of Southern Ocean microbes |
title_sort |
structural and functional characterization of southern ocean microbes |
publisher |
University of Pretoria |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/83672 |
geographic |
Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Southern Ocean |
genre |
Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
* A2022 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/83672 |
op_rights |
© 2022 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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