Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes
For centuries ecologists have studied how the diversity and functional traits of plant and animal communities vary across biomes. In contrast, we have only just begun exploring similar questions for soil microbial communities despite soil microbes being the dominant engines of biogeochemical cycles...
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Online Access: | http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/521838 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1215210110 |
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ftunivwestsyd:oai:researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au:uws_14943 2023-05-15T18:40:34+02:00 Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes Fierer, Noah Leff, Jonathan W. Adams, Byron J. Nielsen, Uffe N. (R17023) Bates, Scott T. Lauber, Christian L. Owens, Sarah Gilbert, Jack A. Wall, Diana H. Caporaso, J. Gregory Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (Host institution) 2012 print 6 http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/521838 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1215210110 eng eng U.S.A., National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America--0027-8424--1091-6490 Vol. 109 Issue. 52 No. pp: 21390-21395 050303 - Soil Biology 970106 - Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences shotgun metagenomics soil microbiology bacteria gene sequencing biogeography journal article 2012 ftunivwestsyd https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1215210110 2020-12-05T17:44:42Z For centuries ecologists have studied how the diversity and functional traits of plant and animal communities vary across biomes. In contrast, we have only just begun exploring similar questions for soil microbial communities despite soil microbes being the dominant engines of biogeochemical cycles and a major pool of living biomass in terrestrial ecosystems. We used metagenomic sequencing to compare the composition and functional attributes of 16 soil microbial communities collected from cold deserts, hot deserts, forests, grasslands, and tundra. Those communities found in plant-free cold desert soils typically had the lowest levels of functional diversity (diversity of protein-coding gene categories) and the lowest levels of phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity. Across all soils, functional beta diversity was strongly correlated with taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity; the desert microbial communities were clearly distinct from the nondesert communities regardless of the metric used. The desert communities had higher relative abundances of genes associated with osmoregulation and dormancy, but lower relative abundances of genes associated with nutrient cycling and the catabolism of plant-derived organic compounds. Antibiotic resistance genes were consistently threefold less abundant in the desert soils than in the nondesert soils, suggesting that abiotic conditions, not competitive interactions, are more important in shaping the desert microbial communities. As the most comprehensive survey of soil taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity to date, this study demonstrates that metagenomic approaches can be used to build a predictive understanding of how microbial diversity and function vary across terrestrial biomes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Tundra University of Western Sydney (UWS): Research Direct Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109 52 21390 21395 |
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University of Western Sydney (UWS): Research Direct |
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ftunivwestsyd |
language |
English |
topic |
050303 - Soil Biology 970106 - Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences shotgun metagenomics soil microbiology bacteria gene sequencing biogeography |
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050303 - Soil Biology 970106 - Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences shotgun metagenomics soil microbiology bacteria gene sequencing biogeography Fierer, Noah Leff, Jonathan W. Adams, Byron J. Nielsen, Uffe N. (R17023) Bates, Scott T. Lauber, Christian L. Owens, Sarah Gilbert, Jack A. Wall, Diana H. Caporaso, J. Gregory Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes |
topic_facet |
050303 - Soil Biology 970106 - Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences shotgun metagenomics soil microbiology bacteria gene sequencing biogeography |
description |
For centuries ecologists have studied how the diversity and functional traits of plant and animal communities vary across biomes. In contrast, we have only just begun exploring similar questions for soil microbial communities despite soil microbes being the dominant engines of biogeochemical cycles and a major pool of living biomass in terrestrial ecosystems. We used metagenomic sequencing to compare the composition and functional attributes of 16 soil microbial communities collected from cold deserts, hot deserts, forests, grasslands, and tundra. Those communities found in plant-free cold desert soils typically had the lowest levels of functional diversity (diversity of protein-coding gene categories) and the lowest levels of phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity. Across all soils, functional beta diversity was strongly correlated with taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity; the desert microbial communities were clearly distinct from the nondesert communities regardless of the metric used. The desert communities had higher relative abundances of genes associated with osmoregulation and dormancy, but lower relative abundances of genes associated with nutrient cycling and the catabolism of plant-derived organic compounds. Antibiotic resistance genes were consistently threefold less abundant in the desert soils than in the nondesert soils, suggesting that abiotic conditions, not competitive interactions, are more important in shaping the desert microbial communities. As the most comprehensive survey of soil taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity to date, this study demonstrates that metagenomic approaches can be used to build a predictive understanding of how microbial diversity and function vary across terrestrial biomes. |
author2 |
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (Host institution) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Fierer, Noah Leff, Jonathan W. Adams, Byron J. Nielsen, Uffe N. (R17023) Bates, Scott T. Lauber, Christian L. Owens, Sarah Gilbert, Jack A. Wall, Diana H. Caporaso, J. Gregory |
author_facet |
Fierer, Noah Leff, Jonathan W. Adams, Byron J. Nielsen, Uffe N. (R17023) Bates, Scott T. Lauber, Christian L. Owens, Sarah Gilbert, Jack A. Wall, Diana H. Caporaso, J. Gregory |
author_sort |
Fierer, Noah |
title |
Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes |
title_short |
Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes |
title_full |
Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes |
title_fullStr |
Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes |
title_sort |
cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes |
publisher |
U.S.A., National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/521838 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1215210110 |
genre |
Tundra |
genre_facet |
Tundra |
op_relation |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America--0027-8424--1091-6490 Vol. 109 Issue. 52 No. pp: 21390-21395 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1215210110 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
container_volume |
109 |
container_issue |
52 |
container_start_page |
21390 |
op_container_end_page |
21395 |
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1766229953112702976 |