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Sipes K, Buongiorno J, Steen AD, Abramov AA, Abuah C, Peters SL, Gianonne RJ, Hettich RL, Boike J, Garcia SL, Vishnivetskaya TA, Lloyd KG. Depth-specific distribution of bacterial MAGs in permafrost active layer in Ny Ålesund, Svalbard (79°N). Syst Appl Microbiol 2024; 47:126544. [PMID: 39303414 DOI: 10.1016/j.syapm.2024.126544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 08/19/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
Arctic soil microbial communities may shift with increasing temperatures and water availability from climate change. We examined temperature and volumetric liquid water content (VWC) in the upper 80 cm of permafrost-affected soil over 2 years (2018-2019) at the Bayelva monitoring station, Ny Ålesund, Svalbard. We show VWC increases with depth, whereas in situ temperature is more stable vertically, ranging from -5°C to 5 °C seasonally. Prokaryotic metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were obtained at 2-4 cm vertical resolution collected while frozen in April 2018 and at 10 cm vertical resolution collected while thawed in September 2019. The most abundant MAGs were Acidobacteriota, Actinomycetota, and Chloroflexota. Actinomycetota and Chloroflexota increase with depth, while Acidobacteriota classes Thermoanaerobaculia Gp7-AA8, Blastocatellia UBA7656, and Vicinamibacteria Vicinamibacterales are found above 6 cm, below 6 cm, and below 20 cm, respectively. All MAGs have diverse carbon-degrading genes, and Actinomycetota and Chloroflexota have autotrophic genes. Genes encoding β -glucosidase, N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase, and xylosidase increase with depth, indicating a greater potential for organic matter degradation with higher VWC. Acidobacteriota dominate the top 6 cm with their classes segregating by depth, whereas Actinomycetota and Chloroflexota dominate below ∼6 cm. This suggests that Acidobacteriota classes adapt to lower VWC at the surface, while Actinomycetota and Chloroflexota persist below 6 cm with higher VWC. This indicates that VWC may be as important as temperature in microbial climate change responses in Arctic mineral soils. Here we describe MAG-based Seqcode type species in the Acidobacteriota, Onstottus arcticum, Onstottus frigus, and Gilichinskyi gelida and in the Actinobacteriota, Mayfieldus profundus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Sipes
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States.
| | - Joy Buongiorno
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States
| | - Andrew D Steen
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States; Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States
| | - Andrey A Abramov
- Soil Cryology Laboratory, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia
| | | | - Samantha L Peters
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Richard J Gianonne
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Robert L Hettich
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Julia Boike
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany; Department of Geography, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sarahi L Garcia
- Department of Ecology, Environment, and Plant Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), School of Mathematics and Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | | | - Karen G Lloyd
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States
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2
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Kang L, Song Y, Mackelprang R, Zhang D, Qin S, Chen L, Wu L, Peng Y, Yang Y. Metagenomic insights into microbial community structure and metabolism in alpine permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5920. [PMID: 39004662 PMCID: PMC11247091 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50276-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Permafrost, characterized by its frozen soil, serves as a unique habitat for diverse microorganisms. Understanding these microbial communities is crucial for predicting the response of permafrost ecosystems to climate change. However, large-scale evidence regarding stratigraphic variations in microbial profiles remains limited. Here, we analyze microbial community structure and functional potential based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metagenomic data obtained from an ∼1000 km permafrost transect on the Tibetan Plateau. We find that microbial alpha diversity declines but beta diversity increases down the soil profile. Microbial assemblages are primarily governed by dispersal limitation and drift, with the importance of drift decreasing but that of dispersal limitation increasing with soil depth. Moreover, genes related to reduction reactions (e.g., ferric iron reduction, dissimilatory nitrate reduction, and denitrification) are enriched in the subsurface and permafrost layers. In addition, microbial groups involved in alternative electron accepting processes are more diverse and contribute highly to community-level metabolic profiles in the subsurface and permafrost layers, likely reflecting the lower redox potential and more complicated trophic strategies for microorganisms in deeper soils. Overall, these findings provide comprehensive insights into large-scale stratigraphic profiles of microbial community structure and functional potentials in permafrost regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luyao Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yutong Song
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Dianye Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, China
| | - Shuqi Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, China
| | - Leiyi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, China
| | - Linwei Wu
- Institute of Ecology, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yunfeng Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanhe Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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3
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Miller SA, Testen AL, Jacobs JM, Ivey MLL. Mitigating Emerging and Reemerging Diseases of Fruit and Vegetable Crops in a Changing Climate. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2024; 114:917-929. [PMID: 38170665 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-10-23-0393-kc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Fruit and vegetable crops are important sources of nutrition and income globally. Producing these high-value crops requires significant investment of often scarce resources, and, therefore, the risks associated with climate change and accompanying disease pressures are especially important. Climate change influences the occurrence and pressure of plant diseases, enabling new pathogens to emerge and old enemies to reemerge. Specific environmental changes attributed to climate change, particularly temperature fluctuations and intense rainfall events, greatly alter fruit and vegetable disease incidence and severity. In turn, fruit and vegetable microbiomes, and subsequently overall plant health, are also affected by climate change. Changing disease pressures cause growers and researchers to reassess disease management and climate change adaptation strategies. Approaches such as climate smart integrated pest management, smart sprayer technology, protected culture cultivation, advanced diagnostics, and new soilborne disease management strategies are providing new tools for specialty crops growers. Researchers and educators need to work closely with growers to establish fruit and vegetable production systems that are resilient and responsive to changing climates. This review explores the effects of climate change on specialty food crops, pathogens, insect vectors, and pathosystems, as well as adaptations needed to ensure optimal plant health and environmental and economic sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally A Miller
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691
| | - Anna L Testen
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Application Technology Research Unit, Wooster, OH 44691
| | - Jonathan M Jacobs
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
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4
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Devoie É, Connon RF, Beddoe R, Goordial J, Quinton WL, Craig JR. Disconnected active layers and unfrozen permafrost: A discussion of permafrost-related terms and definitions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169017. [PMID: 38040371 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Permafrost is ground that remains at or below 0 °C for two or more consecutive years. It is overlain by an active layer which thaws and freezes annually. The difference between these definitions - the active layer based on pore water phase and permafrost based on soil temperature - leads to challenges when monitoring and modelling permafrost environments. Contrary to its definition, the key properties of permafrost including hardness, bearing capacity, permeability, unfrozen water content, and energy content, depend primarily on the ice content of permafrost and not its temperature. Temperature-based measurements in permafrost systems often overlook key features, e.g. taliks and cryopegs, and comparisons between measured and modelled systems can differ energetically by up to 90 % while reporting the same temperature. Due to the shortcomings of the temperature-based definition, it is recommended that an estimate of ice content be reported alongside temperature in permafrost systems for both in-situ measurements and modelling applications. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Permafrost is ground that remains at or below 0 °C for two or more consecutive years. Above it sits an active layer which thaws and freezes annually (meaning that the water in the ground changes to ice each winter). The difference between these definitions - the active layer based on the state or water in the ground and permafrost based on ground temperature - leads to challenges when measuring (in the field) and modelling (using computers) permafrost environments. In addition to these challenges, the key properties of permafrost including its ability to support infrastructure, convey water, and absorb energy depend more on its ice content than its temperature. Due to the shortcomings of the temperature-based definition, it is recommended that an estimate of ice content be reported alongside temperature in permafrost systems for both field measurements and modelling applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- É Devoie
- Department of Civil Engineering, Queen's University, Canada.
| | - R F Connon
- Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of the Northwest Territories, Canada
| | - R Beddoe
- Department of Civil Engineering, Royal Military College of Canada, Canada
| | - J Goordial
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Canada
| | - W L Quinton
- Cold Regions Research Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada
| | - J R Craig
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada
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5
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McDonald MD, Owusu-Ansah C, Ellenbogen JB, Malone ZD, Ricketts MP, Frolking SE, Ernakovich JG, Ibba M, Bagby SC, Weissman JL. What is microbial dormancy? Trends Microbiol 2024; 32:142-150. [PMID: 37689487 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Life can be stressful. One way to deal with stress is to simply wait it out. Microbes do this by entering a state of reduced activity and increased resistance commonly called 'dormancy'. But what is dormancy? Different scientific disciplines emphasize distinct traits and phenotypic ranges in defining dormancy for their microbial species and system-specific questions of interest. Here, we propose a unified definition of microbial dormancy, using a broad framework to place earlier discipline-specific definitions in a new context. We then discuss how this new definition and framework may improve our ability to investigate dormancy using multi-omics tools. Finally, we leverage our framework to discuss the diversity of genomic mechanisms for dormancy in an extreme environment that challenges easy definitions - the permafrost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D McDonald
- Argonne National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | | | - Jared B Ellenbogen
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Colorado State University, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Zachary D Malone
- University of California, Merced Environmental Systems Graduate Group, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Michael P Ricketts
- Argonne National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Steve E Frolking
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; University of New Hampshire, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Jessica Gilman Ernakovich
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; University of New Hampshire, Natural Resources and the Environment, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Michael Ibba
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Chapman University, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Sarah C Bagby
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Case Western Reserve University, Department of Biology, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - J L Weissman
- Chapman University, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Orange, CA 92866, USA; University of Southern California, Department of Biological Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA.
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6
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Miner KR, Hollis JR, Miller CE, Uckert K, Douglas TA, Cardarelli E, Mackelprang R. Earth to Mars: A Protocol for Characterizing Permafrost in the Context of Climate Change as an Analog for Extraplanetary Exploration. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:1006-1018. [PMID: 37566539 PMCID: PMC10510695 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Abstract Permafrost is important from an exobiology and climate change perspective. It serves as an analog for extraplanetary exploration, and it threatens to emit globally significant amounts of greenhouse gases as it thaws due to climate change. Viable microbes survive in Earth's permafrost, slowly metabolizing and transforming organic matter through geologic time. Ancient permafrost microbial communities represent a crucial resource for gaining novel insights into survival strategies adopted by extremotolerant organisms in extraplanetary analogs. We present a proof-of-concept study on ∼22 Kya permafrost to determine the potential for coupling Raman and fluorescence biosignature detection technology from the NASA Mars Perseverance rover with microbial community characterization in frozen soils, which could be expanded to other Earth and off-Earth locations. Besides the well-known utility for biosignature detection and identification, our results indicate that spectral mapping of permafrost could be used to rapidly characterize organic carbon characteristics. Coupled with microbial community analyses, this method has the potential to enhance our understanding of carbon degradation and emissions in thawing permafrost. Further, spectroscopy can be accomplished in situ to mitigate sample transport challenges and in assessing and prioritizing frozen soils for further investigation. This method has broad-range applicability to understanding microbial communities and their associations with biosignatures and soil carbon and mineralogic characteristics relevant to climate science and astrobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley R. Miner
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Charles E. Miller
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Kyle Uckert
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Emily Cardarelli
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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7
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Lomakina A, Bukin S, Shubenkova O, Pogodaeva T, Ivanov V, Bukin Y, Zemskaya T. Microbial Communities in Ferromanganese Sediments from the Northern Basin of Lake Baikal (Russia). Microorganisms 2023; 11:1865. [PMID: 37513037 PMCID: PMC10386581 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
We analyzed the amplicons of the 16S rRNA genes and assembled metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of the enrichment culture from the Fe-Mn layer to have an insight into the diversity and metabolic potential of microbial communities from sediments of two sites in the northern basin of Lake Baikal. Organotrophic Chloroflexota, Actionobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota, as well as aerobic and anaerobic participants of the methane cycle (Methylococcales and Methylomirabilota, respectively), dominated the communities of the surface layers. With depth, one of the cores showed a decrease in the proportion of the Chloroflexota and Acidobacteriota members and a substantial increase in the sequences of the phylum Firmicutes. The proportion of the Desulfobacteriota and Thermodesulfovibronia (Nitrospirota) increased in another core. The composition of archaeal communities was similar between the investigated sites and differed in depth. Members of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (Nitrososphaeria) predominated in the surface sediments, with an increase in anaerobic methanotrophs (Methanoperedenaceae) and organoheterotrophs (Bathyarchaeia) in deep sediments. Among the 37 MAGs, Gammaproteobacteria, Desulfobacteriota, and Methylomirabilota were the most common in the microbial community. Metagenome sequencing revealed the assembled genomes genes for N, S, and CH4 metabolism for carbon fixation, and genes encoding Fe and Mn pathways, indicating the likely coexistence of the biogeochemical cycle of various elements and creating certain conditions for the development of taxonomically and functionally diverse microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lomakina
- Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LIN SB RAS), 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Sergei Bukin
- Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LIN SB RAS), 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Olga Shubenkova
- Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LIN SB RAS), 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Tatyana Pogodaeva
- Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LIN SB RAS), 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Vyacheslav Ivanov
- Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LIN SB RAS), 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Yuri Bukin
- Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LIN SB RAS), 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
| | - Tamara Zemskaya
- Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LIN SB RAS), 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
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8
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Sannino C, Qi W, Rüthi J, Stierli B, Frey B. Distinct taxonomic and functional profiles of high Arctic and alpine permafrost-affected soil microbiomes. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2023; 18:54. [PMID: 37328770 PMCID: PMC10276392 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00509-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Global warming is affecting all cold environments, including the European Alps and Arctic regions. Here, permafrost may be considered a unique ecosystem harboring a distinct microbiome. The frequent freeze-thaw cycles occurring in permafrost-affected soils, and mainly in the seasonally active top layers, modify microbial communities and consequently ecosystem processes. Although taxonomic responses of the microbiomes in permafrost-affected soils have been widely documented, studies about how the microbial genetic potential, especially pathways involved in C and N cycling, changes between active-layer soils and permafrost soils are rare. Here, we used shotgun metagenomics to analyze the microbial and functional diversity and the metabolic potential of permafrost-affected soil collected from an alpine site (Val Lavirun, Engadin area, Switzerland) and a High Arctic site (Station Nord, Villum Research Station, Greenland). The main goal was to discover the key genes abundant in the active-layer and permafrost soils, with the purpose to highlight the potential role of the functional genes found. RESULTS We observed differences between the alpine and High Arctic sites in alpha- and beta-diversity, and in EggNOG, CAZy, and NCyc datasets. In the High Arctic site, the metagenome in permafrost soil had an overrepresentation (relative to that in active-layer soil) of genes involved in lipid transport by fatty acid desaturate and ABC transporters, i.e. genes that are useful in preventing microorganisms from freezing by increasing membrane fluidity, and genes involved in cell defense mechanisms. The majority of CAZy and NCyc genes were overrepresented in permafrost soils relative to active-layer soils in both localities, with genes involved in the degradation of carbon substrates and in the degradation of N compounds indicating high microbial activity in permafrost in response to climate warming. CONCLUSIONS Our study on the functional characteristics of permafrost microbiomes underlines the remarkably high functional gene diversity of the High Arctic and temperate mountain permafrost, including a broad range of C- and N-cycling genes, and multiple survival and energetic metabolisms. Their metabolic versatility in using organic materials from ancient soils undergoing microbial degradation determine organic matter decomposition and greenhouse gas emissions upon permafrost thawing. Attention to their functional genes is therefore essential to predict potential soil-climate feedbacks to the future warmer climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciro Sannino
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Weihong Qi
- Functional Genomics Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics SIB, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Joel Rüthi
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Beat Stierli
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Beat Frey
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
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9
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Waldrop MP, Chabot CL, Liebner S, Holm S, Snyder MW, Dillon M, Dudgeon SR, Douglas TA, Leewis MC, Walter Anthony KM, McFarland JW, Arp CD, Bondurant AC, Taş N, Mackelprang R. Permafrost microbial communities and functional genes are structured by latitudinal and soil geochemical gradients. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023:10.1038/s41396-023-01429-6. [PMID: 37217592 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01429-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Permafrost underlies approximately one quarter of Northern Hemisphere terrestrial surfaces and contains 25-50% of the global soil carbon (C) pool. Permafrost soils and the C stocks within are vulnerable to ongoing and future projected climate warming. The biogeography of microbial communities inhabiting permafrost has not been examined beyond a small number of sites focused on local-scale variation. Permafrost is different from other soils. Perennially frozen conditions in permafrost dictate that microbial communities do not turn over quickly, thus possibly providing strong linkages to past environments. Thus, the factors structuring the composition and function of microbial communities may differ from patterns observed in other terrestrial environments. Here, we analyzed 133 permafrost metagenomes from North America, Europe, and Asia. Permafrost biodiversity and taxonomic distribution varied in relation to pH, latitude and soil depth. The distribution of genes differed by latitude, soil depth, age, and pH. Genes that were the most highly variable across all sites were associated with energy metabolism and C-assimilation. Specifically, methanogenesis, fermentation, nitrate reduction, and replenishment of citric acid cycle intermediates. This suggests that adaptations to energy acquisition and substrate availability are among some of the strongest selective pressures shaping permafrost microbial communities. The spatial variation in metabolic potential has primed communities for specific biogeochemical processes as soils thaw due to climate change, which could cause regional- to global- scale variation in C and nitrogen processing and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark P Waldrop
- Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA.
| | - Christopher L Chabot
- California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA, 91330, USA
| | - Susanne Liebner
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stine Holm
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Michael W Snyder
- California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA, 91330, USA
| | - Megan Dillon
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Steven R Dudgeon
- California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA, 91330, USA
| | - Thomas A Douglas
- U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory 9th Avenue, Building 4070 Fort, Wainwright, AK, 99703, USA
| | - Mary-Cathrine Leewis
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2560 Boulevard Hochelaga, Québec, QC, G1V 2J3, Canada
| | - Katey M Walter Anthony
- Water and Environmental Research Center, University Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Jack W McFarland
- Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Christopher D Arp
- Water and Environmental Research Center, University Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Allen C Bondurant
- Water and Environmental Research Center, University Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Neslihan Taş
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Rachel Mackelprang
- California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA, 91330, USA.
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10
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Wu X, Almatari AL, Cyr WA, Williams DE, Pfiffner SM, Rivkina EM, Lloyd KG, Vishnivetskaya TA. Microbial life in 25-m-deep boreholes in ancient permafrost illuminated by metagenomics. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2023; 18:33. [PMID: 37055869 PMCID: PMC10103415 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00487-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
This study describes the composition and potential metabolic adaptation of microbial communities in northeastern Siberia, a repository of the oldest permafrost in the Northern Hemisphere. Samples of contrasting depth (1.75 to 25.1 m below surface), age (from ~ 10 kyr to 1.1 Myr) and salinity (from low 0.1-0.2 ppt and brackish 0.3-1.3 ppt to saline 6.1 ppt) were collected from freshwater permafrost (FP) of borehole AL1_15 on the Alazeya River, and coastal brackish permafrost (BP) overlying marine permafrost (MP) of borehole CH1_17 on the East Siberian Sea coast. To avoid the limited view provided with culturing work, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to show that the biodiversity decreased dramatically with permafrost age. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis placed the samples into three groups: FP and BP together (10-100 kyr old), MP (105-120 kyr old), and FP (> 900 kyr old). Younger FP/BP deposits were distinguished by the presence of Acidobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Chloroflexota_A, and Gemmatimonadota, older FP deposits had a higher proportion of Gammaproteobacteria, and older MP deposits had much more uncultured groups within Asgardarchaeota, Crenarchaeota, Chloroflexota, Patescibacteria, and unassigned archaea. The 60 recovered metagenome-assembled genomes and un-binned metagenomic assemblies suggested that despite the large taxonomic differences between samples, they all had a wide range of taxa capable of fermentation coupled to nitrate utilization, with the exception of sulfur reduction present only in old MP deposits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofen Wu
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, 1416 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1605, USA
| | - Abraham L Almatari
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, 1416 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1605, USA
| | - Wyatt A Cyr
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, 1416 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1605, USA
| | - Daniel E Williams
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, 1416 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1605, USA
| | - Susan M Pfiffner
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, 1416 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1605, USA
| | - Elizaveta M Rivkina
- Soil Cryology Laboratory, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia, 142290
| | - Karen G Lloyd
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Tatiana A Vishnivetskaya
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, 1416 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1605, USA.
- Soil Cryology Laboratory, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia, 142290.
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
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11
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Ren Z, Ma K, Jia X, Wang Q, Zhang C, Li X. Metagenomics Unveils Microbial Diversity and Their Biogeochemical Roles in Water and Sediment of Thermokarst Lakes in the Yellow River Source Area. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 85:904-915. [PMID: 35650293 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-022-02053-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Thermokarst lakes have long been recognized as biogeochemical hotspots, especially as sources of greenhouse gases. On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, thermokarst lakes are experiencing extensive changes due to faster warming. For a deep understanding of internal lake biogeochemical processes, we applied metagenomic analyses to investigate the microbial diversity and their biogeochemical roles in sediment and water of thermokarst lakes in the Yellow River Source Area (YRSA). Sediment microbial communities (SMCs) had lower species and gene richness than water microbial communities (WMCs). Bacteria were the most abundant component in both SMCs and WMCs with significantly different abundant genera. The functional analyses showed that both SMCs and WMCs had low potential in methanogenesis but strong in aerobic respiration, nitrogen assimilation, exopolyphosphatase, glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterases, and polyphosphate kinase. Moreover, SMCs were enriched in genes involved in anaerobic carbon fixation, aerobic carbon fixation, fermentation, most nitrogen metabolism pathways, dissimilatory sulfate reduction, sulfide oxidation, polysulfide reduction, 2-phosphonopropionate transporter, and phosphate regulation. WMCs were enriched in genes involved in assimilatory sulfate reduction, sulfur mineralization, phosphonoacetate hydrolase, and phosphonate transport. Functional potentials suggest the differences of greenhouse gas emission, nutrient cycling, and living strategies between SMCs and WMCs. This study provides insight into the main biogeochemical processes and their properties in thermokarst lakes in YRSA, improving our understanding of the roles and fates of these lakes in a warming world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Ren
- Research and Development Center for Watershed Environmental Eco-Engineering, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, 18 Jinfeng Road, Xiangzhou Distract, Zhuhai, 519087, Guangdong, China.
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Kang Ma
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Xuan Jia
- College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, 519087, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Research and Development Center for Watershed Environmental Eco-Engineering, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, 18 Jinfeng Road, Xiangzhou Distract, Zhuhai, 519087, Guangdong, China
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Research and Development Center for Watershed Environmental Eco-Engineering, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, 18 Jinfeng Road, Xiangzhou Distract, Zhuhai, 519087, Guangdong, China
- School of Engineering Technology, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, 519087, China
| | - Xia Li
- Research and Development Center for Watershed Environmental Eco-Engineering, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, 18 Jinfeng Road, Xiangzhou Distract, Zhuhai, 519087, Guangdong, China
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
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12
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Barry KR, Hill TCJ, Moore KA, Douglas TA, Kreidenweis SM, DeMott PJ, Creamean JM. Persistence and Potential Atmospheric Ramifications of Ice-Nucleating Particles Released from Thawing Permafrost. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:3505-3515. [PMID: 36811552 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Permafrost underlies approximately a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere and is changing amidst a warming climate. Thawed permafrost can enter water bodies through top-down thaw, thermokarst erosion, and slumping. Recent work revealed that permafrost contains ice-nucleating particles (INPs) with concentrations comparable to midlatitude topsoil. These INPs may impact the surface energy budget of the Arctic by affecting mixed-phase clouds, if emitted into the atmosphere. In two 3-4-week experiments, we placed 30,000- and 1000-year-old ice-rich silt permafrost in a tank with artificial freshwater and monitored aerosol INP emissions and water INP concentrations as the water's salinity and temperature were varied to mimic aging and transport of thawed material into seawater. We also tracked aerosol and water INP composition through thermal treatments and peroxide digestions and bacterial community composition with DNA sequencing. We found that the older permafrost produced the highest and most stable airborne INP concentrations, with levels comparable to desert dust when normalized to particle surface area. Both samples showed that the transfer of INPs to air persisted during simulated transport to the ocean, demonstrating a potential to influence the Arctic INP budget. This suggests an urgent need for quantifying permafrost INP sources and airborne emission mechanisms in climate models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin R Barry
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, 1371 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1371, United States
| | - Thomas C J Hill
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, 1371 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1371, United States
| | - Kathryn A Moore
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, 1371 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1371, United States
| | - Thomas A Douglas
- U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, 9th Avenue, Building 4070, Fort Wainwright, Alaska 99703, United States
| | - Sonia M Kreidenweis
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, 1371 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1371, United States
| | - Paul J DeMott
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, 1371 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1371, United States
| | - Jessie M Creamean
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, 1371 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1371, United States
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13
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Alempic JM, Lartigue A, Goncharov AE, Grosse G, Strauss J, Tikhonov AN, Fedorov AN, Poirot O, Legendre M, Santini S, Abergel C, Claverie JM. An Update on Eukaryotic Viruses Revived from Ancient Permafrost. Viruses 2023; 15:564. [PMID: 36851778 PMCID: PMC9958942 DOI: 10.3390/v15020564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
One quarter of the Northern hemisphere is underlain by permanently frozen ground, referred to as permafrost. Due to climate warming, irreversibly thawing permafrost is releasing organic matter frozen for up to a million years, most of which decomposes into carbon dioxide and methane, further enhancing the greenhouse effect. Part of this organic matter also consists of revived cellular microbes (prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes) as well as viruses that have remained dormant since prehistorical times. While the literature abounds on descriptions of the rich and diverse prokaryotic microbiomes found in permafrost, no additional report about "live" viruses have been published since the two original studies describing pithovirus (in 2014) and mollivirus (in 2015). This wrongly suggests that such occurrences are rare and that "zombie viruses" are not a public health threat. To restore an appreciation closer to reality, we report the preliminary characterizations of 13 new viruses isolated from seven different ancient Siberian permafrost samples, one from the Lena river and one from Kamchatka cryosol. As expected from the host specificity imposed by our protocol, these viruses belong to five different clades infecting Acanthamoeba spp. but not previously revived from permafrost: Pandoravirus, Cedratvirus, Megavirus, and Pacmanvirus, in addition to a new Pithovirus strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marie Alempic
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Audrey Lartigue
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Artemiy E. Goncharov
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Department of Epidemiology, Parasitology and Disinfectology, Northwestern State Medical Mechnikov University, Saint Petersburg 195067, Russia
| | - Guido Grosse
- Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, 14478 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jens Strauss
- Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Alexey N. Tikhonov
- Laboratory of Theriology, Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Science, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | | | - Olivier Poirot
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Matthieu Legendre
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Sébastien Santini
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Chantal Abergel
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Jean-Michel Claverie
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
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14
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Ren Z, Cao S, Chen T, Zhang C, Yu J. Bacterial functional redundancy and carbon metabolism potentials in soil, sediment, and water of thermokarst landscapes across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Implications for the fate of permafrost carbon. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 852:158340. [PMID: 36041614 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Permafrost thaw create widespread thermokarst landscapes. As a result, distinct habitats are provided to harbor different bacterial communities in degraded permafrost soil (PBCs), thermokarst lake sediment (SBCs), and lake water (WBCs), driving carbon metabolism differentially. In this study, we investigated functional diversity and redundancy, and carbon metabolism potentials of PBCs, SBCs, and WBCs in thermokarst landscapes across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The results showed that PBCs and SBCs had higher taxonomic and functional alpha diversity than WBCs, while WBCs had lower functional redundancy. WBCs had the highest beta diversity followed by SBCs and PBCs, suggesting strong determination of taxonomic variations on functional differences. Community assembly processes also had significant influences on beta diversity, especially for SBCs. Metabolism pathways of carbohydrate metabolism, methane metabolism, and carbon fixation were enriched differentially in PBCs, SBCs, and WBCs, suggesting different C fate in distinct habitats. Carbohydrate metabolism data suggested that PBCs might have stronger potentials to mineralize a greater diversity of organic carbon substrate than SBCs and WBCs, promoting degradation of organic carbon stocks in degraded permafrost soils. Methane metabolism data showed that SBCs had a stronger methanogenesis potential followed by PBCs and WBCs, while PBCs had a stronger methane oxidation potential. High abundance of genes involving in formaldehyde assimilation might suggested that a large proportion of produced methane might be assimilated by methanotrophs in the thermokarst landscapes. Both aerobic and anaerobic carbon fixation pathways were enriched in PBCs. The results added our understanding of functional properties and biogeochemical carbon cycles in thermokarst landscapes, improving our abilities in accurate modeling of carbon dynamics and the ultimate fate of permafrost carbon in a warming world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Ren
- Research and Development Center for Watershed Environmental Eco-Engineering, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China; School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Shengkui Cao
- School of Geographical Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China.
| | - Tao Chen
- Center for Grassland Microbiome, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Research and Development Center for Watershed Environmental Eco-Engineering, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China; School of Engineering Technology, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China
| | - Jinlei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science, Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
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15
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Romanowicz KJ, Kling GW. Summer thaw duration is a strong predictor of the soil microbiome and its response to permafrost thaw in arctic tundra. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:6220-6237. [PMID: 36135820 PMCID: PMC10092252 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming has increased permafrost thaw in arctic tundra and extended the duration of annual thaw (number of thaw days in summer) along soil profiles. Predicting the microbial response to permafrost thaw depends largely on knowing how increased thaw duration affects the composition of the soil microbiome. Here, we determined soil microbiome composition from the annually thawed surface active layer down through permafrost from two tundra types at each of three sites on the North Slope of Alaska, USA. Variations in soil microbial taxa were found between sites up to ~90 km apart, between tundra types, and between soil depths. Microbiome differences at a site were greatest across transitions from thawed to permafrost depths. Results from correlation analysis based on multi-decadal thaw surveys show that differences in thaw duration by depth were significantly, positively correlated with the abundance of dominant taxa in the active layer and negatively correlated with dominant taxa in the permafrost. Microbiome composition within the transition zone was statistically similar to that in the permafrost, indicating that recent decades of intermittent thaw have not yet induced a shift from permafrost to active-layer microbes. We suggest that thaw duration rather than thaw frequency has a greater impact on the composition of microbial taxa within arctic soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl J Romanowicz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - George W Kling
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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16
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Ernakovich JG, Barbato RA, Rich VI, Schädel C, Hewitt RE, Doherty SJ, Whalen E, Abbott BW, Barta J, Biasi C, Chabot CL, Hultman J, Knoblauch C, Vetter M, Leewis M, Liebner S, Mackelprang R, Onstott TC, Richter A, Schütte U, Siljanen HMP, Taş N, Timling I, Vishnivetskaya TA, Waldrop MP, Winkel M. Microbiome assembly in thawing permafrost and its feedbacks to climate. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:5007-5026. [PMID: 35722720 PMCID: PMC9541943 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The physical and chemical changes that accompany permafrost thaw directly influence the microbial communities that mediate the decomposition of formerly frozen organic matter, leading to uncertainty in permafrost-climate feedbacks. Although changes to microbial metabolism and community structure are documented following thaw, the generality of post-thaw assembly patterns across permafrost soils of the world remains uncertain, limiting our ability to predict biogeochemistry and microbial community responses to climate change. Based on our review of the Arctic microbiome, permafrost microbiology, and community ecology, we propose that Assembly Theory provides a framework to better understand thaw-mediated microbiome changes and the implications for community function and climate feedbacks. This framework posits that the prevalence of deterministic or stochastic processes indicates whether the community is well-suited to thrive in changing environmental conditions. We predict that on a short timescale and following high-disturbance thaw (e.g., thermokarst), stochasticity dominates post-thaw microbiome assembly, suggesting that functional predictions will be aided by detailed information about the microbiome. At a longer timescale and lower-intensity disturbance (e.g., active layer deepening), deterministic processes likely dominate, making environmental parameters sufficient for predicting function. We propose that the contribution of stochastic and deterministic processes to post-thaw microbiome assembly depends on the characteristics of the thaw disturbance, as well as characteristics of the microbial community, such as the ecological and phylogenetic breadth of functional guilds, their functional redundancy, and biotic interactions. These propagate across space and time, potentially providing a means for predicting the microbial forcing of greenhouse gas feedbacks to global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica G. Ernakovich
- Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNew HampshireUSA
- Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical SciencesUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNew HampshireUSA
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute
| | - Robyn A. Barbato
- U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering LaboratoryHanoverNew HampshireUSA
| | - Virginia I. Rich
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute
- Microbiology DepartmentOhio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
- Byrd Polar and Climate Research CenterOhio State UniversityColombusOhioUSA
- Center of Microbiome ScienceOhio State UniversityColombusOhioUSA
| | - Christina Schädel
- Center for Ecosystem Science and SocietyNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffArizonaUSA
| | - Rebecca E. Hewitt
- Center for Ecosystem Science and SocietyNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffArizonaUSA
- Department of Environmental StudiesAmherst CollegeAmherstMassachusettsUSA
| | - Stacey J. Doherty
- Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical SciencesUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNew HampshireUSA
- U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering LaboratoryHanoverNew HampshireUSA
| | - Emily D. Whalen
- Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNew HampshireUSA
| | - Benjamin W. Abbott
- Department of Plant and Wildlife SciencesBrigham Young UniversityProvoUtahUSA
| | - Jiri Barta
- Centre for Polar EcologyUniversity of South BohemiaCeske BudejoviceCzech Republic
| | - Christina Biasi
- Department of Environmental and Biological SciencesUniversity of Eastern FinlandKuopioFinland
| | - Chris L. Chabot
- California State University NorthridgeNorthridgeCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Christian Knoblauch
- Institute of Soil ScienceUniversität HamburgHamburgGermany
- Center for Earth System Research and SustainabilityUniversität HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Maggie C. Y. Lau Vetter
- Department of GeosciencesPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
- Laboratory of Extraterrestrial Ocean Systems (LEOS)Institute of Deep‐sea Science and EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesSanyaChina
| | - Mary‐Cathrine Leewis
- U.S. Geological Survey, GeologyMinerals, Energy and Geophysics Science CenterMenlo ParkCaliforniaUSA
- Agriculture and Agri‐Food CanadaQuebec Research and Development CentreQuebecQuebecCanada
| | - Susanne Liebner
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesSection GeomicrobiologyPotsdamGermany
| | | | | | - Andreas Richter
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems ScienceUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Austrian Polar Research InstituteViennaAustria
| | | | - Henri M. P. Siljanen
- Department of Environmental and Biological SciencesUniversity of Eastern FinlandKuopioFinland
| | - Neslihan Taş
- Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Tatiana A. Vishnivetskaya
- University of TennesseeKnoxvilleTennesseeUSA
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil SciencePushchinoRussia
| | - Mark P. Waldrop
- U.S. Geological Survey, GeologyMinerals, Energy and Geophysics Science CenterMenlo ParkCaliforniaUSA
| | - Matthias Winkel
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesInterface GeochemistryPotsdamGermany
- BfR Federal Institute for Risk AssessmentBerlinGermany
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17
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Mackelprang R, Vaishampayan P, Fisher K. Adaptation to Environmental Extremes Structures Functional Traits in Biological Soil Crust and Hypolithic Microbial Communities. mSystems 2022; 7:e0141921. [PMID: 35852333 PMCID: PMC9426607 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01419-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are widespread in drylands and deserts. At the microhabitat scale, they also host hypolithic communities that live under semitranslucent stones. Both environmental niches experience exposure to extreme conditions such as high UV radiation, desiccation, temperature fluctuations, and resource limitation. However, hypolithic communities are somewhat protected from extremes relative to biocrust communities. Conditions are otherwise similar, so comparing them can answer outstanding questions regarding adaptations to environmental extremes. Using metagenomic sequencing, we assessed the functional potential of dryland soil communities and identified the functional underpinnings of ecological niche differentiation in biocrusts versus hypoliths. We also determined the effect of the anchoring photoautotroph (moss or cyanobacteria). Genes and pathways differing in abundance between biocrusts and hypoliths indicate that biocrust communities adapt to the higher levels of UV radiation, desiccation, and temperature extremes through an increased ability to repair damaged DNA, sense and respond to environmental stimuli, and interact with other community members and the environment. Intracellular competition appears to be crucial to both communities, with biocrust communities using the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) and hypoliths favoring a diversity of antibiotics. The dominant primary producer had a reduced effect on community functional potential compared with niche, but an abundance of genes related to monosaccharide, amino acid, and osmoprotectant uptake in moss-dominated communities indicates reliance on resources provided to heterotrophs by mosses. Our findings indicate that functional traits in dryland communities are driven by adaptations to extremes and we identify strategies that likely enable survival in dryland ecosystems. IMPORTANCE Biocrusts serve as a keystone element of desert and dryland ecosystems, stabilizing soils, retaining moisture, and serving as a carbon and nitrogen source in oligotrophic environments. Biocrusts cover approximately 12% of the Earth's terrestrial surface but are threatened by climate change and anthropogenic disturbance. Given their keystone role in ecosystem functioning, loss will have wide-spread consequences. Biocrust microbial constituents must withstand polyextreme environmental conditions including high UV exposure, desiccation, oligotrophic conditions, and temperature fluctuations over short time scales. By comparing biocrust communities with co-occurring hypolithic communities (which inhabit the ventral sides of semitranslucent stones and are buffered from environmental extremes), we identified traits that are likely key adaptations to extreme conditions. These include DNA damage repair, environmental sensing and response, and intracellular competition. Comparison of the two niches, which differ primarily in exposure levels to extreme conditions, makes this system ideal for understanding how functional traits are structured by the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Mackelprang
- Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, California, USA
| | - Parag Vaishampayan
- Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Kirsten Fisher
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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18
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Microbiogeochemical Traits to Identify Nitrogen Hotspots in Permafrost Regions. NITROGEN 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/nitrogen3030031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Permafrost-affected tundra soils are large carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) reservoirs. However, N is largely bound in soil organic matter (SOM), and ecosystems generally have low N availability. Therefore, microbial induced N-cycling processes and N losses were considered negligible. Recent studies show that microbial N processing rates, inorganic N availability, and lateral N losses from thawing permafrost increase when vegetation cover is disturbed, resulting in reduced N uptake or increased N input from thawing permafrost. In this review, we describe currently known N hotspots, particularly bare patches in permafrost peatland or permafrost soils affected by thermokarst, and their microbiogeochemical characteristics, and present evidence for previously unrecorded N hotspots in the tundra. We summarize the current understanding of microbial N cycling processes that promote the release of the potent greenhouse gas (GHG) nitrous oxide (N2O) and the translocation of inorganic N from terrestrial into aquatic ecosystems. We suggest that certain soil characteristics and microbial traits can be used as indicators of N availability and N losses. Identifying N hotspots in permafrost soils is key to assessing the potential for N release from permafrost-affected soils under global warming, as well as the impact of increased N availability on emissions of carbon-containing GHGs.
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Zhang J, Ma A, Zhou H, Chen X, Zhou X, Liu G, Zhuang X, Qin X, Priemé A, Zhuang G. Unexpected high carbon losses in a continental glacier foreland on the Tibetan Plateau. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 2:68. [PMID: 37938688 PMCID: PMC9723710 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-022-00148-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Closely related with microbial activities, soil developments along the glacier forelands are generally considered a carbon sink; however, those of continental glacier forelands remain unclear. Continental glaciers are characterized by dry conditions and low temperature that limit microbial growth. We investigated the carbon characteristics along a chronosequence of the Laohugou Glacier No. 12 foreland, a typical continental glacier on the Tibetan Plateau, by analyzing soil bacterial community structure and microbial carbon-related functional potentials. We found an unexpected carbon loss in which soil organic carbon decreased from 22.21 g kg-1 to 10.77 g kg-1 after receding 50 years. Structural equation modeling verified the important positive impacts from bacterial community. Lower carbon fixation efficiency along the chronosequence was supported by less autotrophic bacteria and carbon fixation genes relating to the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle. Lower carbon availability and higher carbon requirements were identified by an increasing bacterial copy number and a shift of the dominant bacterial community from Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes (r-strategists) to Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria (K-strategists). Our findings show that the carbon loss of continental glacier foreland was significantly affected by the changes of bacterial community, and can help to avoid overestimating the carbon sink characteristics of glacier forelands in climate models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiejie Zhang
- Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- Sino-Danish College of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101400, China
- Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing, 101400, China
| | - Anzhou Ma
- Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Hanchang Zhou
- Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xianke Chen
- Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- Sino-Danish College of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101400, China
- Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing, 101400, China
| | - Xiaorong Zhou
- Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Guohua Liu
- Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xuliang Zhuang
- Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xiang Qin
- Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Eco-environment, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Anders Priemé
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DK-2100, Denmark
- Center for Permafrost, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DK-1350, Denmark
| | - Guoqiang Zhuang
- Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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20
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Contamination analysis of Arctic ice samples as planetary field analogs and implications for future life-detection missions to Europa and Enceladus. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12379. [PMID: 35896693 PMCID: PMC9329357 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16370-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Missions to detect extraterrestrial life are being designed to visit Europa and Enceladus in the next decades. The contact between the mission payload and the habitable subsurface of these satellites involves significant risk of forward contamination. The standardization of protocols to decontaminate ice cores from planetary field analogs of icy moons, and monitor the contamination in downstream analysis, has a direct application for developing clean approaches crucial to life detection missions in these satellites. Here we developed a comprehensive protocol that can be used to monitor and minimize the contamination of Arctic ice cores in processing and downstream analysis. We physically removed the exterior layers of ice cores to minimize bioburden from sampling. To monitor contamination, we constructed artificial controls and applied culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques such as 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. We identified 13 bacterial contaminants, including a radioresistant species. This protocol decreases the contamination risk, provides quantitative and qualitative information about contamination agents, and allows validation of the results obtained. This study highlights the importance of decreasing and evaluating prokaryotic contamination in the processing of polar ice cores, including in their use as analogs of Europa and Enceladus.
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Li W, Siddique MS, Graham N, Yu W. Influence of Temperature on Biofilm Formation Mechanisms Using a Gravity-Driven Membrane (GDM) System: Insights from Microbial Community Structures and Metabolomics. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:8908-8919. [PMID: 35623093 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c01243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
A biofilm has a significant effect on water treatment processes. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge about the effect of temperature on the biofilm structure in water treatment processes. In this study, a gravity-driven membrane ultrafiltration system was operated with river feedwater at two temperatures ("low", 4 °C; "high", 25 °C) to explore the biofilm structure and transformation mechanism. The results showed that the difference in dissolved oxygen concentration might be one of the main factors regulating the structural components of the biofilm. A denser biofilm formation and reduced flux were observed at the lower temperature. The linoleic acid metabolism was significantly inhibited at low temperature, resulting in enhanced pyrimidine metabolism by Na+ accumulation. In addition, the biofilm at low temperature had a higher proportion of the metabolites of lipids and lipid-like molecules (11.25%), organic acids and derivatives (10.83%), nucleosides, nucleotides, and analogues (7.083%), and organoheterocyclic compounds (6.66%). These small molecules secrete more polysaccharides having C═O and O═C-O functional groups, which intensified the resistance of the biofilm. Furthermore, the upregulation pathway of pyrimidine metabolism also increased the risk of urea accumulation at low temperature. Limnohabitans, Deinococcus, Diaphorobacter, Flavobacterium, and Pseudomonas were identified as the principal microorganisms involved in this metabolic transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weihua Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
| | - Muhammad Saboor Siddique
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Nigel Graham
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Wenzheng Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, People's Republic of China
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22
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Dang C, Wu Z, Zhang M, Li X, Sun Y, Wu R, Zheng Y, Xia Y. Microorganisms as bio-filters to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from high-altitude permafrost revealed by nanopore-based metagenomics. IMETA 2022; 1:e24. [PMID: 38868568 PMCID: PMC10989947 DOI: 10.1002/imt2.24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
The distinct climatic and geographical conditions make high-altitude permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau suffer more severe degradation than polar permafrost. However, the microbial responses associated with greenhouse gas production in thawing permafrost remain obscured. Here we applied nanopore-based long-read metagenomics and high-throughput RNA-seq to explore microbial functional activities within the freeze-thaw cycle in the active layers of permafrost at the Qilian Mountain. A bioinformatic framework was established to facilitate phylogenetic and functional annotation of the unassembled nanopore metagenome. By deploying this strategy, 42% more genera could be detected and 58% more genes were annotated to nitrogen and methane cycle. With the aid of such enlarged resolution, we observed vigorous aerobic methane oxidation by Methylomonas, which could serve as a bio-filter to mitigate CH4 emissions from permafrost. Such filtering effect could be further consolidated by both on-site gas phase measurement and incubation experiment that CO2 was the major form of carbon released from permafrost. Despite the increased transcriptional activities of aceticlastic methanogenesis pathways in the thawed permafrost active layer, CH4 generated during the thawing process could be effectively consumed by the microbiome. Additionally, the nitrogen metabolism in permafrost tends to be a closed cycle and active N2O consumption by the topsoil community was detected in the near-surface gas phase. Our findings reveal that although the increased thawed state facilitated the heterotrophic nitrogen and methane metabolism, effective microbial methane oxidation in the active layer could serve as a bio-filter to relieve the overall warming potentials of greenhouse gas emitted from thawed permafrost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyuan Dang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
- Laboratory of High‐Resolution Mass Spectrometry Technologies, Dalian Institute of Chemical PhysicsChinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)DalianChina
| | - Ziqi Wu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
| | - Miao Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
| | - Xiang Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo‐Omics, Department of Ocean Science and EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
| | - Yuqin Sun
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo‐Omics, Department of Ocean Science and EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water‐Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
| | - Ren'an Wu
- Laboratory of High‐Resolution Mass Spectrometry Technologies, Dalian Institute of Chemical PhysicsChinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)DalianChina
| | - Yan Zheng
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo‐Omics, Department of Ocean Science and EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water‐Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
| | - Yu Xia
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo‐Omics, Department of Ocean Science and EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
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Ren Z, Zhang C, Li X, Ma K, Cui B. Abundant and Rare Bacterial Taxa Structuring Differently in Sediment and Water in Thermokarst Lakes in the Yellow River Source Area, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:774514. [PMID: 35422785 PMCID: PMC9002311 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.774514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Thermokarst lakes are forming from permafrost thaw and are severely affected by accelerating climate change. Sediment and water in these lakes are distinct habitats but closely connected. However, our understanding of the differences and linkages between sediment and water in thermokarst lakes remains largely unknown, especially from the perspective of community assembly mechanisms. Here, we examined bacterial communities in sediment and water in thermokarst lakes in the Yellow River Source area, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Bacterial taxa were divided into abundant and rare according to their relative abundance, and the Sorensen dissimilarity (βsor) was partitioned into turnover (βturn) and nestedness (βnest). The whole bacterial communities and the abundant and rare subcommunities differed substantially between sediment and water in taxonomical composition, α-diversity, and β-diversity. Sediment had significantly lower α-diversity indexes but higher β-diversity than water. In general, bacterial communities are predominantly governed by strong turnover processes (βturn/βsor ratio of 0.925). Bacterial communities in sediment had a significantly higher βturn/βsor ratio than in water. Abundant subcommunities were significantly lower in the βturn/βsor ratio compared with rare subcommunities. The results suggest that the bacterial communities of thermokarst lakes, especially rare subcommunities or particularly in sediment, might be strongly structured by heterogeneity in the source material, environmental filtering, and geographical isolation, leading to compositionally distinct communities. This integral study increased our current knowledge of thermokarst lakes, enhancing our understanding of the community assembly rules and ecosystem structures and processes of these rapidly changing and vulnerable ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Ren
- Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China.,School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China.,School of Engineering Technology, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Xia Li
- Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China.,School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Kang Ma
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Baoshan Cui
- Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China.,School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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24
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Scheel M, Zervas A, Jacobsen CS, Christensen TR. Microbial Community Changes in 26,500-Year-Old Thawing Permafrost. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:787146. [PMID: 35401488 PMCID: PMC8988141 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.787146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Northern permafrost soils store more than half of the global soil carbon. Frozen for at least two consecutive years, but often for millennia, permafrost temperatures have increased drastically in the last decades. The resulting thermal erosion leads not only to gradual thaw, resulting in an increase of seasonally thawing soil thickness, but also to abrupt thaw events, such as sudden collapses of the soil surface. These could affect 20% of the permafrost zone and half of its organic carbon, increasing accessibility for deeper rooting vegetation and microbial decomposition into greenhouse gases. Knowledge gaps include the impact of permafrost thaw on the soil microfauna as well as key taxa to change the microbial mineralization of ancient permafrost carbon stocks during erosion. Here, we present the first sequencing study of an abrupt permafrost erosion microbiome in Northeast Greenland, where a thermal erosion gully collapsed in the summer of 2018, leading to the thawing of 26,500-year-old permafrost material. We investigated which soil parameters (pH, soil carbon content, age and moisture, organic and mineral horizons, and permafrost layers) most significantly drove changes of taxonomic diversity and the abundance of soil microorganisms in two consecutive years of intense erosion. Sequencing of the prokaryotic 16S rRNA and fungal ITS2 gene regions at finely scaled depth increments revealed decreasing alpha diversity with depth, soil age, and pH. The most significant drivers of variation were found in the soil age, horizons, and permafrost layer for prokaryotic and fungal beta diversity. Permafrost was mainly dominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, with Polaromonas identified as the most abundant taxon. Thawed permafrost samples indicated increased abundance of several copiotrophic phyla, such as Bacteroidia, suggesting alterations of carbon utilization pathways within eroding permafrost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Scheel
- Department of Ecoscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Athanasios Zervas
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Torben R. Christensen
- Department of Ecoscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- Oulanka Research Station, Oulu University, Oulu, Finland
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Perez-Mon C, Stierli B, Plötze M, Frey B. Fast and persistent responses of alpine permafrost microbial communities to in situ warming. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 807:150720. [PMID: 34610405 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Global warming in mid-latitude alpine regions results in permafrost thawing, together with greater availability of carbon and nutrients in soils and frequent freeze-thaw cycles. Yet it is unclear how these multifactorial changes will shape the 1 m-deep permafrost microbiome in the future, and how this will in turn modulate microbially-mediated feedbacks between mountain soils and climate (e.g. soil CO2 emissions). To unravel the responses of the alpine permafrost microbiome to in situ warming, we established a three-year experiment in a permafrost monitoring summit in the Alps. Specifically, we simulated conditions of warming by transplanting permafrost soils from a depth of 160 cm either to the active-layer topsoils in the north-facing slope or in the warmer south-facing slope, near the summit. qPCR-based and amplicon sequencing analyses indicated an augmented microbial abundance in the transplanted permafrost, driven by the increase in copiotrophic prokaryotic taxa (e.g. Noviherbaspirillum and Massilia) and metabolically versatile psychrotrophs (e.g. Tundrisphaera and Granulicella); which acclimatized to the changing environment and potentially benefited from substrates released upon thawing. Metabolically restricted Patescibacteria lineages vastly decreased with warming, as reflected in the loss of α-diversity in the transplanted soils. Ascomycetous sapro-pathotrophs (e.g. Tetracladium) and a few lichenized fungi (e.g. Aspicilia) expanded in the transplanted permafrost, particularly in soils transplanted to the warmer south-facing slope, replacing basidiomycetous yeasts (e.g. Glaciozyma). The transplantation-induced loosening of microbial association networks in the permafrost could potentially indicate lesser cooperative interactions between neighboring microorganisms. Broader substrate-use microbial activities measured in the transplanted permafrost could relate to altered soil C dynamics. The three-year simulated warming did not, however, enhance heterotrophic respiration, which was limited by the carbon-depleted permafrost conditions. Collectively, our quantitative findings suggest the vulnerability of the alpine permafrost microbiome to warming, which might improve predictions on microbially-modulated transformations of mountain soil ecosystems under the future climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Perez-Mon
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Beat Stierli
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Michael Plötze
- Institute for Geotechnical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beat Frey
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
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Varliero G, Rafiq M, Singh S, Summerfield A, Sgouridis F, Cowan DA, Barker G. Microbial characterisation and Cold-Adapted Predicted Protein (CAPP) database construction from the active layer of Greenland's permafrost. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:fiab127. [PMID: 34468725 PMCID: PMC8445667 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiab127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Permafrost represents a reservoir for the biodiscovery of cold-adapted proteins which are advantageous in industrial and medical settings. Comparisons between different thermo-adapted proteins can give important information for cold-adaptation bioengineering. We collected permafrost active layer samples from 34 points along a proglacial transect in southwest Greenland. We obtained a deep read coverage assembly (>164x) from nanopore and Illumina sequences for the purposes of i) analysing metagenomic and metatranscriptomic trends of the microbial community of this area, and ii) creating the Cold-Adapted Predicted Protein (CAPP) database. The community showed a similar taxonomic composition in all samples along the transect, with a solid permafrost-shaped community, rather than microbial trends typical of proglacial systems. We retrieved 69 high- and medium-quality metagenome-assembled clusters, 213 complete biosynthetic gene clusters and more than three million predicted proteins. The latter constitute the CAPP database that can provide cold-adapted protein sequence information for protein- and taxon-focused amino acid sequence modifications for the future bioengineering of cold-adapted enzymes. As an example, we focused on the enzyme polyphenol oxidase, and demonstrated how sequence variation information could inform its protein engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilda Varliero
- School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Natural Sciences 2 Building, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Muhammad Rafiq
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Airport Road, Baleli, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RL, United Kingdom
| | - Swati Singh
- School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Cl, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
| | - Annabel Summerfield
- School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Fotis Sgouridis
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RL, United Kingdom
| | - Don A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Natural Sciences 2 Building, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Gary Barker
- School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
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Eight metagenome-assembled genomes provide evidence for microbial adaptation in 20,000 to 1,000,000-year-old Siberian permafrost. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:e0097221. [PMID: 34288700 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00972-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Permafrost microbes may be metabolically active in microscopic layers of liquid brines, even in ancient soil. Metagenomics can help discern whether permafrost microbes show adaptations to this environment. Thirty-three metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were obtained from six depths (3.5 m to 20 m) of freshly-cored permafrost from the Siberia Kolyma-Indigirka Lowland region. These soils have been continuously frozen for ∼20,000 to 1,000,000 years. Eight of these MAGs were ≥80% complete with <10% contamination and were taxonomically identified as Aminicenantes, Atribacteria, Chloroflexi, and Actinobacteria within bacteria and Thermoprofundales within archaea. MAGs from these taxa have previously been obtained from non-permafrost environments and have been suggested to show adaptations to long-term energy-starvation, but they have never been explored in ancient permafrost. The permafrost MAGs had higher proportions of clusters of orthologous genes (COGs) from 'Energy production and conversion' and 'Carbohydrate transport and metabolism' than their non-permafrost counterparts. They also contained genes for trehalose synthesis, thymine metabolism, mevalonate biosynthesis and cellulose degradation that were less prevalent in non-permafrost genomes. Many of these genes are involved in membrane stabilization and osmotic stress responses, consistent with adaptation to the anoxic, high ionic strength, cold environments of permafrost brine films. Our results suggest that this ancient permafrost contains DNA in high enough quality to assemble MAGs from microorganisms with adaptations to subsist long-term freezing in this extreme environment. Importance Permafrost around the world is thawing rapidly. Many scientists from a variety of disciplines have shown the importance of understanding what will happen to our ecosystem, commerce, and climate when permafrost thaws. The fate of permafrost microorganisms is connected to these predicted rapid environmental changes. Studying ancient permafrost with culture independent techniques can give a glimpse into how these microorganisms function in these extreme low temperature and energy conditions. This will aid understanding of how they will change with the environment. This study presents genomic data from this unique environment aged ∼20,000 to 1,000,000-years-old.
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Bacterial Number and Genetic Diversity in a Permafrost Peatland (Western Siberia): Testing a Link with Organic Matter Quality and Elementary Composition of a Peat Soil Profile. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13070328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Permafrost peatlands, containing a sizable amount of soil organic carbon (OC), play a pivotal role in soil (peat) OC transformation into soluble and volatile forms and greatly contribute to overall natural CO2 and CH4 emissions to the atmosphere under ongoing permafrost thaw and soil OC degradation. Peat microorganisms are largely responsible for the processing of this OC, yet coupled studies of chemical and bacterial parameters in permafrost peatlands are rather limited and geographically biased. Towards testing the possible impact of peat and peat pore water chemical composition on microbial population and diversity, here we present results of a preliminary study of the western Siberia permafrost peatland discontinuous permafrost zone. The quantitative evaluation of microorganisms and determination of microbial diversity along a 100 cm thick peat soil column, which included thawed and frozen peat and bottom mineral horizon, was performed by RT-PCR and 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis, respectively. Bacteria (mainly Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria) strongly dominated the microbial diversity (99% sequences), with a negligible proportion of archaea (0.3–0.5%). There was a systematic evolution of main taxa according to depth, with a maximum of 65% (Acidobacteria) encountered in the active layer, or permafrost boundary (50–60 cm). We also measured C, N, nutrients and ~50 major and trace elements in peat (19 samples) as well as its pore water and dispersed ice (10 samples), sampled over the same core, and we analyzed organic matter quality in six organic and one mineral horizon of this core. Using multiparametric statistics (PCA), we tested the links between the total microbial number and 16S rRNA diversity and chemical composition of both the solid and fluid phase harboring the microorganisms. Under climate warming and permafrost thaw, one can expect a downward movement of the layer of maximal genetic diversity following the active layer thickening. Given a one to two orders of magnitude higher microbial number in the upper (thawed) layers compared to bottom (frozen) layers, an additional 50 cm of peat thawing in western Siberia may sizably increase the total microbial population and biodiversity of active cells.
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Shen L, Liu Y, Allen MA, Xu B, Wang N, Williams TJ, Wang F, Zhou Y, Liu Q, Cavicchioli R. Linking genomic and physiological characteristics of psychrophilic Arthrobacter to metagenomic data to explain global environmental distribution. MICROBIOME 2021; 9:136. [PMID: 34118971 PMCID: PMC8196931 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01084-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microorganisms drive critical global biogeochemical cycles and dominate the biomass in Earth's expansive cold biosphere. Determining the genomic traits that enable psychrophiles to grow in cold environments informs about their physiology and adaptive responses. However, defining important genomic traits of psychrophiles has proven difficult, with the ability to extrapolate genomic knowledge to environmental relevance proving even more difficult. RESULTS Here we examined the bacterial genus Arthrobacter and, assisted by genome sequences of new Tibetan Plateau isolates, defined a new clade, Group C, that represents isolates from polar and alpine environments. Group C had a superior ability to grow at -1°C and possessed genome G+C content, amino acid composition, predicted protein stability, and functional capacities (e.g., sulfur metabolism and mycothiol biosynthesis) that distinguished it from non-polar or alpine Group A Arthrobacter. Interrogation of nearly 1000 metagenomes identified an over-representation of Group C in Canadian permafrost communities from a simulated spring-thaw experiment, indicative of niche adaptation, and an under-representation of Group A in all polar and alpine samples, indicative of a general response to environmental temperature. CONCLUSION The findings illustrate a capacity to define genomic markers of specific taxa that potentially have value for environmental monitoring of cold environments, including environmental change arising from anthropogenic impact. More broadly, the study illustrates the challenges involved in extrapolating from genomic and physiological data to an environmental setting. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System and Resources Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241000, China
| | - Yongqin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System and Resources Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- Center for the Pan-third Pole Environment, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
| | - Michelle A Allen
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Baiqing Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System and Resources Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Ninglian Wang
- College of Urban and Environmental Science, Northwest University, Xian, 710069, China
| | - Timothy J Williams
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Feng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System and Resources Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yuguang Zhou
- China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Qing Liu
- China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Ricardo Cavicchioli
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
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30
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Liang R, Li Z, Lau Vetter MCY, Vishnivetskaya TA, Zanina OG, Lloyd KG, Pfiffner SM, Rivkina EM, Wang W, Wiggins J, Miller J, Hettich RL, Onstott TC. Genomic reconstruction of fossil and living microorganisms in ancient Siberian permafrost. MICROBIOME 2021; 9:110. [PMID: 34001281 PMCID: PMC8130349 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01057-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Total DNA (intracellular, iDNA and extracellular, eDNA) from ancient permafrost records the mixed genetic repository of the past and present microbial populations through geological time. Given the exceptional preservation of eDNA under perennial frozen conditions, typical metagenomic sequencing of total DNA precludes the discrimination between fossil and living microorganisms in ancient cryogenic environments. DNA repair protocols were combined with high throughput sequencing (HTS) of separate iDNA and eDNA fraction to reconstruct metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from ancient microbial DNA entrapped in Siberian coastal permafrost. RESULTS Despite the severe DNA damage in ancient permafrost, the coupling of DNA repair and HTS resulted in a total of 52 MAGs from sediments across a chronosequence (26-120 kyr). These MAGs were compared with those derived from the same samples but without utilizing DNA repair protocols. The MAGs from the youngest stratum showed minimal DNA damage and thus likely originated from viable, active microbial species. Many MAGs from the older and deeper sediment appear related to past aerobic microbial populations that had died upon freezing. MAGs from anaerobic lineages, including Asgard archaea, however exhibited minimal DNA damage and likely represent extant living microorganisms that have become adapted to the cryogenic and anoxic environments. The integration of aspartic acid racemization modeling and metaproteomics further constrained the metabolic status of the living microbial populations. Collectively, combining DNA repair protocols with HTS unveiled the adaptive strategies of microbes to long-term survivability in ancient permafrost. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated that coupling of DNA repair protocols with simultaneous sequencing of iDNA and eDNA fractions enabled the assembly of MAGs from past and living microorganisms in ancient permafrost. The genomic reconstruction from the past and extant microbial populations expanded our understanding about the microbial successions and biogeochemical alterations from the past paleoenvironment to the present-day frozen state. Furthermore, we provided genomic insights into long-term survival mechanisms of microorganisms under cryogenic conditions through geological time. The combined strategies in this study can be extrapolated to examine other ancient non-permafrost environments and constrain the search for past and extant extraterrestrial life in permafrost and ice deposits on Mars. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renxing Liang
- Princeton University, B88, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
| | - Zhou Li
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Maggie C Y Lau Vetter
- Princeton University, B88, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
- Present address: Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Tatiana A Vishnivetskaya
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
| | - Oksana G Zanina
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
| | | | | | - Elizaveta M Rivkina
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
| | - Wei Wang
- Genomics Core Facility, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Jessica Wiggins
- Genomics Core Facility, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Jennifer Miller
- Genomics Core Facility, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Robert L Hettich
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Tullis C Onstott
- Princeton University, B88, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
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31
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Abramov A, Vishnivetskaya T, Rivkina E. Are permafrost microorganisms as old as permafrost? FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:6143815. [PMID: 33601419 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Permafrost describes the condition of earth material (sand, ground, organic matter, etc.) cemented by ice when its temperature remains at or below 0°C continuously for longer than 2 years. Evidently, permafrost is as old as the time passed from freezing of the earth material. Permafrost is a unique phenomenon and may preserve life forms it encloses. Therefore, in order to talk confidently about the preservation of paleo-objects in permafrost, knowledge about the geological age of sediments, i.e. when the sediments were formed, and permafrost age, when those sediments became permanently frozen, is essential. There are two types of permafrost-syngenetic and epigenetic. The age of syngenetic permafrost corresponds to the geological age of its sediments, whereas the age of epigenetic permafrost is less than the geological age of its sediments. Both of these formations preserve microorganisms and their metabolic products; however, the interpretations of the microbiological and molecular-biological data are inconsistent. This paper reviews the current knowledge of time-temperature history and age of permafrost in relation to available microbiological and metagenomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Abramov
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino 142290, Russia
| | - Tatiana Vishnivetskaya
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino 142290, Russia.,University of Tennessee, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Elizaveta Rivkina
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino 142290, Russia
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32
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Perez-Mon C, Qi W, Vikram S, Frossard A, Makhalanyane T, Cowan D, Frey B. Shotgun metagenomics reveals distinct functional diversity and metabolic capabilities between 12 000-year-old permafrost and active layers on Muot da Barba Peider (Swiss Alps). Microb Genom 2021; 7:000558. [PMID: 33848236 PMCID: PMC8208683 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The warming-induced thawing of permafrost promotes microbial activity, often resulting in enhanced greenhouse gas emissions. The ability of permafrost microorganisms to survive the in situ sub-zero temperatures, their energetic strategies and their metabolic versatility in using soil organic materials determine their growth and functionality upon thawing. Hence, functional characterization of the permafrost microbiome, particularly in the underexplored mid-latitudinal alpine regions, is a crucial first step in predicting its responses to the changing climate, and the consequences for soil-climate feedbacks. In this study, for the first time, the functional potential and metabolic capabilities of a temperate mountain permafrost microbiome from central Europe has been analysed using shotgun metagenomics. Permafrost and active layers from the summit of Muot da Barba Peider (MBP) [Swiss Alps, 2979 m above sea level (a.s.l.)] revealed a strikingly high functional diversity in the permafrost (north-facing soils at a depth of 160 cm). Permafrost metagenomes were enriched in stress-response genes (e.g. cold-shock genes, chaperones), as well as in genes involved in cell defence and competition (e.g. antiviral proteins, antibiotics, motility, nutrient-uptake ABC transporters), compared with active-layer metagenomes. Permafrost also showed a higher potential for the synthesis of carbohydrate-active enzymes, and an overrepresentation of genes involved in fermentation, carbon fixation, denitrification and nitrogen reduction reactions. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the potential capabilities of permafrost microorganisms to thrive in cold and oligotrophic conditions, and highlight their metabolic versatility in carbon and nitrogen cycling. Our study provides a first insight into the high functional gene diversity of the central European mountain permafrost microbiome. Our findings extend our understanding of the microbial ecology of permafrost and represent a baseline for future investigations comparing the functional profiles of permafrost microbial communities at different latitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Perez-Mon
- Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Carla Perez-Mon,
| | - Weihong Qi
- Functional Genomics Center of the University of Zurich and the ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Surendra Vikram
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Aline Frossard
- Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Thulani Makhalanyane
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Don Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Beat Frey
- Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Beat Frey,
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Abstract
In recent years, the tree of life has expanded substantially. Despite this, many abundant yet uncultivated microbial groups remain to be explored. Sumerlaeota is a mysterious, putative phylum-level lineage distributed globally but rarely reported. As such, their physiology, ecology, and evolutionary history remain unknown. The 16S rRNA gene survey reveals that Sumerlaeota is frequently detected in diverse environments globally, especially cold arid desert soils and deep-sea basin surface sediments, where it is one dominant microbial group. Here, we retrieved four Sumerlaeota metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from two hot springs and one saline lake. Including another 12 publicly available MAGs, they represent six of the nine putative Sumerlaeota subgroups/orders, as indicated by 16S rRNA gene-based phylogeny. These elusive organisms likely obtain carbon mainly through utilization of refractory organics (e.g., chitin and cellulose) and proteinaceous compounds, suggesting that Sumerlaeota act as scavengers in nature. The presence of key bidirectional enzymes involved in acetate and hydrogen metabolisms in these MAGs suggests that they are acetogenic bacteria capable of both the production and consumption of hydrogen. The capabilities of dissimilatory nitrate and sulfate reduction, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, and organic phosphorus mineralization may confer these heterotrophs great advantages to thrive under diverse harsh conditions. Ancestral state reconstruction indicated that Sumerlaeota originated from chemotrophic and facultatively anaerobic ancestors, and their smaller and variably sized genomes evolved along dynamic pathways from a sizeable common ancestor (2,342 genes), leading to their physiological divergence. Notably, large gene gain and larger loss events occurred at the branch to the last common ancestor of the order subgroup 1, likely due to niche expansion and population size effects.
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34
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Lloyd KG. Time as a microbial resource. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2021; 13:18-21. [PMID: 33015966 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Karen G Lloyd
- Microbiology Department, University of Tennessee, Mossman Building Rm 307, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
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35
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Su Y, Yang Y, Zhu XY, Zhang XH, Yu M. Metagenomic Insights Into the Microbial Assemblage Capable of Quorum Sensing and Quorum Quenching in Particulate Organic Matter in the Yellow Sea. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:602010. [PMID: 33519743 PMCID: PMC7843935 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.602010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Quorum sensing (QS) is a density-dependent communicating mechanism that allows bacteria to regulate a wide range of biogeochemical important processes and could be inhibited by quorum quenching (QQ). Increasing researches have demonstrated that QS can affect the degradation of particulate organic matter (POM) in the photic zone. However, knowledge of the diversity and variation of microbial QS and QQ systems in sinking POM is scarce. Here, POM samples were collected from surface seawater (SW), bottom seawater (BW), and surficial sediment (SS) in the Yellow Sea of China. 16S rRNA gene amplicon and metagenome sequencing were performed to analyze the community structure of particle-associated microorganisms and distribution of QS genes [acylated homoserine lactone (AHL) synthesizing gene luxI and AHL sensing gene luxR] and QQ genes (genes encoding for AHL lactonase and acylase) in POM. Shifting community structures were observed at different sampling depths, with an increase of microbial abundance and diversity from SW to BW. Along with the variation of microbial communities, the abundances of luxI and luxR decreased slightly but were restored or even exceeded when POM arrived at SS. Comparatively, abundances of AHL lactonase and acylase remained constant during the transportation process from SW to BW but increased dramatically in SS. Correlation tests indicated that abundances of luxI and luxR were positively correlated with temperature, while those of AHL acylase were positively correlated with depth, SiO4 2-, PO4 3-, and NO3 -, but negatively correlated with temperature and pH. According to phylogenetic analyses, the retrieved QS and QQ genes are more diverse and distinctive than ever experimentally identified. Besides, the vertical transmission of QS and QQ genes along with POM sinking was observed, which could be one of the key factors leading to the prevalence of QS and QQ genes in marine ecosystems. Overall, our results increase the current knowledge of QS and QQ metabolic pathways in marine environment and shed light on the intertwined interspecies relationships to better investigate their dynamics and ecological roles in POM cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Su
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanzhi Yang
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Xiao-Yu Zhu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiao-Hua Zhang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Min Yu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
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36
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YAN H, ZHU L, WANG Y, ZHANG S, LIU P, DONG TTX, WU Q, DUAN JA. Comparative metagenomics analysis of the rhizosphere microbiota influence on Radix Angelica sinensis in different growth soil environments in China. FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/fst.65120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hui YAN
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China
| | - Lei ZHU
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China
| | | | - Sen ZHANG
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China
| | - Pei LIU
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China
| | | | - Qinan WU
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China
| | - Jin-Ao DUAN
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China
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37
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Chabot M, Morales E, Cummings J, Rios N, Giatpaiboon S, Mogul R. Simple kinetics, assay, and trends for soil microbial catalases. Anal Biochem 2020; 610:113901. [PMID: 32841648 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2020.113901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In this report, we expand upon the enzymology and ecology of soil catalases through development and application of a simple kinetic model and field-amenable assay based upon volume displacement. Through this approach, we (A) directly relate apparent Michaelis-Menten terms to the catalase reaction mechanism, (B) obtain upper estimates of the intrinsic rate constants for the catalase community (k3'), along with moles of catalase per 16S rRNA gene copy number, (C) utilize catalase specific activities (SAs) to obtain biomass estimates of soil and permafrost communities (LOD, ~104 copy number gdw-1), and (D) relate kinetic trends to changes in bacterial community structure. In addition, this novel kinetic approach simultaneously incorporates barometric adjustments to afford comparisons across field measurements. As per our model, and when compared to garden soils, biological soil crusts exhibited ~2-fold lower values for k3', ≥105-fold higher catalase moles per biomass (250-1200 zmol copy number-1), and ~104-fold higher SAs per biomass (74-230 fkat copy number-1); whereas the highest SAs were obtained from permafrost and high-elevation soil communities (5900-6700 fkat copy number-1). In sum, the total trends suggest that microbial communities which experience higher degrees of native oxidative stress possess higher basal intracellular catalase concentrations and SAs per biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Chabot
- Cal Poly Pomona, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - Ernesto Morales
- Cal Poly Pomona, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - Jacob Cummings
- Cal Poly Pomona, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - Nicholas Rios
- Cal Poly Pomona, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - Scott Giatpaiboon
- Cal Poly Pomona, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - Rakesh Mogul
- Cal Poly Pomona, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA, 91768, USA.
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38
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Xue Y, Jonassen I, Øvreås L, Taş N. Metagenome-assembled genome distribution and key functionality highlight importance of aerobic metabolism in Svalbard permafrost. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2020; 96:5821278. [PMID: 32301987 PMCID: PMC7174036 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Permafrost underlies a large portion of the land in the Northern Hemisphere. It is proposed to be an extreme habitat and home for cold-adaptive microbial communities. Upon thaw permafrost is predicted to exacerbate increasing global temperature trend, where awakening microbes decompose millennia old carbon stocks. Yet our knowledge on composition, functional potential and variance of permafrost microbiome remains limited. In this study, we conducted a deep comparative metagenomic analysis through a 2 m permafrost core from Svalbard, Norway to determine key permafrost microbiome in this climate sensitive island ecosystem. To do so, we developed comparative metagenomics methods on metagenomic-assembled genomes (MAG). We found that community composition in Svalbard soil horizons shifted markedly with depth: the dominant phylum switched from Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria in top soils (active layer) to Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria in permafrost layers. Key metabolic potential propagated through permafrost depths revealed aerobic respiration and soil organic matter decomposition as key metabolic traits. We also found that Svalbard MAGs were enriched in genes involved in regulation of ammonium, sulfur and phosphate. Here, we provide a new perspective on how permafrost microbiome is shaped to acquire resources in competitive and limited resource conditions of deep Svalbard soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxin Xue
- Computational Biology Unit, Department of Informatics, University of Bergen,Thormøhlensgt 55 N-5008, Bergen, Norway
| | - Inge Jonassen
- Computational Biology Unit, Department of Informatics, University of Bergen,Thormøhlensgt 55 N-5008, Bergen, Norway
| | - Lise Øvreås
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 53 N-5020, Bergen, Norway.,University Center in Svalbard, UNIS, N-9171, Longyearbyen, Norway
| | - Neslihan Taş
- Ecology Department, Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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39
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Holm S, Walz J, Horn F, Yang S, Grigoriev MN, Wagner D, Knoblauch C, Liebner S. Methanogenic response to long-term permafrost thaw is determined by paleoenvironment. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2020; 96:5729939. [PMID: 32031215 PMCID: PMC7046019 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Methane production in thawing permafrost can be substantial, yet often evolves after long lag phases or is even lacking. A central question is to which extent the production of methane after permafrost thaw is determined by the initial methanogenic community. We quantified the production of methane relative to carbon dioxide (CO2) and enumerated methanogenic (mcrA) gene copies in long-term (2-7 years) anoxic incubations at 4 °C using interglacial and glacial permafrost samples of Holocene and Pleistocene, including Eemian, origin. Changes in archaeal community composition were determined by sequencing of the archaeal 16S rRNA gene. Long-term thaw stimulated methanogenesis where methanogens initially dominated the archaeal community. Deposits of interstadial and interglacial (Eemian) origin, formed under higher temperatures and precipitation, displayed the greatest response to thaw. At the end of the incubations, a substantial shift in methanogenic community composition and a relative increase in hydrogenotrophic methanogens had occurred except for Eemian deposits in which a high abundance of potential acetoclastic methanogens were present. This study shows that only anaerobic CO2 production but not methane production correlates significantly with carbon and nitrogen content and that the methanogenic response to permafrost thaw is mainly constrained by the paleoenvironmental conditions during soil formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stine Holm
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Josefine Walz
- Universität Hamburg, Institute of Soil Science, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.,Universität Hamburg, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, 20146 Germany
| | - Fabian Horn
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Sizhong Yang
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Mikhail N Grigoriev
- Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Melnikov Permafrost Institute, 677007 Yakutsk, Russia
| | - Dirk Wagner
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.,Potsdam University, Institute of Geosciences, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Christian Knoblauch
- Universität Hamburg, Institute of Soil Science, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.,Universität Hamburg, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, 20146 Germany
| | - Susanne Liebner
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.,Potsdam University, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
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40
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Doherty SJ, Barbato RA, Grandy AS, Thomas WK, Monteux S, Dorrepaal E, Johansson M, Ernakovich JG. The Transition From Stochastic to Deterministic Bacterial Community Assembly During Permafrost Thaw Succession. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:596589. [PMID: 33281795 PMCID: PMC7691490 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.596589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The Northern high latitudes are warming twice as fast as the global average, and permafrost has become vulnerable to thaw. Changes to the environment during thaw leads to shifts in microbial communities and their associated functions, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding the ecological processes that structure the identity and abundance (i.e., assembly) of pre- and post-thaw communities may improve predictions of the functional outcomes of permafrost thaw. We characterized microbial community assembly during permafrost thaw using in situ observations and a laboratory incubation of soils from the Storflaket Mire in Abisko, Sweden, where permafrost thaw has occurred over the past decade. In situ observations indicated that bacterial community assembly was driven by randomness (i.e., stochastic processes) immediately after thaw with drift and dispersal limitation being the dominant processes. As post-thaw succession progressed, environmentally driven (i.e., deterministic) processes became increasingly important in structuring microbial communities where homogenizing selection was the only process structuring upper active layer soils. Furthermore, laboratory-induced thaw reflected assembly dynamics immediately after thaw indicated by an increase in drift, but did not capture the long-term effects of permafrost thaw on microbial community dynamics. Our results did not reflect a link between assembly dynamics and carbon emissions, likely because respiration is the product of many processes in microbial communities. Identification of dominant microbial community assembly processes has the potential to improve our understanding of the ecological impact of permafrost thaw and the permafrost-climate feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey Jarvis Doherty
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Engineer Research Development Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Robyn A. Barbato
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Engineer Research Development Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - A. Stuart Grandy
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - W. Kelley Thomas
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Sylvain Monteux
- Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ellen Dorrepaal
- Climate Impacts Research Centre, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Abisko, Sweden
| | - Margareta Johansson
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jessica G. Ernakovich
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
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41
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Huang R, Zeng J, Zhao D, Yong B, Yu Z. Co-association of Two nir Denitrifiers Under the Influence of Emergent Macrophytes. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2020; 80:809-821. [PMID: 32577778 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01545-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Diverse microorganisms perform similar metabolic process in biogeochemical cycles, whereas they are found of highly genomic differentiation. Biotic interactions should be considered in any community survey of these functional groups, as they contribute to community assembly and ultimately alter ecosystem properties. Current knowledge has mainly been achieved based on functional community characterized by a single gene using co-occurrence network analysis. Biotic interactions between functionally equivalent microorganisms, however, have received much less attention. Herein, we propose the nirK- and nirS-type denitrifier communities represented by these two nitrite reductase (nir)-encoding genes, as model communities to investigate the potential interactions of two nir denitrifiers. We evaluated co-occurrence patterns and co-association network structures of nir denitrifier community from an emergent macrophyte-dominated riparian zone of highly active denitrification in Lake Taihu, China. We found a more segregated pattern in combined nir communities than in individual communities. Network analyses revealed a modularized structure of associating nir denitrifiers. An increased proportion of negative associations among combined communities relative to those of individual communities indicated potential interspecific competition between nirK and nirS denitrifiers. pH and NH4+-N were the most important factors driving co-occurrence and mutual exclusion between nirK and nirS denitrifiers. We also showed the topological importance of nirK denitrifiers acting as module hubs for constructing entire association networks. We revealed previously unexplored co-association relationships between nirK and nirS denitrifiers, which were previously neglected in network analyses of individual communities. Using nir denitrifier community as a model, these findings would be helpful for us to understand the biotic interactions and mechanisms underlying how functional groups co-exist in performing biogeochemical cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China
| | - Jin Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
| | - Dayong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China
| | - Bin Yong
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China
| | - Zhongbo Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China
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Lalla SJ, Kaneshige KR, Miller DR, Mackelprang R, Mogul R. Quantification of endospores in ancient permafrost using time-resolved terbium luminescence. Anal Biochem 2020; 612:113957. [PMID: 32961249 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2020.113957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We describe herein a simple procedure for quantifying endospore abundances in ancient and organic-rich permafrost. We repeatedly (10x) extracted and fractionated permafrost using a tandem filter assembly composed of 3 and 0.2 μm filters. Then, the 0.2 μm filter was washed (7x), autoclaved, and the contents eluted, including dipicolinic acid (DPA). Time-resolved luminescence using Tb(EDTA) yielded a LOD of 1.46 nM DPA (6.55 × 103 endospores/mL). In review, DPA/endospore abundances were ~2.2-fold greater in older 33 ky permafrost (258 ± 36 pmol DPA gdw-1; 1.15 × 106 ± 0.16 × 106 spores gdw-1) versus younger 19 ky permafrost (p = 0.007297). This suggests that dormancy increases with permafrost age.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Lalla
- Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - K R Kaneshige
- Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - D R Miller
- Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - R Mackelprang
- Department of Biological Sciences, CSU Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA
| | - R Mogul
- Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA.
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43
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Optimization of subsampling, decontamination, and DNA extraction of difficult peat and silt permafrost samples. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14295. [PMID: 32868827 PMCID: PMC7459103 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71234-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aims to act as a methodological guide for contamination monitoring, decontamination, and DNA extraction for peaty and silty permafrost samples with low biomass or difficult to extract DNA. We applied a biological tracer, either only in the field or both in the field and in the lab, via either spraying or painting. Spraying in the field followed by painting in the lab resulted in a uniform layer of the tracer on the core sections. A combination of bleaching, washing, and scraping resulted in complete removal of the tracer leaving sufficient material for DNA extraction, while other widely used decontamination methods did not remove all detectable tracer. In addition, of four widely used commercially available DNA extraction kits, only a modified ZymoBIOMICS DNA Microprep kit was able to acquire PCR amplifiable DNA. Permafrost chemical parameters, age, and soil texture did not have an effect on decontamination efficacy; however, the permafrost type did influence DNA extraction. Based on these findings, we developed recommendations for permafrost researchers to acquire contaminant-free DNA from permafrost with low biomass.
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Rathour R, Gupta J, Mishra A, Rajeev AC, Dupont CL, Thakur IS. A comparative metagenomic study reveals microbial diversity and their role in the biogeochemical cycling of Pangong lake. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 731:139074. [PMID: 32417476 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The environment of a high altitude brackish water lake presents an unprecedented reservoir for the microbial community with adaptability towards surviving stressful conditions. Pangong lake is a high altitude brackish water lake of the Himalayas situated in the eastern part of Ladakh (Indian Tibet), at the height of 4250 m above the sea level. Shotgun metagenomics sequencing of Pangong Lake sediments was performed to examine the taxonomic diversity and functional adaptations of the resident psychrophilic and psychrotolerant microbial communities of the lake (September; a temperature of ±10 °C). Proteobacteria was the most prominent phylum, and Methylophaga, Halomonas, and Marinobacter were mainly abundant at the genus level. Enzyme pathways responsible for methane metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, sulfur reduction, benzoate, and xylene degradation appeared to be complete in the metagenomic dataset. Stress response genes responsible for adaption to pH, cold, salt tolerance, osmotic stress, and oxidative stress were also found in abundance in the metagenome. We compared the Pangong lake metagenome sample to sediments and water samples from three different aquatic habitats, namely saline lake, freshwater lakes and marine ecosystem using MG-RAST server against RefSeq and Subsystem databases. The Pangong lake microbial community contains six unique genera. Regression analysis using metagenome samples suggested that Pangong lake was most closely related to the Trophic South Pacific Ocean (R2 = 0.971) and Socompa lake ecosystem (R2 = 0.991) at phylum and functional level II, respectively. Our study signifies that the functional metabolic potentiality of Pangong lake is strongly influenced by the taxonomic structure and environmental conditions. We are reporting the metagenome of the sediment sample of the Pangong lake, which unveils the microbial diversity and their functional potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rashmi Rathour
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi 110067, India
| | - Juhi Gupta
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi 110067, India; J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Arti Mishra
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi 110067, India
| | - Aparna C Rajeev
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi 110067, India
| | | | - Indu Shekhar Thakur
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi 110067, India.
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45
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Liu Y, Shen L, Zeng Y, Xing T, Xu B, Wang N. Genomic Insights of Cryobacterium Isolated From Ice Core Reveal Genome Dynamics for Adaptation in Glacier. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1530. [PMID: 32765445 PMCID: PMC7381226 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Glacier is the dominant cold habitat in terrestrial environments, providing a model ecosystem to explore extremophilic strategies and study early lives on Earth. The dominant form of life in glaciers is bacteria. However, little is known about past evolutionary processes that bacteria underwent during adaptation to the cryosphere and the connection of their genomic traits to environmental stressors. Aiming to test the hypothesis that bacterial genomic content and dynamics are driven by glacial environmental stressors, we compared genomes of 21 psychrophilic Cryobacterium strains, including 14 that we isolated from three Tibetan ice cores, to their mesophilic counterparts from the same family Microbacteriaceae of Actinobacteria. The results show that psychrophilic Cryobacterium underwent more dynamic changes in genome content, and their genomes have a significantly higher number of genes involved in stress response, motility, and chemotaxis than their mesophilic counterparts (P < 0.05). The phylogenetic birth-and-death model imposed on the phylogenomic tree indicates a vast surge in recent common ancestor of psychrophilic Cryobacterium (gained the greatest number of genes by 1,168) after the division of the mesophilic strain Cryobacterium mesophilum. The expansion in genome content brought in key genes primarily of the categories “cofactors, vitamins, prosthetic groups, pigments,” “monosaccharides metabolism,” and “membrane transport.” The amino acid substitution rates of psychrophilic Cryobacterium strains are two orders of magnitude lower than those in mesophilic strains. However, no significantly higher number of cold shock genes was found in psychrophilic Cryobacterium strains, indicating that multi-copy is not a key factor for cold adaptation in the family Microbacteriaceae, although cold shock genes are indispensable for psychrophiles. Extensive gene acquisition and low amino acid substitution rate might be the strategies of psychrophilic Cryobacterium to resist low temperature, oligotrophy, and high UV radiation on glaciers. The exploration of genome evolution and survival strategies of psychrophilic Cryobacterium deepens our understanding of bacterial cold adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongqin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liang Shen
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, China
| | - Yonghui Zeng
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Tingting Xing
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Baiqing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ninglian Wang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Urban and Environmental Science, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
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46
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Krüger A, Schäfers C, Busch P, Antranikian G. Digitalization in microbiology - Paving the path to sustainable circular bioeconomy. N Biotechnol 2020; 59:88-96. [PMID: 32750680 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2020.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The transition to a sustainable bio-based circular economy requires cutting edge technologies that ensure economic growth with environmentally responsible action. This transition will only be feasible when the opportunities of digitalization are also exploited. Digital methods and big data handling have already found their way into life sciences and generally offer huge potential in various research areas. While computational analyses of microbial metagenome data have become state of the art, the true potential of bioinformatics remains mostly untapped so far. In this article we present challenges and opportunities of digitalization including multi-omics approaches in discovering and exploiting the microbial diversity of the planet with the aim to identify robust biocatalysts for application in sustainable bioprocesses as part of the transition from a fossil-based to a bio-based circular economy. This will contribute to solving global challenges, including utilization of natural resources, food supply, health, energy and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Krüger
- Institute of Technical Microbiology, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Kasernenstr. 12, D-21073 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Christian Schäfers
- Institute of Technical Microbiology, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Kasernenstr. 12, D-21073 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Philip Busch
- Institute of Technical Microbiology, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Kasernenstr. 12, D-21073 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Garabed Antranikian
- Institute of Technical Microbiology, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Kasernenstr. 12, D-21073 Hamburg, Germany.
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Leewis MC, Berlemont R, Podgorski DC, Srinivas A, Zito P, Spencer RGM, McFarland J, Douglas TA, Conaway CH, Waldrop M, Mackelprang R. Life at the Frozen Limit: Microbial Carbon Metabolism Across a Late Pleistocene Permafrost Chronosequence. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1753. [PMID: 32849382 PMCID: PMC7403407 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Permafrost is an extreme habitat yet it hosts microbial populations that remain active over millennia. Using permafrost collected from a Pleistocene chronosequence (19 to 33 ka), we hypothesized that the functional genetic potential of microbial communities in permafrost would reflect microbial strategies to metabolize permafrost soluble organic matter (OM) in situ over geologic time. We also hypothesized that changes in the metagenome across the chronosequence would correlate with shifts in carbon chemistry, permafrost age, and paleoclimate at the time of permafrost formation. We combined high-resolution characterization of water-soluble OM by Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron-resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), quantification of organic anions in permafrost water extracts, and metagenomic sequencing to better understand the relationships between the molecular-level composition of potentially bioavailable OM, the microbial community, and permafrost age. Both age and paleoclimate had marked effects on both the molecular composition of dissolved OM and the microbial community. The relative abundance of genes associated with hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, carbohydrate active enzyme families, nominal oxidation state of carbon (NOSC), and number of identifiable molecular formulae significantly decreased with increasing age. In contrast, genes associated with fermentation of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the concentration of SCFAs and ammonium all significantly increased with age. We present a conceptual model of microbial metabolism in permafrost based on fermentation of OM and the buildup of organic acids that helps to explain the unique chemistry of ancient permafrost soils. These findings imply long-term in situ microbial turnover of ancient permafrost OM and that this pooled biolabile OM could prime ancient permafrost soils for a larger and more rapid microbial response to thaw compared to younger permafrost soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary-Cathrine Leewis
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Menlo Park, CA, United States
| | - Renaud Berlemont
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, United States
| | - David C Podgorski
- Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Archana Srinivas
- Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA, United States
| | - Phoebe Zito
- Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Robert G M Spencer
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Geochemistry Group, Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Jack McFarland
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Menlo Park, CA, United States
| | - Thomas A Douglas
- U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Fort Wainwright, AK, United States
| | | | - Mark Waldrop
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Menlo Park, CA, United States
| | - Rachel Mackelprang
- Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA, United States
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Gagné KR, Ewers SC, Murphy CJ, Daanen R, Walter Anthony K, Guerard JJ. Composition and photo-reactivity of organic matter from permafrost soils and surface waters in interior Alaska. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2020; 22:1525-1539. [PMID: 32567618 DOI: 10.1039/d0em00097c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Yedoma permafrost soils are especially susceptible to abrupt thaw due to their exceptional thickness and high ice content. Compared to other mineral soils, yedoma has a high organic carbon content, which has shown to be particularly biolabile. The organic carbon in these deposits needs to be characterised to provide an identification toolkit for detecting and monitoring the thaw, mobilisation and mineralisation of yedoma permafrost. This study characterised organic carbon isolates from thermokarst lakes (either receiving inputs from thaw of original yedoma or refrozen-thermokarst deposits, or lacking recent thaw) during winter and summer seasons within the Goldstream Creek watershed, a discontinuous permafrost watershed in interior Alaska, to identify the extent to which thermokarst-lake environments are impacted by degradation of yedoma permafrost. Waters from lakes of varied age and thermokarst activity, as well as active layer and undisturbed yedoma permafrost soils were isolated and characterised by functional group abundance (multiCP-MAS 13C and SPR-W5-WATERGATE 1H NMR), absorbance and fluorescence, and photobleaching ability. DOM isolated from winter and summer seasons revealed differing composition and photoreactivity, suggesting varied active layer and permafrost influence under differing ground water flow regimes. Water extractable organic matter isolates from permafrost leachates revealed variation in terms of photoreactivity and photolability, with the youngest sampled permafrost isolate being the most photoreactive and photolabile. As temperatures increase, release of permafrost organic matter is inevitable. Obtaining a holistic understanding of DOM composition and photoreactivity will allow for a better prediction of permafrost thaw impacts in the coming decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin R Gagné
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA.
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49
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Afouda P, Dubourg G, Raoult D. Archeomicrobiology applied to environmental samples. Microb Pathog 2020; 143:104140. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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50
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Edwards A, Cameron KA, Cook JM, Debbonaire AR, Furness E, Hay MC, Rassner SM. Microbial genomics amidst the Arctic crisis. Microb Genom 2020; 6:e000375. [PMID: 32392124 PMCID: PMC7371112 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Arctic is warming - fast. Microbes in the Arctic play pivotal roles in feedbacks that magnify the impacts of Arctic change. Understanding the genome evolution, diversity and dynamics of Arctic microbes can provide insights relevant for both fundamental microbiology and interdisciplinary Arctic science. Within this synthesis, we highlight four key areas where genomic insights to the microbial dimensions of Arctic change are urgently required: the changing Arctic Ocean, greenhouse gas release from the thawing permafrost, 'biological darkening' of glacial surfaces, and human activities within the Arctic. Furthermore, we identify four principal challenges that provide opportunities for timely innovation in Arctic microbial genomics. These range from insufficient genomic data to develop unifying concepts or model organisms for Arctic microbiology to challenges in gaining authentic insights to the structure and function of low-biomass microbiota and integration of data on the causes and consequences of microbial feedbacks across scales. We contend that our insights to date on the genomics of Arctic microbes are limited in these key areas, and we identify priorities and new ways of working to help ensure microbial genomics is in the vanguard of the scientific response to the Arctic crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arwyn Edwards
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Cledwyn Building, Aberystwyth University, Cymru SY23 3DD, UK
| | - Karen A. Cameron
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Cledwyn Building, Aberystwyth University, Cymru SY23 3DD, UK
| | - Joseph M. Cook
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Cledwyn Building, Aberystwyth University, Cymru SY23 3DD, UK
| | - Aliyah R. Debbonaire
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Cledwyn Building, Aberystwyth University, Cymru SY23 3DD, UK
| | - Eleanor Furness
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Cledwyn Building, Aberystwyth University, Cymru SY23 3DD, UK
| | - Melanie C. Hay
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Cledwyn Building, Aberystwyth University, Cymru SY23 3DD, UK
| | - Sara M.E. Rassner
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Cledwyn Building, Aberystwyth University, Cymru SY23 3DD, UK
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