Nutrient availability in tropical caves influences the dynamics of microbial biomass

Paula, C; Bichuette, Maria Elina; Seleghim, Mirna Helena Regali

doi:10.1002/mbo3.1044

Cited by 21 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…This is reflected in the concentrations of organic carbon, which seems to accumulate at the cave entrance, with its concentration at dark zone site high, in the range of 100 mg g -1 . This supports the conclusions of recent research that although both temperate and tropical cave communities are supported by organic inputs from allochthonous sources, and both types of systems show a trophic gradient from surface to dark zones, the tropical subterranean environments are not limited in energy input to the same degree as their temperate counterparts, due to the diversity and abundance of vegetation and its presence throughout the whole year [3, 5]. The environmental differences between tropical and temperate caves directly influenced the microbial communities within subterranean system.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Salinity was strongly related to the structure of the microbiome at the entrance cave, as previously discussed, and the others environmental drivers were related to dominant saprophytic microorganisms at surface and dark zone. Previous study at TR cave revealed the availability of carbon and nitrogen influenced the microbial strategies for organic matter decomposition and incorporation of those compounds into their biomass [5].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tropical caves are in regions differing significantly in environmental conditions regarding the temperate caves, which include, in general, climate with higher temperatures, a dense tree canopy whole year, due the lack of a dormant period in the winter or dry season, and higher primary production [3]. Such differences can influence the structure and dynamics of microbial communities in caves [4 – 5], highlighting the importance to understand the microbial ecology in tropical cave environments over a seasonal cycle.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First Report of Halobacteria Dominance in a Tropical Cave Microbiome

Paula

Sirová

Sarmento

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Scarce studies on microbial diversity in tropical caves have been published, a subterranean system still neglected from a microbiological point of view. Although most published studies are about temperate caves, usually archaeas and fungi have less attention than bacterial communities. Here, the microbiome structure and composition in a tropical cave system, as well the main environmental drivers, were studied during the wet and dry season. Soil and sediments from three different habitats at the cave (surface, entrance cave and dark zone) were sampled. Samples were characterized (temperature, air and substrate humidity, salinity, pH, nitrogen and organic carbon content, and chemical composition) and the microbiome was assessed by high-throughput sequencing, using amplicon sequencing (16S and ITS). Prokaryotic communities were dominated by Halobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacilli, while fungal communities showed high abundance of Sordariomycetes. Microbiomes from the cave entrance, where a significantly elevated salinity levels were found, supported up to 63% of Haloarchaea compared to the other habitats studied. Differences in community structure were significant between habitats, but no influence of the season was observed. Main environmental drivers of community assembly included nitrogen and organic carbon content, temperature, and salinity. This is the first report of Halobacteria dominance in cave habitats, where they likely play important roles in nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. The cave entrance had lower diversity, but higher degree of microbial endemism, which characterize it as an important cave ecotone. The prevalence of heterotrophic microbial groups implies trophic structure based on detritivores, particularly in the dark zones. Our study brings new insights on microbiome composition in the underexplored tropical cave habitats.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First Report of Halobacteria Dominance in a Tropical Cave Microbiome

Paula

Sirová

Sarmento

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…In any case, such microbial communities have been shown to take part in the formation of caves and sediments influencing several biogeochemical processes. They mainly act as promoters of precipitation or dissolution of minerals in the rock and cave water, which results in the emergence of new formations and speleothems [27][28][29].…”

Section: Microorganisms In Cave Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential Use

et al. 2022

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Caves have been an item of amateur and professional exploration for many years. Research on the karst caves has revealed great diversity of bacteria, algae, and fungi living on stone walls and speleothems, in mud puddles or sediments. They have become the source of interest for various research groups including geologists, chemists, ecologists, or microbiologists. The adaptations of cave-dwelling organisms applied to their survival are complex and some of their properties show potential to be used in various areas of human life. Secondary metabolites produced by cave’s bacteria show strong antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, or anticancer properties. Furthermore, bacteria that can induce mineral precipitation could be used in the construction industry and for neutralization of radioisotopes. In this review we focus on bacteria and algae present in cave ecosystems, their role in shaping such specific environment, and their biotechnological and medical potential.

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“…Furthermore, trophic chains in caves are generally regarded as simpler and with communities being characterised by (i) lacking photosynthetic primary producers, (ii) invertebrates that are typically adapted and confined to all aspects of their life cycle underground, and (iii) metabolically active microbes with important biogeochemical activities [9]. While the species diversity of cave macro-organisms is low [10], the diversity of cave micro-organisms can be as high as in surface communities [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient-limited subarctic caves harbour more diverse and complex bacterial communities than their surface soil

Reboleira

Bodawatta

Ravn

et al. 2022

Environmental Microbiome

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Background Subarctic regions are particularly vulnerable to climate change, yet little is known about nutrient availability and biodiversity of their cave ecosystems. Such knowledge is crucial for predicting the vulnerability of these ecosystems to consequences of climate change. Thus, to improve our understanding of life in these habitats, we characterized environmental variables, as well as bacterial and invertebrate communities of six subarctic caves in Northern Norway. Results Only a minuscule diversity of surface-adapted invertebrates were found in these caves. However, the bacterial communities in caves were compositionally different, more diverse and more complex than the nutrient-richer surface soil. Cave soil microbiomes were less variable between caves than between surface communities in the same area, suggesting that the stable cave environments with tougher conditions drive the uniform microbial communities. We also observed only a small proportion of cave bacterial genera originating from the surface, indicating unique cave-adapted microbial communities. Increased diversity within caves may stem from higher niche specialization and levels of interdependencies for nutrient cycling among bacterial taxa in these oligotrophic environments. Conclusions Taken together this suggest that environmental changes, e.g., faster melting of snow as a result of global warming that could alter nutrient influx, can have a detrimental impact on interactions and dependencies of these complex communities. This comparative exploration of cave and surface microbiomes also lays the foundation to further investigate the long-term environmental variables that shape the biodiversity of these vulnerable ecosystems.

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Nutrient availability in tropical caves influences the dynamics of microbial biomass

Cited by 21 publications

References 51 publications

First Report of Halobacteria Dominance in a Tropical Cave Microbiome

First Report of Halobacteria Dominance in a Tropical Cave Microbiome

Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential Use

Nutrient-limited subarctic caves harbour more diverse and complex bacterial communities than their surface soil

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