Subsurface microbial habitats in an extreme desert Mars-analogue environment

Warren‐Rhodes, Kimberley; Lee, Kevin; Archer, Stephen; Lacap, Donnabella C.; Ng-Boyle, Linda; Wettergreen, David; Zacny, K.; Demergasso, Cecilia; Moersch, J. E.; Chong, Guillermo; Vijayarangan, Srinivasan; Thebes, Cinthya; Wagner, Michael; Tanaka, K. L.; Hare, T. M.; Tate, Christopher G.; Wang, Alian; Wei, Jie; Foil, Greydon T.; Cabrol, Nathalie A.; Pointing, Stephen B.

doi:10.1101/269605

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Genomic DNA was extracted from the three sinter samples, using the CTAB genomic DNA extraction method (Warren-Rhodes et al, 2018). Bacterial 16S rDNA V3-V4 gene region from all DNA extracts was then PCR amplified, using the primer pairs 341-F/805-R (Herlemann et al, 2011).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Archaeal 16S rDNA V3-V4 region was PCR amplified using the primer pair Arch1F/Arch1R (Cruaud et al, 2014) only from the dry extract, due to the little amount of archaeal biomass in the liquid and steam samples. Both bacterial and archaeal PCR amplifications were carried out according to standard procedures (Warren-Rhodes et al, 2018). Microbial communities were then identified by the construction of a paired-end amplicon library by means of Illumina MiSeq sequencing (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, United States).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbial Biomarker Transition in High-Altitude Sinter Mounds From El Tatio (Chile) Through Different Stages of Hydrothermal Activity

et al. 2019

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Geothermal springs support microbial communities at elevated temperatures in an ecosystem with high preservation potential that makes them interesting analogs for early evolution of the biogeosphere. The El Tatio geysers field in the Atacama Desert has astrobiological relevance due to the unique occurrence of geothermal features with steep hydrothermal gradients in an otherwise high altitude, hyper-arid environment. We present here results of our multidisciplinary field and molecular study of biogeochemical evidence for habitability and preservation in silica sinter at El Tatio. We sampled three morphologically similar geyser mounds characterized by differences in water activity (i.e., episodic liquid water, steam, and inactive geyser lacking hydrothermal activity). Multiple approaches were employed to determine (past and present) biological signatures and dominant metabolism. Lipid biomarkers indicated relative abundance of thermophiles (dicarboxylic acids) and sulfate reducing bacteria (branched carboxylic acids) in the sinter collected from the liquid water mound; photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria (alkanes and isoprenoids) in the steam sinter mound; and archaea (squalane and crocetane) as well as purple sulfur bacteria (cyclopropyl acids) in the dry sinter from the inactive geyser. The three sinter structures preserved biosignatures representative of primary (thermophilic) and secondary (including endoliths and environmental contaminants) microbial communities. Sequencing of environmental 16S rRNA genes and immuno-assays generally corroborated the lipid-based microbial identification. The multiplex immunoassays and the compound-specific isotopic analysis of carboxylic acids, alkanols, and alkanes indicated that the principal microbial pathway for carbon fixation in the three sinter mounds was through the Calvin cycle, with a relative larger contribution of the reductive acetyl-CoA pathway in the dry system. Other inferred metabolic traits varied from the liquid mound (iron and sulfur chemistry), to the steam mound (nitrogen cycle), to the dry mound (perchlorate reduction). The combined results revealed different stages of colonization that reflect differences in the lifetime of the mounds, where primary communities dominated the biosignatures preserved in sinters from the still active geysers (liquid and steam mounds), in contrast to the surviving metabolisms and microbial communities at the end of lifetime of the inactive geothermal mound.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Biomarker Transition in High-Altitude Sinter Mounds From El Tatio (Chile) Through Different Stages of Hydrothermal Activity

et al. 2019

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“…Illumina MiSeq libraries were prepared as per manufacturer’s protocol (Metagenomic Sequencing Library Preparation Part # 15044223 Rev. B; Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) and as previously described with PhiX positive controls 12 . We targeted Bacteria and Fungi since these domains are the most abundant microorganisms in the McMurdo Dry Valleys 13 .…”

Section: Online Supplementary Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial dispersal limitation to isolated soil habitats in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica

Archer

Lee

Caruso

et al. 2018

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“…Such interactions between the microbial communities and medicinal plants have been minimally investigated, particularly in arid ecosystems [5]. Previous studies [18][19][20][21][22][23] have evaluated the microbiome, especially the bacterial communities from arid soil; however, no studies have been performed on the rhizosphere microbiomes of arid plants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rhizosphere Microbiome of Arid Land Medicinal Plants and Extra Cellular Enzymes Contribute to Their Abundance

et al. 2020

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Revealing the unexplored rhizosphere microbiome of plants in arid environments can help in understanding their interactions between microbial communities and plants during harsh growth conditions. Here, we report the first investigation of rhizospheric fungal and bacterial communities of Adenium obesum, Aloe dhufarensis and Cleome austroarabica using next-generation sequencing approaches. A. obesum and A. dhufarensis grows in dry tropical and C. austroarabica in arid conditions of Arabian Peninsula. The results indicated the presence of 121 fungal and 3662 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) whilst microbial diversity was significantly high in the rhizosphere of A. obesum and A. dhufarensis and low in C. austroarabica. Among fungal phyla, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were abundantly associated within rhizospheres of all three plants. However, Mucoromycota was only present in the rhizospheres of A. obesum and A. dhufarensis, suggesting a variation in fungal niche on the basis of host and soil types. In case of bacterial communities, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia were predominant microbial phyla. These results demonstrated varying abundances of microbial structure across different hosts and locations in arid environments. Rhizosphere’s extracellular enzymes analysis revealed varying quantities, where, glucosidase, cellulase, esterase, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase were significantly higher in the rhizosphere of A. dhufarensis, while phosphatase and indole-acetic acid were highest in the rhizosphere of A. obesum. In conclusion, current findings usher for the first time the core microbial communities in the rhizospheric regions of three arid plants that vary greatly with location, host and soil conditions, and suggest the presence of extracellular enzymes could help in maintaining plant growth during the harsh environmental conditions.

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Subsurface microbial habitats in an extreme desert Mars-analogue environment

Cited by 10 publications

References 36 publications

Microbial Biomarker Transition in High-Altitude Sinter Mounds From El Tatio (Chile) Through Different Stages of Hydrothermal Activity

Microbial Biomarker Transition in High-Altitude Sinter Mounds From El Tatio (Chile) Through Different Stages of Hydrothermal Activity

Microbial dispersal limitation to isolated soil habitats in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica

Rhizosphere Microbiome of Arid Land Medicinal Plants and Extra Cellular Enzymes Contribute to Their Abundance

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