A Metagenomic Time-Series Approach to Assess the Ecological Stability of Microbial Mats in a Seasonally Fluctuating Environment.

ABSTRACT: Microbial mats are complex ecological assemblages that have been present in the rock record since the Precambrian and can still be found in extant marginalized environments. These structures are considered highly stable ecosystems. In this study, we evaluate the ecological stability of dome-forming microbial mats in a modern, water-level fluctuating, hypersaline pond located in the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin, Mexico. We conducted metagenomic sampling of the site from 2016 to 2019 and detected 2250 genera of Bacteria and Archaea, with only <20 belonging to the abundant taxa (>1%). The microbial community was dominated by Proteobacteria, Euryarchaeota, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Cyanobacteria, and was compositionally sensitive to disturbances, leading to high taxonomic replacement even at the

SUBMITTER: Madrigal-Trejo D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10640475 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature