A genomic view of environmental and life history controls on microbial nitrogen acquisition strategies.

ABSTRACT: Microorganisms have evolved diverse strategies to acquire the vital element nitrogen (N) from the environment. Ecological and physiological controls on the distribution of these strategies among microbes remain unclear. In this study, we examine the distribution of 10 major N acquisition strategies in taxonomically and metabolically diverse microbial genomes, including those from the Genomic Catalogue of Earth's Microbiomes dataset. We utilize a marker gene-based approach to assess relationships between N acquisition strategy prevalence and microbial life history strategies. Our results underscore energetic costs of assimilation as a broad control on strategy distribution. The most prevalent strategies are the uptake of ammonium and simple amino acids, which have relatively low energetic c

SUBMITTER: Reji L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10866080 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature