Ecology and biogeochemistry of the microbial underworld in two sister soda lakes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Approximately 3.7 billion years ago, microbial life may have emerged in phosphate-rich salty ponds. Surprisingly, analogs of these environments are present in alkaline lake systems, recognized as highly productive biological ecosystems. In this study, we investigate the microbial ecology of two Canadian soda lake sediment systems characterized by naturally high phosphate levels.

Results

Using a comprehensive approach involving geochemistry, metagenomics, and amplicon sequencing, we discovered that groundwater infiltration into Lake Goodenough sediments supported stratified layers of microbial metabolisms fueled by decaying mats. Effective degradation of microbial mats resulted in unexpectedly low net productivity. Evaporation of water from Last Chance Lake and its

SUBMITTER: Paquette AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11606062 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature