The assembly of microbial communities on red sandstone surfaces was shaped by dispersal limitation and heterogeneous selection.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the role of microbiota on stone surface is essential for developing effective grottoes conservation strategies. However, the ecological feature of microbial communities on stone surfaces has been rarely investigated systematically. In this study, we explored diversity, assembly, and functional profiles of microbial communities on the red sandstone surface of the Leshan Giant Buddha from a microbial ecology perspective. The results show that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Ascomycota are the dominant phyla. Fundamental metabolic pathways are maintained during the formation of visually distinguishable microbial communities, but gene profiles vary across microbial communities of different colors. Ecological modeling suggests that selective pressure from the ha

SUBMITTER: Wang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12817949 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature