Metabolic transitions along a moisture gradient in a poly-extreme high-altitude desert ecosystem within the Atacama Desert.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Barrancas Blancas (BB) plain, situated in the high-altitude Atacama region, is a cryogenic, hyper-arid, poly-extreme environment. The seasonal formation of a temporary freshwater lake under these harsh conditions provides a unique opportunity to examine how liquid water influences the metabolic responses of desert microbial communities. Using a metatranscriptomic approach, we characterised microbial community responses along a 70-meter natural moisture gradient.

Results

Along the gradient, the most active sites (8-23 m from the lake) exhibited high RNA recovery and diverse metabolic functions. Bacillariophyta (diatoms) drove oxygenic phototrophy, while Pseudomonadota contributed to anoxygenic phototrophy and nitrogen fixation. Additionally, Pseudomonadota, Act

SUBMITTER: Medina Caro D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12849286 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature