Metagenomic Analysis Suggests Modern Freshwater Microbialites Harbor a Distinct Core Microbial Community.

ABSTRACT: Modern microbialites are complex microbial communities that interface with abiotic factors to form carbonate-rich organosedimentary structures whose ancestors provide the earliest evidence of life. Past studies primarily on marine microbialites have inventoried diverse taxa and metabolic pathways, but it is unclear which of these are members of the microbialite community and which are introduced from adjacent environments. Here we control for these factors by sampling the surrounding water and nearby sediment, in addition to the microbialites and use a metagenomics approach to interrogate the microbial community. Our findings suggest that the Pavilion Lake microbialite community profile, metabolic potential and pathway distributions are distinct from those in the neighboring sediments and

SUBMITTER: White RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4729913 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature