Unique Microbial Phylotypes in Namib Desert Dune and Gravel Plain Fairy Circle Soils.

ABSTRACT:

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Fairy circles (FCs) are barren circular patches of soil surrounded by grass species. Their origin is poorly understood. FCs feature in both the gravel plains and the dune fields of the Namib Desert. While a substantial number of hypotheses to explain the origin and/or maintenance of fairy circles have been presented, none are completely consistent with either their properties or their distribution. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that FC formation in dunes and gravel plains is due to microbial phytopathogenesis. Surface soils from five gravel plain and five dune FCs, together with control soil samples, were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing of bacterial/archaeal (16S rRNA gene) and fungal (internal transcribed spacer [ITS] region) phylogenetic marke

SUBMITTER: van der Walt AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4984285 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature