Cyanobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria May Facilitate Cooperative Interactions in Niche Communities.

ABSTRACT: Hypoliths, microbial assemblages found below translucent rocks, provide important ecosystem services in deserts. While several studies have assessed microbial diversity of hot desert hypoliths and whether these communities are metabolically active, the interactions among taxa remain unclear. Here, we assessed the structure, diversity, and co-occurrence patterns of hypolithic communities from the hyperarid Namib Desert by comparing total (DNA) and potentially active (RNA) communities. The potentially active and total hypolithic communities differed in their composition and diversity, with significantly higher levels of Cyanobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria in potentially active hypoliths. Several phyla known to be abundant in total hypolithic communities were metabolically inactive, indicat

SUBMITTER: Van Goethem MW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5660985 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature