Fiddler crab bioturbation determines consistent changes in bacterial communities across contrasting environmental conditions.

ABSTRACT: Ecosystem functions are regulated by compositional and functional traits of bacterial communities, shaped by stochastic and deterministic processes. Biogeographical studies have revealed microbial community taxonomy in a given ecosystem to change alongside varying environmental characteristics. Considering that stable functional traits are essential for community stability, we hypothesize that contrasting environmental conditions affect microbial taxonomy rather than function in a model system, testing this in three geographically distinct mangrove forests subjected to intense animal bioturbation (a shared deterministic force). Using a metabarcoding approach combined with sediment microprofiling and biochemistry, we examined vertical and radial sediment profiles of burrows belonging to the

SUBMITTER: Booth JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6403291 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature