Trophic and symbiotic links between obligate-glacier water bears (Tardigrada) and cryoconite microorganisms.

ABSTRACT: Insights into biodiversity and trophic webs are important for understanding ecosystem functions. Although the surfaces of glaciers are one of the most productive and biologically diverse parts of the cryosphere, the links between top consumers, their diet and microbial communities are poorly understood. In this study, for the first time we investigated the relationships between bacteria, fungi and other microeukaryotes as they relate to tardigrades, microscopic metazoans that are top consumers in cryoconite, a biologically rich and productive biogenic sediment found on glacier surfaces. Using metabarcoding (16S rDNA for bacteria, ITS1 for fungi, and 18S rDNA for other microeukaryotes), we analyzed the microbial community structures of cryoconite and compared them with the community found i

SUBMITTER: Zawierucha K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8754347 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature