Microcoleus (Cyanobacteria) form watershed-wide populations without strong gradients in population structure.

ABSTRACT: The relative importance of separation by distance and by environment to population genetic diversity can be conveniently tested in river networks, where these two drivers are often independently distributed over space. To evaluate the importance of dispersal and environmental conditions in shaping microbial population structures, we performed genome-resolved metagenomic analyses of benthic Microcoleus-dominated cyanobacterial mats collected in the Eel and Russian River networks (California, USA). The 64 Microcoleus genomes were clustered into three species that shared >96.5% average nucleotide identity (ANI). Most mats were dominated by one strain, but minor alleles within mats were often shared, even over large spatial distances (>300 km). Within the most common Microcoleus species, the A

SUBMITTER: Bouma-Gregson K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9298114 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature