Institute of Natural Resources, CCMA, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
Int Microbiol. 2010 Jun;13(2):79-89. doi: 10.2436/20.1501.01.113.
Molecular biology and microscopy techniques were used to characterize the microbial communities inside halite evaporites from different parts of the Atacama Desert. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis revealed that the evaporite rocks harbor communities predominantly made up of cyanobacteria, along with heterotrophic bacteria and archaea. Different DGGE profiles were obtained for the different sites, with the exception of the cyanobacterial profile, in which only one phylotype was detected across the three sites examined. Chroococcidiopsis-like cells were the only cyanobacterial components of the rock samples, although the phylogenetic study revealed their closer genetic affinity to Halothece genera. Gene sequences of the heterotrophic bacteria and archaea indicated their proximity to microorganisms found in other hypersaline environments. Microorganisms colonizing these halites formed microbial aggregates in the pore spaces between halite crystals, where microbial interactions occur. In this exceptional, salty, porous halite rock habitat, microbial consortia with a community structure probably conditioned by the environmental conditions occupy special microhabitats with physical and chemical properties that promote their survival.
采用分子生物学和显微镜技术对来自阿塔卡马沙漠不同地区的盐蒸发岩中的微生物群落进行了特征描述。变性梯度凝胶电泳（DGGE）分析表明，蒸发岩岩石中栖息的群落主要由蓝细菌组成，还有异养细菌和古菌。不同地点得到了不同的 DGGE 图谱，除了蓝细菌图谱外，在所研究的三个地点都只检测到一个菌系。类似 Chroococcidiopsis 的细胞是岩石样本中唯一的蓝细菌组成部分，尽管系统发育研究表明它们与 Halothece 属的微生物亲缘关系更近。异养细菌和古菌的基因序列表明它们与其他高盐环境中发现的微生物接近。这些盐类中的微生物在盐晶体之间的孔隙中形成微生物聚集体，微生物之间的相互作用就在这里发生。在这个特殊的、咸的、多孔的盐岩栖息地中，微生物群落可能由环境条件决定，它们占据着具有特殊微生境的小生境，这些小生境具有促进其生存的物理和化学特性。
