Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa.
Marine Microbiomics Programme, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa.
Microb Ecol. 2021 Feb;81(2):396-409. doi: 10.1007/s00248-020-01589-4. Epub 2020 Sep 15.
Physicochemical variables limit and control the distribution of microbial communities in all environments. In the oceans, this may significantly influence functional processes such the consumption of dissolved organic material and nutrient sequestration. Yet, the relative contributions of physical factors, such as water mass variability and depth, on functional processes are underexplored. We assessed microbial community structure and functionality in the Prince Edward Islands (PEIs) using 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis and extracellular enzymatic activity assays, respectively. We found that depth and nutrients substantially drive the structural patterns of bacteria and archaea in this region. Shifts from epipelagic to bathypelagic zones were linked to decreases in the activities of several extracellular enzymes. These extracellular enzymatic activities were positively correlated with several phyla including several Alphaproteobacteria (including members of the SAR 11 clade and order Rhodospirillales) and Cyanobacteria. We show that depth-dependent variables may be essential drivers of community structure and functionality in the PEIs.
物理化学变量限制和控制着所有环境中微生物群落的分布。在海洋中，这可能会显著影响功能过程，如溶解有机物质的消耗和营养物质的固存。然而，物理因素（如水体变异性和深度）对功能过程的相对贡献还未得到充分探索。我们使用 16S rRNA 基因扩增子分析和细胞外酶活性测定分别评估了爱德华王子群岛（PEIs）的微生物群落结构和功能。我们发现，深度和营养物质极大地驱动了该地区细菌和古菌的结构模式。从表水带到深海带的转变与几种细胞外酶活性的降低有关。这些细胞外酶活性与几个门呈正相关，包括几个α变形菌门（包括 SAR 11 群和红螺菌目）和蓝细菌。我们表明，深度相关变量可能是 PEIs 中群落结构和功能的重要驱动因素。
