García-Bodelón Ángel, Baković Najla, Cano Emilio, Useros Fernando, Lara Enrique, González-Miguéns Rubén
Real Jardín Botánico (RJB-CSIC), C/ Moyano 1, 28014, Madrid, Spain.
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
Microb Ecol. 2025 Jan 6;87(1):166. doi: 10.1007/s00248-024-02483-z.
Karst caves, formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks, are characterized by the absence of photosynthetic activity and low levels of organic matter. Organisms evolve under these particular conditions, which causes high levels of endemic biodiversity in both macroorganism and microbes. Recent research has highlighted the presence of testate amoebae (Arcellinida) group in cave environments. This study investigates the diversity of Arcellinida in Dinaric karstic caves in Croatia, a global diversity hotspot, focusing on the influence of bat guano on community structure. Sediment samples were collected from two independent hydrosystems, and a metabarcoding approach was used to assess Arcellinida diversity at specific and intraspecific levels, using Arcellinid-specific primers to amplify the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) region. Results reveal a significant impact of guano on both specific and intraspecific diversity of Arcellinida. Communities in guano-rich sites displayed higher diversity, abundance, and the presence of unique OTUs and genetic variants not observed in other habitats, highlighting the crucial role of bats as ecosystem engineers. In contrast, sites without guano hosted communities with low abundance and reduced biodiversity. These differences suggest the existence of guano-associated Arcellinida communities. This study provides new insights into the biodiversity of subterranean ecosystems and the ecological roles of Arcellinida in karstic environments.
岩溶洞穴由可溶性岩石溶解形成，其特点是缺乏光合作用活动且有机质含量低。生物在这些特殊条件下进化，导致大型生物和微生物中特有生物多样性水平较高。最近的研究突出了洞穴环境中 Testate amoebae（Arcellinida）类群的存在。本研究调查了克罗地亚迪纳拉岩溶洞穴（一个全球生物多样性热点地区）中 Arcellinida 的多样性，重点关注蝙蝠粪便对群落结构的影响。从两个独立的水文系统收集沉积物样本，并使用元条形码方法，利用 Arcellinida 特异性引物扩增线粒体细胞色素氧化酶亚基 I（COI）区域，在特定和种内水平评估 Arcellinida 的多样性。结果表明，粪便对 Arcellinida 的特定和种内多样性均有显著影响。富含粪便的地点的群落表现出更高的多样性、丰度，以及在其他栖息地未观察到的独特操作分类单元（OTU）和遗传变异的存在，突出了蝙蝠作为生态系统工程师的关键作用。相比之下，没有粪便的地点的群落丰度较低且生物多样性降低。这些差异表明存在与粪便相关的 Arcellinida 群落。本研究为地下生态系统的生物多样性以及 Arcellinida 在岩溶环境中的生态作用提供了新的见解。
