Li Yuan, Wang Qianhong, Chen Dongyi, Liu Xia, Chen Feizhou
Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Front Microbiol. 2025 Jun 17;16:1529512. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1529512. eCollection 2025.
In aquatic ecosystems, bacteria often reside on the surface or in the gut of zooplankton to play an indispensable role. Salinity is a key factor influencing the structure and functional composition of aquatic bacterial communities; however, its impact on zooplankton-associated bacteria (ZA) remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a study using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to investigate the ZA of the cladoceran from lakes in the Inner Mongolian Plateau with different salinity groups (Low salinity: 2‰-3‰, High salinity: 17‰). By annotating the sequencing data, we identified the community structure of ZA, and we used the FAPROTAX database to infer their functional potential. Statistical analyses revealed that salinity is a significant environmental factor shaping the community structure and inferred functional composition of ZA. Higher salinity reduced the diversity and abundance of ZA, which, in turn, affected the biochemical functions contributed by these bacteria. Our results suggest that under salinity stress, the community structure and inferred functional composition of zooplankton-associated bacteria are affected, which may influence the ecological role of zooplankton in saline lakes. This study provides new insights into the ecological functions of zooplankton in saline lakes under the context of climate change and human activity.
在水生生态系统中，细菌常栖息于浮游动物的体表或肠道内，发挥着不可或缺的作用。盐度是影响水生细菌群落结构和功能组成的关键因素；然而，其对与浮游动物相关细菌（ZA）的影响仍不明确。为填补这一知识空白，我们开展了一项研究，利用16S rRNA基因扩增子测序来调查内蒙古高原不同盐度组湖泊中枝角类动物的ZA（低盐度：2‰ - 3‰，高盐度：17‰）。通过对测序数据进行注释，我们确定了ZA的群落结构，并使用FAPROTAX数据库推断其功能潜力。统计分析表明，盐度是塑造ZA群落结构和推断功能组成的重要环境因素。较高的盐度降低了ZA的多样性和丰度，进而影响了这些细菌所发挥的生化功能。我们的结果表明，在盐度胁迫下，与浮游动物相关细菌的群落结构和推断功能组成受到影响，这可能会影响浮游动物在盐湖中的生态作用。本研究为气候变化和人类活动背景下盐湖中浮游动物的生态功能提供了新的见解。
