AI Article Synopsis
- Glacier-fed streams (GFS) are extreme aquatic ecosystems with little nutrients and fluctuating environments, where microorganisms predominantly form biofilms.
- Researchers analyzed 156 metagenomes from various mountain ranges, revealing thousands of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of prokaryotes, algae, fungi, and viruses that demonstrate complex biotic interactions in these biofilms.
- The study found that as glaciers shrink, biofilms transition from using inorganic energy sources to relying more on heterotrophy as algal biomass increases, highlighting the adaptability of microbial life in these unique ecosystems amid climate change.
Article Abstract
Glacier-fed streams (GFS) feature among Earth's most extreme aquatic ecosystems marked by pronounced oligotrophy and environmental fluctuations. Microorganisms mainly organize in biofilms within them, but how they cope with such conditions is unknown. Here, leveraging 156 metagenomes from the Vanishing Glaciers project obtained from sediment samples in GFS from 9 mountains ranges, we report thousands of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) encompassing prokaryotes, algae, fungi and viruses, that shed light on biotic interactions within glacier-fed stream biofilms. A total of 2,855 bacterial MAGs were characterized by diverse strategies to exploit inorganic and organic energy sources, in part via functional redundancy and mixotrophy. We show that biofilms probably become more complex and switch from chemoautotrophy to heterotrophy as algal biomass increases in GFS owing to glacier shrinkage. Our MAG compendium sheds light on the success of microbial life in GFS and provides a resource for future research on a microbiome potentially impacted by climate change.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01874-9 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Mapping the metagenomic diversity of the multi-kingdom glacier-fed stream microbiome.
Nat Microbiol
January 2025
River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, ENAC, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Sion, Switzerland.
Article Synopsis
- Glacier-fed streams (GFS) are extreme aquatic ecosystems with little nutrients and fluctuating environments, where microorganisms predominantly form biofilms.
- Researchers analyzed 156 metagenomes from various mountain ranges, revealing thousands of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of prokaryotes, algae, fungi, and viruses that demonstrate complex biotic interactions in these biofilms.
- The study found that as glaciers shrink, biofilms transition from using inorganic energy sources to relying more on heterotrophy as algal biomass increases, highlighting the adaptability of microbial life in these unique ecosystems amid climate change.
Deciphering the biosynthetic landscape of biofilms in glacier-fed streams.
mSystems
December 2024
River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Sion, Switzerland.
Unlabelled: Glacier-fed streams are permanently cold, ultra-oligotrophic, and physically unstable environments, yet microbial life thrives in benthic biofilm communities. Within biofilms, microorganisms rely on secondary metabolites for communication and competition. However, the diversity and genetic potential of secondary metabolites in glacier-fed stream biofilms remain poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiversity and biogeography of the bacterial microbiome in glacier-fed streams.
Nature
January 2025
River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Sion, Switzerland.
Article Synopsis
- The rapid melting of mountain glaciers, a sign of climate change, threatens unique ecosystems known as glacier-fed streams (GFSs), which are primarily dominated by microbial life.
- Using advanced techniques like metabarcoding and metagenomics, researchers conducted a detailed study of the bacterial microbiome in 152 GFSs across major mountain ranges, revealing distinct taxonomic and functional differences compared to other cryospheric microbiomes.
- The findings highlight the importance of geographic isolation and environmental factors in shaping bacterial diversity, underscoring the urgent need for further research due to the risks posed by climate change to this unique ecosystem.
Experimental evidence on the impact of climate-induced hydrological and thermal variations on glacier-fed stream biofilms.
FEMS Microbiol Ecol
December 2024
River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Centre, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Climate change is predicted to alter the hydrological and thermal regimes of high-mountain streams, particularly glacier-fed streams. However, relatively little is known about how these environmental changes impact the microbial communities in glacier-fed streams. Here, we operated streamside flume mesocosms in the Swiss Alps, where benthic biofilms were grown under treatments simulating climate change.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(Dis)connecting the Globe Through Water-Driven Ecological and Biogeochemical Corridors in the Polar-Alpine Biome.
Glob Chang Biol
December 2024
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain.
Global change is causing the melting of ice masses, permafrost thawing, and the shrinking of glaciers, thereby reshaping nature's rhythms. Longer thaw phases and more frequent dry periods are transforming water-driven transitional ecosystems (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!