TY - JOUR
T1 - The prokaryotic diversity of biological soil crusts in the Sonoran Desert (Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, AZ)
AU - Nagy, Moria L.
AU - Pérez, Alejandro
AU - Garcia-Pichel, Ferran
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation Biotic Surveys and Inventories grant 0206711, to F.G.P. We thank Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument for sampling permission and assistance, Bruce Webb for his help with bulk soil analysis, Frank Bungartz for his help in lichen identification, and the DNA Sequencing Facility at ASU for help in sequencing and RT-PCR.
PY - 2005/10/1
Y1 - 2005/10/1
N2 - We studied prokaryotic community structure and composition in biological soil crusts (BSCs) from the Sonoran Desert, and their variability over space and time, using statistically analyzed, PCR-based molecular surveys of environmental 16S rRNA genes. Four sites, tens of km apart, were sampled, 3 times over a 1 year period, collecting 10 duplicate samples every 50 m in each site. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) revealed communities much less diverse than those of typical soil assemblages, displaying dominance of some bacterial types. No differences in crust microbial diversity or composition were detected between crusts under plant canopies and those in plant interspaces, indicating a likely crust independence from higher plant resources. However, statistically significant variability with space and time could be detected, and samples within a site were more similar than samples between sites. Both temporal and spatial variability in community composition involved non-dominant members of the community. Extensive sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed a large array of bacterial types, many novel. The most common included members of Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria. Bacteriodetes, Chloroflexi and Gemmatimonadetes were not seen in high numbers, but were present in all sites, and Deinococci were also detected. Archaea were present, but as minor components. Sonoran BSC communities were distinct in rough compositional character from those in bulk arid soils or agricultural soils, and contained reoccurring, uncultured microbes.
AB - We studied prokaryotic community structure and composition in biological soil crusts (BSCs) from the Sonoran Desert, and their variability over space and time, using statistically analyzed, PCR-based molecular surveys of environmental 16S rRNA genes. Four sites, tens of km apart, were sampled, 3 times over a 1 year period, collecting 10 duplicate samples every 50 m in each site. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) revealed communities much less diverse than those of typical soil assemblages, displaying dominance of some bacterial types. No differences in crust microbial diversity or composition were detected between crusts under plant canopies and those in plant interspaces, indicating a likely crust independence from higher plant resources. However, statistically significant variability with space and time could be detected, and samples within a site were more similar than samples between sites. Both temporal and spatial variability in community composition involved non-dominant members of the community. Extensive sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed a large array of bacterial types, many novel. The most common included members of Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria. Bacteriodetes, Chloroflexi and Gemmatimonadetes were not seen in high numbers, but were present in all sites, and Deinococci were also detected. Archaea were present, but as minor components. Sonoran BSC communities were distinct in rough compositional character from those in bulk arid soils or agricultural soils, and contained reoccurring, uncultured microbes.
KW - Biological soil crusts
KW - Cyanobacteria
KW - Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis
KW - Non-metric multidimensional scaling
KW - Rarefaction analysis
KW - Real-time PCR
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U2 - 10.1016/j.femsec.2005.03.011
DO - 10.1016/j.femsec.2005.03.011
M3 - Article
C2 - 16332322
AN - SCOPUS:24944591078
SN - 0168-6496
VL - 54
SP - 233
EP - 245
JO - FEMS microbiology ecology
JF - FEMS microbiology ecology
IS - 2
ER -