Microbial diversity and metabolic predictions of high-temperature streamer biofilms using metagenome-assembled genomes.

High-temperature streamer biofilm communities (SBCs) are often dominated by Aquificota, which can comprise over 90% of the microbial population in shallow water channels, such as those found at Mammoth hot springs of Yellowstone National Park and the Rehai hot springs in China. This study examines SBCs from the Dusun Tua (DT) hot spring in Malaysia (75 °C, pH 7.6), where Aquificota accounted for only ~ 35% of the total amplicon sequence variants.

Bacterial stress adaptation and antibiotic resistance in dust-transportable bioaerosols originating from the Gobi Desert.

Airborne microorganisms which dispersed from the Gobi Desert throughout East Asia via long-range dust transports, are believed to maintain their viability against atmospheric stressors that influence ecosystem dynamics and human health during deposition in downwind environments. However, the adaptative mechanisms that facilitate microbial tolerance to environmental stressor, and the persistence of factors such as antibiotic resistance relevant to human health have not been determined. Here, we described the metagenomic and physiological interrogation of airborne bacteria collected from aerosols at an altitude of 500 m using a balloon-mounted sampler and at a parallel site 3 m above the ground in the dust-source region of Gobi Desert.

Spatial scale modulates stochastic and deterministic influence on biogeography of photosynthetic biofilms in Southeast Asian hot springs.

Hot springs, with their well-characterized major abiotic variables and island-like habitats, are ideal systems for studying microbial biogeography. Photosynthetic biofilms are a major biological feature of hot springs but despite this large-scale studies are scarce, leaving critical questions about the drivers of spatial turnover unanswered. Here, we analysed 395 photosynthetic biofilms from neutral-alkaline hot springs (39-66 °C, pH 6.

Integrating multi-platform assembly to recover MAGs from hot spring biofilms: insights into microbial diversity, biofilm formation, and carbohydrate degradation.

Background: Hot spring biofilms provide a window into the survival strategies of microbial communities in extreme environments and offer potential for biotechnological applications. This study focused on green and brown biofilms thriving on submerged plant litter within the Sungai Klah hot spring in Malaysia, characterised by temperatures of 58-74 °C. Using Illumina shotgun metagenomics and Nanopore ligation sequencing, we investigated the microbial diversity and functional potential of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) with specific focus on biofilm formation, heat stress response, and carbohydrate catabolism.

Influence of native and exotic plant diet on the gut microbiome of the Gray's Malayan stick insect, .

Herbivorous insects require an active lignocellulolytic microbiome to process their diet. Stick insects (phasmids) are common in the tropics and display a cosmopolitan host plant feeding preference. The microbiomes of social insects are vertically transmitted to offspring, while for solitary species, such as phasmids, it has been assumed that microbiomes are acquired from their diet.

Community structure of thermophilic photosynthetic microbial mats and flocs at Sembawang Hot Spring, Singapore.

The Sembawang Hot Spring in Singapore lies at the foot of a major regional geological feature called the Bentong-Raub Suture Zone. Amid an extensively managed surface geothermal park, an undisturbed hot spring emerges with source water at 61°C, pH 6.8, and 1 mg/L dissolved sulfide.

Understanding atmospheric intercontinental dispersal of harmful microorganisms.

The atmosphere is a major route for microbial intercontinental dispersal, including harmful microorganisms, antibiotic resistance genes, and allergens, with strong implications in ecosystem functioning and global health. Long-distance dispersal is facilitated by air movement at higher altitudes in the free troposphere and is affected by anthropogenic forcing, climate change, and by the general atmospheric circulation, mainly in the intertropical convergence zone. The survival of microorganisms during atmospheric transport and their remote invasive potential are fundamental questions, but data are scarce.

Microbial ecology of the atmosphere.

The atmosphere connects habitats across multiple spatial scales via airborne dispersal of microbial cells, propagules and biomolecules. Atmospheric microorganisms have been implicated in a variety of biochemical and biophysical transformations. Here, we review ecological aspects of airborne microorganisms with respect to their dispersal, activity and contribution to climatic processes.

Desert and anthropogenic mixing dust deposition influences microbial communities in surface waters of the western Pacific Ocean.

The western Pacific Ocean is particularly affected by dust aerosols due to the transport of desert-natural sand and industrially derived particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 μm (PM2.5) from continental Asia.

Publisher Correction: Anthropogenic impact on the atmospheric microbiome.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Air mass source determines airborne microbial diversity at the ocean-atmosphere interface of the Great Barrier Reef marine ecosystem.

The atmosphere is the least understood biome on Earth despite its critical role as a microbial transport medium. The influence of surface cover on composition of airborne microbial communities above marine systems is unclear. Here we report evidence for a dynamic microbial presence at the ocean-atmosphere interface of a major marine ecosystem, the Great Barrier Reef, and identify that recent air mass trajectory over an oceanic or continental surface associated with observed shifts in airborne bacterial and fungal diversity.

Corrigendum: Subsurface Microbial Habitats in an Extreme Desert Mars-Analog Environment.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.

Subsurface Microbial Habitats in an Extreme Desert Mars-Analog Environment.

Sediments in the hyper-arid core of the Atacama Desert are a terrestrial analog to Mars regolith. Understanding the distribution and drivers of microbial life in the sediment may give critical clues on how to search for biosignatures on Mars. Here, we identify the spatial distribution of highly specialized bacterial communities in previously unexplored depth horizons of subsurface sediments to a depth of 800 mm.

Airborne microbial transport limitation to isolated Antarctic soil habitats.

Dispersal is a critical yet poorly understood factor underlying macroecological patterns in microbial communities. Airborne microbial transport is assumed to occupy a central role in determining dispersal outcomes, and extra-range dispersal has important implications for predicting ecosystem resilience and response to environmental change. One of the most pertinent biomes in this regard is Antarctica, given its geographic isolation and vulnerability to climate change and human disturbance.

Biotic interactions are an unexpected yet critical control on the complexity of an abiotically driven polar ecosystem.

Abiotic and biotic factors control ecosystem biodiversity, but their relative contributions remain unclear. The ultraoligotrophic ecosystem of the Antarctic Dry Valleys, a simple yet highly heterogeneous ecosystem, is a natural laboratory well-suited for resolving the abiotic and biotic controls of community structure. We undertook a multidisciplinary investigation to capture ecologically relevant biotic and abiotic attributes of more than 500 sites in the Dry Valleys, encompassing observed landscape heterogeneities across more than 200 km.

Microbial Biomarker Transition in High-Altitude Sinter Mounds From (Chile) Through Different Stages of Hydrothermal Activity.

Geothermal springs support microbial communities at elevated temperatures in an ecosystem with high preservation potential that makes them interesting analogs for early evolution of the biogeosphere. The geysers field in the Atacama Desert has astrobiological relevance due to the unique occurrence of geothermal features with steep hydrothermal gradients in an otherwise high altitude, hyper-arid environment. We present here results of our multidisciplinary field and molecular study of biogeochemical evidence for habitability and preservation in silica sinter at .

Stochastic and Deterministic Effects of a Moisture Gradient on Soil Microbial Communities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica.

Antarctic soil supports surface microbial communities that are dependent on ephemeral moisture. Understanding the response to availability of this resource is essential to predicting how the system will respond to climate change. The McMurdo Dry Valleys are the largest ice-free soil region in Antarctica.

Advanced Photogrammetry to Assess Lichen Colonization in the Hyper-Arid Namib Desert.

The hyper-arid central region of the Namib Desert is characterized by quartz desert pavement terrain that is devoid of vascular plant covers. In this extreme habitat the only discernible surface covers are epilithic lichens that colonize exposed surfaces of quartz rocks. These lichens are highly susceptible to disturbance and so field surveys have been limited due to concerns about disturbing this unusual desert feature.

Global Diversity of Desert Hypolithic Cyanobacteria.

Global patterns in diversity were estimated for cyanobacteria-dominated hypolithic communities that colonize ventral surfaces of quartz stones and are common in desert environments. A total of 64 hypolithic communities were recovered from deserts on every continent plus a tropical moisture sufficient location. Community diversity was estimated using a combined t-RFLP fingerprinting and high throughput sequencing approach.