Robust Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Inhabit Shallow Subsurface Sediments of the Bonneville Salt Flats

ABSTRACT We report the first census of natural microbial communities of the Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF), a perennial salt pan at the Utah-Nevada border. Environmental DNA sequencing of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA genes was conducted on samples from multiple evaporite sediment layers collected fr...

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Autores principales:	Julia M. McGonigle, Jeremiah A. Bernau, Brenda B. Bowen, William J. Brazelton
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Society for Microbiology 2019
Materias:	astrobiology extremophiles halophiles hypersaline environments Microbiology QR1-502
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/b9b614374cc441a69195b36bcf85869d
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:b9b614374cc441a69195b36bcf85869d2021-11-15T15:22:27ZRobust Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Inhabit Shallow Subsurface Sediments of the Bonneville Salt Flats10.1128/mSphere.00378-192379-5042https://doaj.org/article/b9b614374cc441a69195b36bcf85869d2019-08-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSphere.00378-19https://doaj.org/toc/2379-5042ABSTRACT We report the first census of natural microbial communities of the Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF), a perennial salt pan at the Utah-Nevada border. Environmental DNA sequencing of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA genes was conducted on samples from multiple evaporite sediment layers collected from the upper 30 cm of the surface salt crust. Our results show that at the time of sampling (September 2016), BSF hosted a robust microbial community dominated by diverse halobacteria and Salinibacter species. Sequences identical to Geitlerinema sp. strain PCC 9228, an anoxygenic cyanobacterium that uses sulfide as the electron donor for photosynthesis, are also abundant in many samples. We identified taxonomic groups enriched in each layer of the salt crust sediment and revealed that the upper gypsum sediment layer found immediately under the uppermost surface halite contains a robust microbial community. In these sediments, we found an increased presence of Thermoplasmatales, Hadesarchaeota, Nanoarchaeaeota, Acetothermia, Desulfovermiculus, Halanaerobiales, Bacteroidetes, and Rhodovibrio. This study provides insight into the diversity, spatial heterogeneity, and geologic context of a surprisingly complex microbial ecosystem within this macroscopically sterile landscape. IMPORTANCE Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, which covered a third of Utah, desiccated approximately 13,000 years ago, leaving behind the Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF) in the Utah West Desert. The potash salts that saturate BSF basin are extracted and sold as an additive for agricultural fertilizers. The salt crust is a well-known recreational and economic commodity, but the biological interactions with the salt crust have not been studied. This study is the first geospatial analysis of microbially diverse populations at this site using cultivation-independent environmental DNA sequencing methods. Identification of the microbes present within this unique, dynamic, and valued sedimentary evaporite environment is an important step toward understanding the potential consequences of perturbations to the microbial ecology on the surrounding landscape and ecosystem.Julia M. McGonigleJeremiah A. BernauBrenda B. BowenWilliam J. BrazeltonAmerican Society for Microbiologyarticleastrobiologyextremophileshalophileshypersaline environmentsMicrobiologyQR1-502ENmSphere, Vol 4, Iss 4 (2019)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	astrobiology extremophiles halophiles hypersaline environments Microbiology QR1-502
spellingShingle	astrobiology extremophiles halophiles hypersaline environments Microbiology QR1-502 Julia M. McGonigle Jeremiah A. Bernau Brenda B. Bowen William J. Brazelton Robust Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Inhabit Shallow Subsurface Sediments of the Bonneville Salt Flats
description	ABSTRACT We report the first census of natural microbial communities of the Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF), a perennial salt pan at the Utah-Nevada border. Environmental DNA sequencing of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA genes was conducted on samples from multiple evaporite sediment layers collected from the upper 30 cm of the surface salt crust. Our results show that at the time of sampling (September 2016), BSF hosted a robust microbial community dominated by diverse halobacteria and Salinibacter species. Sequences identical to Geitlerinema sp. strain PCC 9228, an anoxygenic cyanobacterium that uses sulfide as the electron donor for photosynthesis, are also abundant in many samples. We identified taxonomic groups enriched in each layer of the salt crust sediment and revealed that the upper gypsum sediment layer found immediately under the uppermost surface halite contains a robust microbial community. In these sediments, we found an increased presence of Thermoplasmatales, Hadesarchaeota, Nanoarchaeaeota, Acetothermia, Desulfovermiculus, Halanaerobiales, Bacteroidetes, and Rhodovibrio. This study provides insight into the diversity, spatial heterogeneity, and geologic context of a surprisingly complex microbial ecosystem within this macroscopically sterile landscape. IMPORTANCE Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, which covered a third of Utah, desiccated approximately 13,000 years ago, leaving behind the Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF) in the Utah West Desert. The potash salts that saturate BSF basin are extracted and sold as an additive for agricultural fertilizers. The salt crust is a well-known recreational and economic commodity, but the biological interactions with the salt crust have not been studied. This study is the first geospatial analysis of microbially diverse populations at this site using cultivation-independent environmental DNA sequencing methods. Identification of the microbes present within this unique, dynamic, and valued sedimentary evaporite environment is an important step toward understanding the potential consequences of perturbations to the microbial ecology on the surrounding landscape and ecosystem.
format	article
author	Julia M. McGonigle Jeremiah A. Bernau Brenda B. Bowen William J. Brazelton
author_facet	Julia M. McGonigle Jeremiah A. Bernau Brenda B. Bowen William J. Brazelton
author_sort	Julia M. McGonigle
title	Robust Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Inhabit Shallow Subsurface Sediments of the Bonneville Salt Flats
title_short	Robust Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Inhabit Shallow Subsurface Sediments of the Bonneville Salt Flats
title_full	Robust Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Inhabit Shallow Subsurface Sediments of the Bonneville Salt Flats
title_fullStr	Robust Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Inhabit Shallow Subsurface Sediments of the Bonneville Salt Flats
title_full_unstemmed	Robust Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Inhabit Shallow Subsurface Sediments of the Bonneville Salt Flats
title_sort	robust archaeal and bacterial communities inhabit shallow subsurface sediments of the bonneville salt flats
publisher	American Society for Microbiology
publishDate	2019
url	https://doaj.org/article/b9b614374cc441a69195b36bcf85869d
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Robust Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Inhabit Shallow Subsurface Sediments of the Bonneville Salt Flats

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