Global phylogeography of pelagic Polynucleobacter bacteria: restricted geographic distribution of subgroups, isolation by distance and influence of climate.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Hahn MW
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4361717 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:BackgroundSmall vagile eukaryotic organisms, which comprise a large proportion of the Earth's biodiversity, have traditionally been thought to lack the extent of population structuring and geographic speciation observed in larger taxa. Here we investigate the patterns of genetic diversity, amongst populations of the salt lake microscopic metazoan Brachionus plicatilis s. s. (sensu stricto) (Rotifera: Monogononta) on a global scale. We examine the phylogenetic relationships of geographic isolates from four continents using a 603 bp fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene to investigate patterns of phylogeographic subdivision in this species. In addition we investigate the relationship between genetic and geographic distances on a global scale to try and reconcile the paradox between the high vagility of this species and the previously reported patterns of restricted gene flow, even over local spatial scales.ResultsAnalysis of global sequence diversity of B. plicatilis s. s. reveals the presence of four allopatric genetic lineages: North American-Far East Asian, Western Mediterranean, Australian, and an Eastern Mediterranean lineage represented by a single isolate. Geographically orientated substructure is also apparent within the three best sampled lineages. Surprisingly, given this strong phylogeographic structure, B. plicatilis s. s. shows a significant correlation between geographic and genetic distance on a global scale ('isolation by distance' - IBD).ConclusionDespite its cosmopolitan distribution and potential for high gene flow, B. plicatilis s. s. is strongly structured at a global scale. IBD patterns have traditionally been interpreted to indicate migration-drift equilibrium, although in this system equilibrium conditions are incompatible with the observed genetic structure. Instead, we suggest the pattern may have arisen through persistent founder effects, acting in a similar fashion to geographic barriers for larger organisms. Our data indicates that geographic speciation, contrary to historical views, is likely to be very important in microorganisms. By presenting compelling evidence for geographic speciation in a small eukaryote we add to the growing body of evidence that is forcing us to rethink our views of global biodiversity.
| S-EPMC2254418 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Transplantation experiments and genome comparisons were used to determine if lineages of planktonic Polynucleobacter almost indistinguishable by their 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences differ distinctively in their ecophysiological and genomic traits. The results of three transplantation experiments differing in complexity of biotic interactions revealed complete ecological isolation between some of the lineages. This pattern fits well to the previously detected environmental distribution of lineages along chemical gradients, as well as to differences in gene content putatively providing adaptation to chemically distinct habitats. Patterns of distribution of iron transporter genes across 209 Polynucleobacter strains obtained from freshwater systems and representing a broad pH spectrum further emphasize differences in habitat-specific adaptations. Genome comparisons of six strains sharing ⩾99% 16S rRNA similarities suggested that each strain represents a distinct species. Comparison of sequence diversity among genomes with sequence diversity among 240 cultivated Polynucleobacter strains indicated a large cryptic species complex not resolvable by 16S rRNA sequences. The revealed ecological isolation and cryptic diversity in Polynucleobacter bacteria is crucial in the interpretation of diversity studies on freshwater bacterioplankton based on ribosomal sequences.
| S-EPMC4913878 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We tested new strategies for the isolation of abundant bacteria from coastal North Sea surface waters, which included reducing by several orders of magnitude the concentrations of inorganic N and P compounds in a synthetic seawater medium. Agar plates were resampled over 37 days, and slowly growing colonies were allowed to develop by repeatedly removing all newly formed colonies. A fivefold increase of colonies was observed on plates with reduced nutrient levels, and the phylogenetic composition of the culture collection changed over time, towards members of the Roseobacter lineage and other alpha-proteobacteria. Novel gamma-proteobacteria from a previously uncultured but cosmopolitan lineage (NOR5) formed colonies only after 12 days of plate incubation. A time series of German Bight surface waters (January to December 1998) was screened by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with isolate-specific and general probes. During spring and early summer, a prominent fraction of FISH-detectable bacteria (mean, 51%) were affiliated with the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium group (CF) of the Bacteroidetes. One Cytophaga sp. lineage with cultured representatives formed almost 20% of the CF group. Members of the Roseobacter cluster constituted approximately 50% of alpha-proteobacteria, but none of the Roseobacter-related isolates formed populations of >1% in the environment. Thus, the readily culturable members of this clade are probably not representative of Roseobacter species that are common in the water column. In contrast, members of NOR5 were found at high abundances (>10(5) cells ml(-1)) in the summer plankton. Some abundant pelagic bacteria are apparently able to form colonies on solid media, but appropriate isolation techniques for different species need to be developed.
| S-EPMC93282 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundUnderstanding and identifying the factors responsible for genetic differentiation is of fundamental importance for efficient utilization and conservation of traditional rice landraces. In this study, we examined the spatial genetic differentiation of 594 individuals sampled from 28 locations in Yunnan Province, China, covering a wide geographic distribution and diverse growing conditions. All 594 accessions were studied using ten unlinked target genes and 48 microsatellite loci, and the representative 108 accessions from the whole collection were sampled for resequencing.ResultsThe genetic diversity of rice landraces was quite different geographically and exhibited a geographical decline from south to north in Yunnan, China. Population structure revealed that the rice landraces could be clearly differentiated into japonica and indica groups, respectively. In each group, the rice accessions could be further differentiated corresponded to their geographic locations, including three subgroups from northern, southern and middle locations. We found more obvious internal geographic structure in the japonica group than in the indica group. In the japonica group, we found that genetic and phenotypic differentiation were strongly related to geographical distance, suggesting a pattern of isolation by distance (IBD); this relationship remained highly significant when we controlled for environmental effects, where the likelihood of gene flow is inversely proportional to the distance between locations. Moreover, the gene flow also followed patterns of isolation by environment (IBE) whereby gene flow rates are higher in similar environments. We detected 314 and 216 regions had been differentially selected between Jap-N and Jap-S, Ind-N and Ind-S, respectively, and thus referred to as selection signatures for different geographic subgroups. We also observed a number of significant and interesting associations between loci and environmental factors, which implies adaptation to local environment.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the influence of geographical isolation and environmental heterogeneity on the pattern of the gene flow, and demonstrate that both geographical isolation and environment drives adaptive divergence play dominant roles in the genetic differentiation of the rice landraces in Yunnan, China as a result of limited dispersal.
| S-EPMC8206287 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Recent studies suggest that bacterial abundance and species diversity in the ocean's water column are variable at the millimeter scale, apparently in response to the small-scale heterogeneity in the distribution of organic matter. We hypothesized that bacterium-bacterium antagonistic interactions may contribute to variations in community structure at the microscale. We examined each of the 86 isolates for their inhibition of growth of the remaining 85 isolates by the Burkholder agar diffusion assay. More than one-half of the isolates expressed antagonistic activity, and this trait was more common with particle-associated bacteria than with free-living bacteria. This was exemplified by members of the alpha subclass of the class Proteobacteria (alpha-proteobacteria), in which production of antagonistic molecules was dominated by attached bacteria. We found that gamma-proteobacteria (members of the orders Alteromonadales and Vibrionales) are the most prolific producers of inhibitory materials and also the most resilient to them, while members of the Bacteriodetes were the organisms that were least productive and most sensitive to antagonistic interactions. Widespread interspecies growth inhibition is consistent with the role of this phenomenon in structuring bacterial communities at the microscale. Furthermore, our results suggest that bacteria from pelagic marine particles may be an underutilized source of novel antibiotics.
| S-EPMC93260 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundWalking distance is an important concept in the fields of transportation and public health. A distance of 0.25 miles is often used as an acceptable walking distance in U.S. research studies. Overall, research on the distance and duration of walking trips for different purposes and across different population groups remains limited.PurposeThis study examines the prevalence of walking and distances and durations of walking trips for different purposes among U.S. residents.MethodsThe distances and durations of walking trips for different purposes across population groups were compared using nationally representative data from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). Distance decay functions were used to summarize the distribution of walking distances and durations for different purposes and population subgroups. Data were analyzed in 2011.ResultsSixteen percent of respondents had at least one daily walking trip. The mean and median values for walking distance were 0.7 and 0.5 miles, respectively. For walking duration, the mean and median values were 14.9 and 10 minutes. About 65% of walking trips were more than 0.25 miles in distance, and about 18% of walking trips were more than 1 mile. Large variations were found among various purposes for both distance and duration. The distances and durations of walking for recreation were substantially longer than those for other purposes. People with lower versus higher household income walked longer distances for work but shorter distances for recreation.ConclusionsOnly a small fraction of respondents walk, but trips longer than 0.25 miles are common. There is substantial variability in the distance and duration of walking trips by purpose and population subgroups. These differences have implications for developing strategies to increase physical activity through walking.
| S-EPMC3377942 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Genome comparisons based on average nucleotide identity (ANI) values of four strains currently classified as Polynucleobacter necessarius subsp. asymbioticus resulted in ANI values of 75.7-78.4 %, suggesting that each of those strains represents a separate species. The species P. necessarius was proposed by Heckmann and Schmidt in 1987 to accommodate obligate endosymbionts of ciliates affiliated with the genus Euplotes. The required revision of this species is, however, hampered by the fact, that this species is based only on a description and lacks a type strain available as pure culture. Furthermore, the ciliate culture Euplotes aediculatus ATCC 30859, on which the description of the species was based, is no longer available. We found another Euplotes aediculatus culture (Ammermann) sharing the same origin with ATCC 30859 and proved the identity of the endosymbionts contained in the two cultures. A multilocus sequence comparison approach was used to estimate if the four strains currently classified as Polynucleobacternecessarius subsp. asymbioticus share ANI values with the endosymbiont in the Ammermann culture above or below the threshold for species demarcation. A significant correlation (R2 0.98, P<0.0001) between multilocus sequence similarity and ANI values of genome-sequenced strains enabled the prediction that it is highly unlikely that these four strains belong to the species P. necessarius. We propose reclassification of strains QLW-P1DMWA-1T (=DSM 18221T=CIP 109841T), MWH-MoK4T (=DSM 21495T=CIP 110977T), MWH-JaK3T (=DSM 21493T=CIP 110976T) and MWH-HuW1T (=DSM 21492T=CIP 110978T) as Polynucleobacter asymbioticus comb. nov., Polynucleobacter duraquae sp. nov., Polynucleobacter yangtzensis sp. nov. and Polynucleobacter sinensis sp. nov., respectively.
| S-EPMC5018217 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Microdiversification of a planktonic freshwater bacterium was studied by comparing 37 Polynucleobacter asymbioticus strains obtained from three geographically separated sites in the Austrian Alps. Genome comparison of nine strains revealed a core genome of 1.8 Mb, representing 81% of the average genome size. Seventy-five percent of the remaining flexible genome is clustered in genomic islands (GIs). Twenty-four genomic positions could be identified where GIs are potentially located. These positions are occupied strain specifically from a set of 28 GI variants, classified according to similarities in their gene content. One variant, present in 62% of the isolates, encodes a pathway for the degradation of aromatic compounds, and another, found in 78% of the strains, contains an operon for nitrate assimilation. Both variants were shown in ecophysiological tests to be functional, thus providing the potential for microniche partitioning. In addition, detected interspecific horizontal exchange of GIs indicates a large gene pool accessible to Polynucleobacter species. In contrast to core genes, GIs are spread more successfully across spatially separated freshwater habitats. The mobility and functional diversity of GIs allow for rapid evolution, which may be a key aspect for the ubiquitous occurrence of Polynucleobacter bacteria. Assessing the ecological relevance of bacterial diversity is a key challenge for current microbial ecology. The polyphasic approach which was applied in this study, including targeted isolation of strains, genome analysis, and ecophysiological tests, is crucial for the linkage of genetic and ecological knowledge. Particularly great importance is attached to the high number of closely related strains which were investigated, represented by genome-wide average nucleotide identities (ANI) larger than 97%. The extent of functional diversification found on this narrow phylogenetic scale is compelling. Moreover, the transfer of metabolically relevant genomic islands between more distant members of the Polynucleobacter community provides important insights toward a better understanding of the evolution of these globally abundant freshwater bacteria.
| S-EPMC5244307 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Five heterotrophic, aerobic, catalase- and oxidase-positive, non-motile strains were characterized from freshwater habitats located in Austria, France, Uganda, P. R. China and New Zealand. The strains shared 16S rRNA gene similarities of >/=99.3 %. The novel strains grew on NSY medium over a temperature range of 10-35 degrees C (two strains also grew at 5 degrees C and one strain grew at 38 degrees C) and a NaCl tolerance range of 0.0-0.3 % (four strains grew up to 0.5 % NaCl). The predominant fatty acids were C(16 : 0), C(18 : 1)omega7c, C(12 : 0) 3-OH, and summed feature 3 (including C(16 : 1)omega7c). The DNA G+C content of strain MWH-MoIso2(T) was 44.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences demonstrated that the five new strains formed a monophyletic cluster closely related to Polynucleobacter necessarius (96-97 % sequence similarity). This cluster also harboured other isolates as well as environmental sequences which have been obtained from several habitats. Investigations with taxon-specific FISH probes demonstrated that the novel bacteria dwell as free-living, planktonic cells in freshwater systems. Based on the revealed phylogeny and pronounced chemotaxonomic differences to P. necessarius (presence of >7 % C(12 : 0) 3-OH and absence of C(12 : 0) and C(12 : 0) 2-OH), the new strains are suggested to represent a novel species, for which the name Polynucleobacter cosmopolitanus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MWH-MoIso2(T) (=DSM 21490(T)=CIP 109840(T)=LMG 25212(T)). The novel species belongs to the minority of described species of free-living bacteria for which both in situ data from their natural environments and culture-based knowledge are available.
| S-EPMC2957076 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The SAR11 Alphaproteobacteria are the most abundant heterotrophs in the oceans and are believed to play a major role in mineralizing marine dissolved organic carbon. Their genomes are among the smallest known for free-living heterotrophic cells, raising questions about how they successfully utilize complex organic matter with a limited metabolic repertoire. Here we show that conserved genes in SAR11 subgroup Ia (Candidatus Pelagibacter ubique) genomes encode pathways for the oxidation of a variety of one-carbon compounds and methyl functional groups from methylated compounds. These pathways were predicted to produce energy by tetrahydrofolate (THF)-mediated oxidation, but not to support the net assimilation of biomass from C1 compounds. Measurements of cellular ATP content and the oxidation of (14)C-labeled compounds to (14)CO(2) indicated that methanol, formaldehyde, methylamine, and methyl groups from glycine betaine (GBT), trimethylamine (TMA), trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) were oxidized by axenic cultures of the SAR11 strain Ca. P. ubique HTCC1062. Analyses of metagenomic data showed that genes for C1 metabolism occur at a high frequency in natural SAR11 populations. In short term incubations, natural communities of Sargasso Sea microbial plankton expressed a potential for the oxidation of (14)C-labeled formate, formaldehyde, methanol and TMAO that was similar to cultured SAR11 cells and, like cultured SAR11 cells, incorporated a much larger percentage of pyruvate and glucose (27-35%) than of C1 compounds (2-6%) into biomass. Collectively, these genomic, cellular and environmental data show a surprising capacity for demethylation and C1 oxidation in SAR11 cultures and in natural microbial communities dominated by SAR11, and support the conclusion that C1 oxidation might be a significant conduit by which dissolved organic carbon is recycled to CO(2) in the upper ocean.
| S-EPMC3160333 | biostudies-literature