Dataset Information

Using null models to compare bacterial and microeukaryotic metacommunity assembly under shifting environmental conditions.

ABSTRACT: Temporal variations in microbial metacommunity structure and assembly processes in response to shifts in environmental conditions are poorly understood. Hence, we conducted a temporal field study by sampling rock pools in four-day intervals during a 5-week period that included strong changes in environmental conditions due to intensive rain. We characterized bacterial and microeukaryote communities by 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequencing, respectively. Using a suite of null model approaches (elements of metacommunity structure, Raup-Crick beta-diversity and quantitative process estimates) to assess dynamics in community assembly, we found that strong changes in environmental conditions induced small but significant temporal changes in assembly processes and triggered different responses in bacterial and microeukaryotic metacommunities, promoting distinct selection processes. Incidence-based approaches showed that the assemblies of both communities were mainly governed by stochastic processes. In contrast, abundance-based methods indicated the dominance of historical contingency and unmeasured factors in the case of bacteria and microeukaryotes, respectively. We distinguished these processes from dispersal-related processes using additional tests. Regardless of the applied null model, our study highlights that community assembly processes are not static, and the relative importance of different assembly processes can vary under different conditions and between different microbial groups.

SUBMITTER: Vass M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7016149 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Using null models to compare bacterial and microeukaryotic metacommunity assembly under shifting environmental conditions.

Vass Máté M Székely Anna J AJ Lindström Eva S ES Langenheder Silke S

Scientific reports 20200212 1

Temporal variations in microbial metacommunity structure and assembly processes in response to shifts in environmental conditions are poorly understood. Hence, we conducted a temporal field study by sampling rock pools in four-day intervals during a 5-week period that included strong changes in environmental conditions due to intensive rain. We characterized bacterial and microeukaryote communities by 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequencing, respectively. Using a suite of null model approaches (element ...[more]

PMID: 32051469

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Project description:The complexity of natural soils presents a challenge to the systematic identification and disentanglement of governing processes that shape natural bacterial communities. Studies have highlighted the critical role of the soil aqueous phase in shaping interactions among soil bacterial communities. To quantify and improve the attributability of soil aqueous-phase effects, we introduced a synthetic and traceable bacterial community to simple porous microcosms and subjected the community to constant or dynamic hydration conditions. The results were expressed in terms of absolute abundance and show species-specific responses to hydration and nutrient conditions. Hydration dynamics exerted a significant influence on the fraction of less-abundant species, especially after extended incubation periods. Phylogenetic relationships did not explain the group of most abundant species. The ability to quantify species-level dynamics in a bacterial community offers an important step toward deciphering the links between community composition and functions in dynamic terrestrial environments.IMPORTANCE The composition and activity of soil bacteria are central to various ecosystem services and soil biogeochemical cycles. A key factor for soil bacterial activity is soil hydration, which is in a constant state of change due to rainfall, drainage, plant water uptake, and evaporation. These dynamic changes in soil hydration state affect the structure and function of soil bacterial communities in complex ways often unobservable in natural soil. We designed an experimental system that retains the salient features of hydrated soil yet enables systematic evaluation of changes in a representative bacterial community in response to cycles of wetting and drying. The study shows that hydration cycles affect community abundance, yet most changes in composition occur with the less-abundant species (while the successful ones remain dominant). This research offers a new path for an improved understanding of bacterial community assembly in natural environments, including bacterial growth, maintenance, and death, with a special focus on the role of hydrological factors.

Dataset Information

Using null models to compare bacterial and microeukaryotic metacommunity assembly under shifting environmental conditions.

Publications

Using null models to compare bacterial and microeukaryotic metacommunity assembly under shifting environmental conditions.

Similar Datasets

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