Habitat changes due to glacial freezing and melting reshape microbial networks

Abstract

The phenomenon of glacial freezing and thawing involves microbial sequestration, release, and colonization, which has the potential to impact ecosystem functioning through changes in microbial diversity and interactions. In this study, we examined the structural features of microbial communities of the Dongkemadi glacier, including bacteria, fungi, and archaea, in four distinct glacial environments (snow, ice, meltwater, and frontier soil). The sequestration, release, and colonization of glacial microbes have been found to significantly impact the diversity and structure of glacial microbial communities, as well as the complexity of microbial networks. Specifically, the complexity of bacterial networks has been observed to increase in a sequential manner during these processes. Utilizing the Inter-Domain Ecological Network approach, researchers have further explored the cross-trophic interactions among bacteria, fungi, and archaea. The complexity of the bacteria-fungi-archaea network exhibited a sequential increase due to the processes of sequestration, release, and colonization of glacial microbes. The release and colonization of glacial microbes led to a shift in the role of archaea as key species within the network. Additionally, our findings suggest that the hierarchical interactions among various microorganisms contributed to the heightened complexity of the bacteria-fungi-archaea network. The primary constituents of the glacial microbial ecosystem are unclassified species associated with the Polaromonas. It is noteworthy that various key species in glacial ecosystems are influenced by the distinct environmental factors. Moreover, our findings suggest that key species are not significantly depleted in response to abrupt alterations in individual environmental factors, shedding light on the dynamics of microbial cross-trophic interactions within glacial ecosystems.