Abstract
Intertidal photosynthetic microbial mats from the Wadden Sea island Schiermonnikoog were examined for microscale (millimetre) spatial distributions of viruses, prokaryotes and oxygenic photoautotrophs (filamentous cyanobacteria and benthic diatoms) at different times of the year. Abundances of viruses and prokaryotes were among the highest found in benthic systems (0.05–5.43 × 1010 viruses g−1 and 0.05–2.14 × 1010 prokaryotes g−1). The spatial distribution of viruses, prokaryotes and oxygenic photoautotrophs were highly heterogeneous at mm scales. The vertical distributions of both prokaryotic and viral abundances were related to the depth of the oxygenic photoautotrophic layer, implying that the photosynthetic mat fuelled the microbial processes in the underlying layer. Our data suggest that viruses could make an important component in these productive environments potentially affecting the biodiversity and nutrient cycling within the mat.
Highlights
Microbial mats are laminated microbial communities growing in a variety of environments, including extreme habitats such as sea ice, hot springs and environments with high salinity or periodic desiccation (Castenholz 1994; Fenchel et al 2012)
The intertidal zone on Schiermonnikoog was covered by photosynthetic microbial mats in an area of about 7 km2, and was characterised by periodical immersion during high tide
The photosynthetic microbial mats were dominated by filamentous cyanobacteria and benthic diatoms as shown by BAR analysis (Fig. 1) and confirmed by light microscopy
Summary
Microbial mats are laminated microbial communities growing in a variety of environments, including extreme habitats such as sea ice, hot springs and environments with high salinity or periodic desiccation (Castenholz 1994; Fenchel et al 2012). Marine intertidal flats can sustain microbial mats under specific conditions, like occasional flooding and low sand deposition, (Bolhuis et al 2015). Microbial mats are characterized by large chemical gradients and densely packed biomass within a few cm depth, growing an average of 1–3 mm per year, and covering sandy sediments in intertidal flats (Fenchel 1998; Fenchel and Kühl 2000; Bolhuis et al 2015). Filamentous cyanobacteria are considered the first colonisers in the development of intertidal photosynthetic microbial mats, forming a green layer that releases organic compounds (lysis, excretion) and oxygen, and captures atmospheric nitrogen (Stal 1995). Studies have shown that to capture the actual microbial diversity, production, and the microenvironmental drivers of these habitats it is important
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