Abstract
The abundance and diversity of fungi were evaluated in a hypersaline microbial mat from Guerrero Negro, México, using a combination of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) amplification of domain-specific primers, and metagenomic sequencing. Seven different layers were analyzed in the mat (Layers 1–7) at single millimeter resolution (from the surface to 7 mm in depth). The number of copies of the 18S rRNA gene of fungi ranged between 106 and 107 copies per g mat, being two logarithmic units lower than of the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria. The abundance of 18S rRNA genes of fungi varied significantly among the layers with layers 2–5 mm from surface contained the highest numbers of copies. Fifty-six fungal taxa were identified by metagenomic sequencing, classified into three different phyla: Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Microsporidia. The prevalent genera of fungi were Thermothelomyces, Pyricularia, Fusarium, Colletotrichum, Aspergillus, Botrytis, Candida and Neurospora. Genera of fungi identified in the mat were closely related to genera known to have saprotrophic and parasitic lifestyles, as well as genera related to human and plant pathogens and fungi able to perform denitrification. This research suggests that fungi in the mat may participate in nutrient recycling, modification of community composition through parasitic activities, and denitrification.
Highlights
The microbial mat examined in this study was located in a concentration area in salterns managed by Exportadora de Sal S.A. (ESSA), Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, México (ESSA A4; 27◦ 410 15.1” N 113◦ 540 52.1” W)
Fungal abundance and diversity were studied at 1 mm resolution using quantitative PCR and metagenomic sequencing
While fungi have been described from this same microbial mat using molecular techniques [30] and in other microbial mats using isolation and molecular techniques, e.g., in hypersaline mats from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico [11] or with morphological and cloning techniques, e.g., in the hypersaline lagoon of Shark Bay, Australia [31], the data reported here are, to our knowledge, the first quantitative abundance data on the vertical distribution of fungi in hypersaline microbial mats
Summary
Microbial mats have been defined as “laminated microbial communities that generally develop in aqueous environments under conditions that exclude fauna” [1]. These communities have been considered to be the first ecosystems on Earth and are thought to have played a fundamental role in the composition of the atmosphere, releasing oxygen, hydrogen and methane [2]. Microbial mats are comprised of microorganisms from all three domains of life (Bacteria, Eukarya and Archaea) and viruses [4]. The upper 1–2-mm-thick layer is generally dominated by oxygenic phototrophs, and the primary production of this layer is responsible for the growth of heterotrophic organisms in this layer and layers below it
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