ArticleMicrobiome2021
Leave no stone unturned: individually adapted xerotolerant Thaumarchaeota sheltered below the boulders of the Atacama Desert hyperarid core.
Article in Microbiome, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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17 citing papers in PubMed.
- Differential activation of NF-κB pathway by Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis lipopolysaccharides affects blood-brain barrier permeability.Archives of microbiology · 2026Article
- Vulnerable microbial communities in Atacama-Altiplano wetlands: modern analogs of ancient ecosystems with implications for sustainability and conservation.FEMS microbes · 2026Review
- Diversification, niche adaptation, and evolution of a candidate phylum thriving in the deep Critical Zone.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Hyperexpansion of genetic diversity and metabolic capacity of extremophilic bacteria and archaea in ancient Andean lake sediments.Microbiome · 2024Article
- Diverse non-canonical electron bifurcating [FeFe]-hydrogenases of separate evolutionary origins inmSystems · 2024Article
- Genomic insights into redox-driven microbial processes for carbon decomposition in thawing Arctic soils and permafrost.mSphere · 2024Article
- Novel order-level lineage of ammonia-oxidizing archaea widespread in marine and terrestrial environments.The ISME journal · 2024Article
- Reversed oxidative TCA (roTCA) for carbon fixation by an Acidimicrobiia strain from a saline lake.The ISME journal · 2024Article
- Niche breadth specialization impacts ecological and evolutionary adaptation following environmental change.The ISME journal · 2024Article
- Clearing the air: unraveling past and guiding future research in atmospheric chemosynthesis.Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2023Review
- Dancing the Nanopore limbo - Nanopore metagenomics from small DNA quantities for bacterial genome reconstruction.BMC genomics · 2023Article
- Metabolic versatility of soil microbial communities below the rocks of the hyperarid Dalangtan Playa.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2023Article
- Capturing the microbial dark matter in desert soils using culturomics-based metagenomics and high-resolution analysis.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2023Article
- Trait biases in microbial reference genomes.Scientific data · 2023Article
- Article
- Geographically Disperse, Culturable Seed-Associated Microbiota in Forage Plants of Alfalfa (Biology · 2022Article
- Article
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12 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert is an extremely harsh environment thought to be colonized by only a few heterotrophic bacterial species. Current concepts for understanding this extreme ecosystem are mainly based on the diversity of these few species, yet a substantial area of the Atacama Desert hyperarid topsoil is covered by expansive boulder accumulations, whose underlying microbiomes have not been investigated so far. With the hypothesis that these sheltered soils harbor uniquely adapted microbiomes, we compared metagenomes and geochemistry between soils below and beside boulders across three distantly located boulder accumulations in the Atacama Desert hyperarid core.
resultsGenome-resolved metagenomics of eleven samples revealed substantially different microbial communities in soils below and beside boulders, despite the presence of shared species. Archaea were found in significantly higher relative abundance below the boulders across all samples within distances of up to 205 km. These key taxa belong to a novel genus of ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota, Candidatus Nitrosodeserticola. We resolved eight mid-to-high quality genomes of this genus and used comparative genomics to analyze its pangenome and site-specific adaptations. Ca. Nitrosodeserticola genomes contain genes for ammonia oxidation, the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate carbon fixation pathway, and acetate utilization indicating a chemolithoautotrophic and mixotrophic lifestyle. They also possess the capacity for tolerating extreme environmental conditions as highlighted by the presence of genes against oxidative stress and DNA damage. Site-specific adaptations of the genomes included the presence of additional genes for heavy metal transporters, multiple types of ATP synthases, and divergent genes for aquaporins.
conclusionWe provide the first genomic characterization of hyperarid soil microbiomes below the boulders in the Atacama Desert, and report abundant and highly adapted Thaumarchaeaota with ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation potential. Ca. Nitrosodeserticola genomes provide the first metabolic and physiological insight into a thaumarchaeal lineage found in globally distributed terrestrial habitats characterized by various environmental stresses. We consequently expand not only the known genetic repertoire of Thaumarchaeota but also the diversity and microbiome functioning in hyperarid ecosystems. Video Abstract.
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