Microbial Characterization of Qatari Barchan Sand Dunes.
This study represents the first characterization of sand microbiota in migrating barchan sand dunes. Bacterial communities were studied through direct counts and cultivation, as well as 16S rRNA gene and metagenomic sequence analysis to gain an understanding of microbial abundance, diversity, and po...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2016-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5031452?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1811273291853201408 |
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| author | Sara Abdul Majid Michael F Graw Aspassia D Chatziefthimiou Hanh Nguyen Renee Richer Michel Louge Ali A Sultan Patrick Schloss Anthony G Hay |
| author_facet | Sara Abdul Majid Michael F Graw Aspassia D Chatziefthimiou Hanh Nguyen Renee Richer Michel Louge Ali A Sultan Patrick Schloss Anthony G Hay |
| author_sort | Sara Abdul Majid |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study represents the first characterization of sand microbiota in migrating barchan sand dunes. Bacterial communities were studied through direct counts and cultivation, as well as 16S rRNA gene and metagenomic sequence analysis to gain an understanding of microbial abundance, diversity, and potential metabolic capabilities. Direct on-grain cell counts gave an average of 5.3 ± 0.4 x 105 cells g-1 of sand. Cultured isolates (N = 64) selected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing belonged to the phyla Actinobacteria (58%), Firmicutes (27%) and Proteobacteria (15%). Deep-sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons from 18 dunes demonstrated a high relative abundance of Proteobacteria, particularly enteric bacteria, and a dune-specific-pattern of bacterial community composition that correlated with dune size. Shotgun metagenome sequences of two representative dunes were analyzed and found to have similar relative bacterial abundance, though the relative abundances of eukaryotic, viral and enterobacterial sequences were greater in sand from the dune closer to a camel-pen. Functional analysis revealed patterns similar to those observed in desert soils; however, the increased relative abundance of genes encoding sporulation and dormancy are consistent with the dune microbiome being well-adapted to the exceptionally hyper-arid Qatari desert. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T22:56:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24e04a7cf26f44dd9ed6adc4acda0d0a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T22:56:30Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-24e04a7cf26f44dd9ed6adc4acda0d0a2022-12-22T03:13:11ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-01119e016183610.1371/journal.pone.0161836Microbial Characterization of Qatari Barchan Sand Dunes.Sara Abdul MajidMichael F GrawAspassia D ChatziefthimiouHanh NguyenRenee RicherMichel LougeAli A SultanPatrick SchlossAnthony G HayThis study represents the first characterization of sand microbiota in migrating barchan sand dunes. Bacterial communities were studied through direct counts and cultivation, as well as 16S rRNA gene and metagenomic sequence analysis to gain an understanding of microbial abundance, diversity, and potential metabolic capabilities. Direct on-grain cell counts gave an average of 5.3 ± 0.4 x 105 cells g-1 of sand. Cultured isolates (N = 64) selected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing belonged to the phyla Actinobacteria (58%), Firmicutes (27%) and Proteobacteria (15%). Deep-sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons from 18 dunes demonstrated a high relative abundance of Proteobacteria, particularly enteric bacteria, and a dune-specific-pattern of bacterial community composition that correlated with dune size. Shotgun metagenome sequences of two representative dunes were analyzed and found to have similar relative bacterial abundance, though the relative abundances of eukaryotic, viral and enterobacterial sequences were greater in sand from the dune closer to a camel-pen. Functional analysis revealed patterns similar to those observed in desert soils; however, the increased relative abundance of genes encoding sporulation and dormancy are consistent with the dune microbiome being well-adapted to the exceptionally hyper-arid Qatari desert.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5031452?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Sara Abdul Majid Michael F Graw Aspassia D Chatziefthimiou Hanh Nguyen Renee Richer Michel Louge Ali A Sultan Patrick Schloss Anthony G Hay Microbial Characterization of Qatari Barchan Sand Dunes. PLoS ONE |
| title | Microbial Characterization of Qatari Barchan Sand Dunes. |
| title_full | Microbial Characterization of Qatari Barchan Sand Dunes. |
| title_fullStr | Microbial Characterization of Qatari Barchan Sand Dunes. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microbial Characterization of Qatari Barchan Sand Dunes. |
| title_short | Microbial Characterization of Qatari Barchan Sand Dunes. |
| title_sort | microbial characterization of qatari barchan sand dunes |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5031452?pdf=render |
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