Energetic Basis of Microbial Growth and Persistence in Desert Ecosystems
ABSTRACT Microbial life is surprisingly abundant and diverse in global desert ecosystems. In these environments, microorganisms endure a multitude of physicochemical stresses, including low water potential, carbon and nitrogen starvation, and extreme temperatures. In this review, we summarize our cu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Society for Microbiology
2020-04-01
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| Series: | mSystems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSystems.00495-19 |
| _version_ | 1828959231664979968 |
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| author | Pok Man Leung Sean K. Bay Dimitri V. Meier Eleonora Chiri Don A. Cowan Osnat Gillor Dagmar Woebken Chris Greening |
| author_facet | Pok Man Leung Sean K. Bay Dimitri V. Meier Eleonora Chiri Don A. Cowan Osnat Gillor Dagmar Woebken Chris Greening |
| author_sort | Pok Man Leung |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Microbial life is surprisingly abundant and diverse in global desert ecosystems. In these environments, microorganisms endure a multitude of physicochemical stresses, including low water potential, carbon and nitrogen starvation, and extreme temperatures. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the energetic mechanisms and trophic dynamics that underpin microbial function in desert ecosystems. Accumulating evidence suggests that dormancy is a common strategy that facilitates microbial survival in response to water and carbon limitation. Whereas photoautotrophs are restricted to specific niches in extreme deserts, metabolically versatile heterotrophs persist even in the hyper-arid topsoils of the Atacama Desert and Antarctica. At least three distinct strategies appear to allow such microorganisms to conserve energy in these oligotrophic environments: degradation of organic energy reserves, rhodopsin- and bacteriochlorophyll-dependent light harvesting, and oxidation of the atmospheric trace gases hydrogen and carbon monoxide. In turn, these principles are relevant for understanding the composition, functionality, and resilience of desert ecosystems, as well as predicting responses to the growing problem of desertification. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T09:02:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d91516aebc43441398c268898f5ba183 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2379-5077 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T09:02:50Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | mSystems |
| spelling | doaj.art-d91516aebc43441398c268898f5ba1832022-12-21T23:08:46ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologymSystems2379-50772020-04-015210.1128/mSystems.00495-19Energetic Basis of Microbial Growth and Persistence in Desert EcosystemsPok Man Leung0Sean K. Bay1Dimitri V. Meier2Eleonora Chiri3Don A. Cowan4Osnat Gillor5Dagmar Woebken6Chris Greening7School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, AustraliaSchool of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, AustraliaDivision of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaSchool of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, AustraliaCentre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria, South AfricaZuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boker, IsraelDivision of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaSchool of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, AustraliaABSTRACT Microbial life is surprisingly abundant and diverse in global desert ecosystems. In these environments, microorganisms endure a multitude of physicochemical stresses, including low water potential, carbon and nitrogen starvation, and extreme temperatures. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the energetic mechanisms and trophic dynamics that underpin microbial function in desert ecosystems. Accumulating evidence suggests that dormancy is a common strategy that facilitates microbial survival in response to water and carbon limitation. Whereas photoautotrophs are restricted to specific niches in extreme deserts, metabolically versatile heterotrophs persist even in the hyper-arid topsoils of the Atacama Desert and Antarctica. At least three distinct strategies appear to allow such microorganisms to conserve energy in these oligotrophic environments: degradation of organic energy reserves, rhodopsin- and bacteriochlorophyll-dependent light harvesting, and oxidation of the atmospheric trace gases hydrogen and carbon monoxide. In turn, these principles are relevant for understanding the composition, functionality, and resilience of desert ecosystems, as well as predicting responses to the growing problem of desertification.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSystems.00495-19desertdormancyenergeticsenergy reservephotosynthesistrace gas |
| spellingShingle | Pok Man Leung Sean K. Bay Dimitri V. Meier Eleonora Chiri Don A. Cowan Osnat Gillor Dagmar Woebken Chris Greening Energetic Basis of Microbial Growth and Persistence in Desert Ecosystems mSystems desert dormancy energetics energy reserve photosynthesis trace gas |
| title | Energetic Basis of Microbial Growth and Persistence in Desert Ecosystems |
| title_full | Energetic Basis of Microbial Growth and Persistence in Desert Ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Energetic Basis of Microbial Growth and Persistence in Desert Ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Energetic Basis of Microbial Growth and Persistence in Desert Ecosystems |
| title_short | Energetic Basis of Microbial Growth and Persistence in Desert Ecosystems |
| title_sort | energetic basis of microbial growth and persistence in desert ecosystems |
| topic | desert dormancy energetics energy reserve photosynthesis trace gas |
| url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSystems.00495-19 |
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