Deep Sequencing Uncovers Protistan Plankton Diversity in the Portuguese Ria Formosa Solar Saltern Ponds

Overview

Journal Extremophiles

Publisher Springer

Date 2014 Dec 5

PMID 25472012

Citations 12

Authors

Sabine Filker

Anna Gimmler

Micah Dunthorn

Frederic Mahe

Thorsten Stoeck

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We used high-throughput sequencing to unravel the genetic diversity of protistan (including fungal) plankton in hypersaline ponds of the Ria Formosa solar saltern works in Portugal. From three ponds of different salinity (4, 12 and 38 %), we obtained ca. 105,000 amplicons (V4 region of the SSU rDNA). The genetic diversity we found was higher than what has been described from solar saltern ponds thus far by microscopy or molecular studies. The obtained operational taxonomic units (OTUs) could be assigned to 14 high-rank taxonomic groups and blasted to 120 eukaryotic families. The novelty of this genetic diversity was extremely high, with 27 % of all OTUs having a sequence divergence of more than 10 % to deposited sequences of described taxa. The highest degree of novelty was found at intermediate salinity of 12 % within the ciliates, which traditionally are considered as the best known and described taxon group within the kingdom Protista. Further substantial novelty was detected within the stramenopiles and the chlorophytes. Analyses of community structures suggest a transition boundary for protistan plankton between 4 and 12 % salinity, suggesting different haloadaptation strategies in individual evolutionary lineages as a result of environmental filtering. Our study makes evident the gaps in our knowledge not only of protistan and fungal plankton diversity in hypersaline environments, but also in their ecology and their strategies to cope with these environmental conditions. It substantiates that specific future research needs to fill these gaps.

Citing Articles

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Azpiazu-Muniozguren M, Perez A, Rementeria A, Martinez-Malaxetxebarria I, Alonso R, Laorden L J Fungi (Basel). 2021; 7(12).

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The Diversity Patterns of Rare to Abundant Microbial Eukaryotes Across a Broad Range of Salinities in a Solar Saltern.

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Comparative analysis of freshwater phytoplankton communities in two lakes of Burabay National Park using morphological and molecular approaches.

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Characterization of protistan plankton diversity in ancient salt evaporation ponds located in a volcanic crater on the island Sal, Cape Verde.

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