Hypolithic microbial communities: between a rock and a hard place.
Drylands are the largest terrestrial biome on Earth and a ubiquitous feature is desert pavement terrain, comprising rocks embedded in the mineral soil surface. Quartz and other translucent rocks are common and microbial communities termed hypoliths develop as biofilms on their ventral surfaces. In extreme deserts these represent major concentrations of biomass, and are emerging as key to geobiological processes and soil stabilization. These highly specialized communities are dominated by cyanobacteria that support diverse heterotrophic assemblages. Here we identify global-scale trends in the ecology of hypoliths that are strongly related to climate, particularly with regard to shifts in cyanobacterial assemblages. A synthesis of available data revealed a linear trend for colonization with regard to climate, and we suggest potential application for hypoliths as 'biomarkers' of aridity on a landscape scale. The potential to exploit the soil-stabilizing properties of hypolithic colonization in environmental engineering on dryland soils is also discussed.
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
Yuki
Y
Chan
Donnabella C
DC
Lacap
Maggie C Y
MC
Lau
Kong Ying
KY
Ha
Kimberley A
KA
Warren-Rhodes
Charles S
CS
Cockell
Donald A
DA
Cowan
Christopher P
CP
McKay
Stephen B
SB
Pointing
D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D044822:Biodiversity; D018533:Biomass; D003889:Desert Climate; D012988:Soil Microbiology