title: Protistan community analysis: key findings of a large-scale molecular sampling.
abstract: Protists are perhaps the most lineage-rich of microbial lifeforms, but remain largely unknown. High-throughput sequencing technologies provide opportunities to screen whole habitats in depth and enable detailed comparisons of different habitats to measure, compare and map protistan diversity. Such comparisons are often limited by low sample numbers within single studies and a lack of standardisation between studies. Here, we analysed 232 samples from 10 sampling campaigns using a standardised PCR protocol and bioinformatics pipeline. We show that protistan community patterns are highly consistent within habitat types and geographic regions, provided that sample processing is standardised. Community profiles are only weakly affected by fluctuations of the abundances of the most abundant taxa and, therefore, provide a sound basis for habitat comparison beyond random short-term fluctuations in the community composition. Further, we provide evidence that distribution patterns are not solely resulting from random processes. Distinct habitat types and distinct taxonomic groups are dominated by taxa with distinct distribution patterns that reflect their ecology with respect to dispersal and habitat colonisation. However, there is no systematic shift of the distribution pattern with taxon abundance.
authors: Biodiversity Department, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: Lars
authors: L
authors: Grossmann
authors: Biodiversity Department, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: Manfred
authors: M
authors: Jensen
authors: Department of Bioinformatics, Straubing Centre of Science, Straubing, Germany.
authors: Dominik
authors: D
authors: Heider
authors: Biodiversity Department, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: Steffen
authors: S
authors: Jost
authors: Environment & Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK.
authors: Edvard
authors: E
authors: Glücksman
authors: Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK.|Eawag and Institute for Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Duebendorf, Switzerland.
authors: Hanna
authors: H
authors: Hartikainen
authors: Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK.|Division of Genetics & Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
authors: Shazia S
authors: SS
authors: Mahamdallie
authors: Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK.
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: Gardner
authors: Bioinformatics Department and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Hoffmann
authors: Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK.|Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), The Nothe, Weymouth, Dorset, UK.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Bass
authors: Biodiversity Department, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: Jens
authors: J
authors: Boenigk
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019295:Computational Biology; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification