Temporal dynamics of hot desert microbial communities reveal structural and functional responses to water input.
The temporal dynamics of desert soil microbial communities are poorly understood. Given the implications for ecosystem functioning under a global change scenario, a better understanding of desert microbial community stability is crucial. Here, we sampled soils in the central Namib Desert on sixteen different occasions over a one-year period. Using Illumina-based amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, we found that α-diversity (richness) was more variable at a given sampling date (spatial variability) than over the course of one year (temporal variability). Community composition remained essentially unchanged across the first 10 months, indicating that spatial sampling might be more important than temporal sampling when assessing β-diversity patterns in desert soils. However, a major shift in microbial community composition was found following a single precipitation event. This shift in composition was associated with a rapid increase in CO2respiration and productivity, supporting the view that desert soil microbial communities respond rapidly to re-wetting and that this response may be the result of both taxon-specific selection and changes in the availability or accessibility of organic substrates. Recovery to quasi pre-disturbance community composition was achieved within one month after rainfall.
Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), Genomics Research Institute, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
Alacia
A
Armstrong
Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), Genomics Research Institute, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
Angel
A
Valverde
Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), Genomics Research Institute, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
Jean-Baptiste
JB
Ramond
Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), Genomics Research Institute, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
Thulani P
TP
Makhalanyane
Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA.
Janet K
JK
Jansson
The Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 6JS, UK.
David W
DW
Hopkins
School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK.
Thomas J
TJ
Aspray
Gobabeb Training and Research Centre (GTRC), Walvis Bay, Namibia.|Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mary
M
Seely
Institute for Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics (IMBM). University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa.
Marla I
MI
Trindade
Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), Genomics Research Institute, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
Don A
DA
Cowan
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