title: Microbial community dynamics in Inferno Crater Lake, a thermally fluctuating geothermal spring.
abstract: Understanding how microbial communities respond and adjust to ecosystem perturbation is often difficult to interpret due to multiple and often simultaneous variations in observed conditions. In this research, we investigated the microbial community dynamics of Inferno Crater Lake, an acidic geothermal spring in New Zealand with a unique thermal cycle that varies between 30 and 80 °C over a period of 40-60 days. Using a combination of next-generation sequencing, geochemical analysis and quantitative PCR we found that the microbial community composition was predominantly chemolithotrophic and strongly associated with the thermal cycle. At temperatures >65 °C, the microbial community was dominated almost exclusively by sulphur-oxidising archaea (Sulfolobus-like spp.). By contrast, at mesophilic temperatures the community structure was more mixed, comprising both archaea and bacteria but dominated primarily by chemolithotrophic sulphur and hydrogen oxidisers. Multivariate analysis of physicochemical data confirmed that temperature was the only significant variable associated with community turnover. This research contributes to our understanding of microbial community dynamics in variable environments, using a naturally alternating system as a model and extends our limited knowledge of acidophile ecology in geothermal habitats.
authors.affiliation: GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, Wairakei, Taup, New Zealand.|University of Auckland, School of Biological Sciences, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: University of Auckland, School of Biological Sciences, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, Wairakei, Taup, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jean F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Power
authors.affiliation: GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, Wairakei, Taup, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Bradley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: University of Waikato, School of Science, Hamilton, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ian R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, Wairakei, Taup, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Matthew B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Stott
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D052837:Chemoautotrophic Growth; D017753:Ecosystem; D045482:Hot Springs / Q000382:microbiology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D060106:Lakes / Q000382:microbiology; D009520:New Zealand; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013455:Sulfur / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D013455:Sulfur