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Contributed Talk

Session: : Aquatic Ecology: Streams And Rivers 2

COS 117-2 - Insights into the global biogeography of the glacier-fed stream microbiome

Tuesday, August 8, 2023
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM PDT
Location: B111

    Presenting Author(s)

  • LE

    Leila Ezzat

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
    Montpellier, France

    • Coauthor(s)

  • HP

    Hannes Peter

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

  • MB

    Massimo Bourquin

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

  • GM

    Grégoire Michoud

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

  • SF

    Stilianos Fodelianakis

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

  • TK

    Tyler Kohler

    Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia, Czech Republic

  • TL

    Thomas Lamy

    MARBEC, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France, France

  • SB

    Susheel Busi

    Systems Ecology group, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

  • DD

    Daniele Daffonchio

    Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabi, Saudi Arabia

  • ND

    Nicola Deluigi

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

  • VD

    Vincent De Staercke

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

  • RM

    Ramona Marasco

    Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabi, Saudi Arabia

  • PP

    Paraskevi Pramateftaki

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

  • MS

    Martina Schön

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

  • MS

    Michail Styllas

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

  • MT

    Matteo Tolosano

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

  • TB

    Tom Battin

    Alpine and Polar Research Centre, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland

Abstract: Glacier-fed streams (GFSs) serve as headwaters to many of the world’s largest river networks. Although being characterized by extreme environmental conditions (i.e., low water temperatures, oligotrophy) GFSs host an underappreciated microbial life, especially within benthic biofilms which play pivotal roles in biogeochemical cycles. Yet, we still lack a global overview of the GFS microbiome diversity and spatial distribution patterns. In addition, little is known about the processes shaping GFS microbiome beta diversity. Elucidating the biodiversity and biogeography of GFS microbiome becomes critical as mountain glaciers are melting at an unprecedented pace worldwide.

Here, we combined 16S rRNA gene sequences and environmental data collected through the Vanishing Glaciers Project to conduct a first comprehensive analysis of the benthic microbiome from 148 GFSs sampled across 11 mountain ranges.

We found that the global GFS microbiome differs from other cryospheric ecosystems and is unexpectedly diverse. Our analyses also revealed marked biogeographic patterns in the GFS microbiome, mainly driven by the replacement of phylogenetically closely related taxa. Importantly, the GFS microbiome was characterized by pronounced level of endemism, with >58% of the Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) being specific to one mountain range. Consistent with the marked dissimilarities across mountain ranges, we found a very small taxonomic core including only 200 ASVs, yet accounting for >25% of the total relative abundance of the ASVs. Finally, we found that spatial effects such as dispersal limitation and environmental selection drive GFS microbiome beta diversity at global and regional scales.

Our findings shed light on the previously unresolved global diversity and biogeography of the GFS microbiome now at risk across the world’s major mountain ranges because of climate-induced glacier shrinkage.