Dormancy contributes to the maintenance of microbial diversity

Area of Science:

• Microbial Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Dormancy is a survival strategy allowing organisms to endure harsh conditions.
• Dormant individuals form seed banks, impacting future community dynamics.
• The role of microbial seed banks in community diversity and function is largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of dormancy and environmental cues in structuring microbial communities.
• To compare the impact of dormancy on bacterial versus eukaryotic microbial communities.
• To understand how dormancy influences microbial biodiversity and ecosystem function.

Main Methods:

• Development of a theoretical model for microbial community structuring by dormancy.
• Molecular surveys of lake ecosystems to assess microbial community composition.
• Analysis of dormant versus active microbial populations in relation to environmental factors.

Main Results:

• Environmental cues significantly structure microbial communities through dormancy.
• Dormancy has a greater impact on bacterial than eukaryotic microbial communities.
• Dormant bacteria constituted up to 40% of taxon richness in nutrient-poor systems.
• Dormancy synchronizes active communities regionally but decouples them locally.
• Rare bacterial taxa showed disproportionately high activity.

Conclusions:

• Microbial seed banks are crucial for structuring aquatic ecosystems.
• Dormancy plays a key role in maintaining microbial biodiversity.
• Environmental cues and dormancy dynamics influence microbial community composition and function across landscapes.