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Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
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Function-specific response to depletion of microbial diversity.

Hannes Peter1, Sara Beier, Stefan Bertilsson

  • 1Department of Limnology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. hannes.peter@ebc.uu.se

The ISME Journal
|August 6, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Microbial diversity impacts ecosystem functions, but specific processes like chitin and cellulose degradation depend more on species identity than richness. Community composition, not just the number of species, is key for microbial functions.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbial Ecology
  • Ecosystem Functioning
  • Biodiversity Research

Background:

  • Meta-analyses indicate biodiversity enhances ecosystem functioning, yet microbial functions show inconsistent responses.
  • Assessing single functions overlooks species-specific trade-offs and underestimates the role of diversity.
  • Microbial communities drive essential ecosystem processes, making their functional diversity critical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between bacterial richness and multiple ecosystem functions in freshwater communities.
  • To determine if species richness or species identity is more influential for specific microbial functions.
  • To understand the role of community composition in mediating ecosystem processes.

Main Methods:

  • Created freshwater bacterial communities with varying richness using a dilution-to-extinction method.
  • Assessed total community composition via 16S rRNA gene fingerprinting.
  • Quantified functional traits, including chitin and cellulose degradation rates, and analyzed specific functional genes (chitinase).

Main Results:

  • Bacterial richness positively correlated with abundance and biomass but not maximum intrinsic growth rate.
  • Chitin and cellulose degradation rates were contingent on the presence of specific phylotypes, not overall richness.
  • Cell volume was negatively correlated with richness.

Conclusions:

  • Species identity and specific community composition are critical drivers of microbial functions, outweighing the effect of richness alone.
  • Focusing solely on biodiversity metrics may not fully capture the functional capacity of microbial communities.
  • Understanding microbial roles in ecosystems requires considering both diversity and the identity of key players.