Evaluation of DESS as a storage medium for microbial community analysis

Area of Science:

• Microbial Ecology
• Ant Symbiosis
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Accurate microbial community assessment relies on effective preservation during transport and storage.
• Current preservation methods lack standardized consensus, impacting research reliability.
• Investigating novel preservatives is crucial for advancing microbial ecology studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate dimethyl sulfoxide, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, saturated salt (DESS) solution as a broadly applicable preservative for microbial ecology.
• To compare the efficacy of DESS against 15% glycerol and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) in preserving microbial community structure.
• To determine the impact of different preservatives on the microbial communities within ant fungus gardens.

Main Methods:

• Fungus gardens from *Trachymyrmex septentrionalis* ants were preserved in DESS, 15% glycerol, and PBS.
• Microbial community structure was analyzed to assess preservative effectiveness.
• A defined mock microbial community was used to further validate preservative performance.

Main Results:

• Preservative type had minimal impact on microbial community structure compared to variation between ant colonies.
• DESS demonstrated superior preservation of microbial community structure in a defined mock community compared to glycerol and PBS.
• DESS proved to be an inexpensive and easily transportable preservation solution.

Conclusions:

• Dimethyl sulfoxide, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, saturated salt (DESS) solution is a valuable and effective preservative for microbial ecology research.
• DESS reliably preserves microbial community structure, offering a consistent method for sample preservation.
• The findings support the adoption of DESS for microbial ecology studies requiring sample transport and storage.