Leveraging aquatic-terrestrial interfaces to capture putative habitat generalists.

Area of Science:

• Microbial ecology
• Environmental microbiology
• Habitat generalists

Background:

• Habitat type significantly influences microbial community composition.
• Understanding microbial adaptation to diverse environments, particularly soil-water interfaces, is crucial.
• Limited knowledge exists on the extent of soil-water habitat switching among microbial taxa.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a system for capturing microorganisms that can colonize both soil and river water.
• To investigate the phylogenetic diversity of potential soil-water habitat generalists.
• To determine how microbial habitat switching varies across different environmental sources.

Main Methods:

• Developed a proof-of-concept experimental system to isolate generalist microorganisms.
• Collected soil samples from varying proximity to river water sources.
• Analyzed microbial composition and phylogenetic signals in colonized river water.

Main Results:

• Microbial composition was primarily dictated by the recipient environment (soil or river water).
• A stronger phylogenetic signal at the order level was observed for river water colonizers.
• More microorganisms colonized river water when soil originated from a habitat interface compared to inland soil.

Conclusions:

• Environmental interfaces, like soil-water boundaries, may serve as important reservoirs for microbial habitat generalists.
• The study highlights the potential for microbial generalists to bridge terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
• Experimental systems for capturing habitat generalists are valuable for assessing microbial ecological distribution.