Could landscape ecology principles apply at the microscale? A metabarcoding approach on Trichoptera larvae-associated...

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Microbiology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Landscape heterogeneity is a key driver of community structure.
• The influence of landscape structure on microbial communities at microscales remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of microscale landscape structuration on microbial communities.
• To determine if landscape ecology principles apply to microbial habitats.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Trichoptera cases as natural, replicated, structured substrates.
• Employed metabarcoding to characterize fungal, bacterial, and diatom communities.
• Assessed microscale landscape heterogeneity within substrates.

Main Results:

• Structured substrates harbored distinct microbial communities compared to unstructured ones.
• Microbial communities differed between organic and mineral substrates.
• Higher microbial diversity was observed on structured substrates.

Conclusions:

• Microscale landscape structuration significantly impacts microbial diversity.
• Landscape ecology approaches can be effectively downscaled to microhabitats.
• Substrate type (organic vs. mineral) also shapes microbial composition.