Expanded global groundwater microbial diversity reveals bioprospecting potential

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genomics
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Terrestrial subsurface microbial biomass is significant but poorly understood.
• Groundwater microbiomes are under-characterized regarding genomic diversity and bioprospecting potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a large-scale catalog of groundwater microbial genomes.
• To investigate the phylogenetic diversity and genomic characteristics of groundwater microbiomes.
• To identify potential biotechnological and biomedical applications.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of in-house and public metagenomic datasets.
• Genome recovery and cataloging of bacterial and archaeal species.
• Bioinformatic analysis of genome size, phylogenetic diversity, and functional potential.

Main Results:

• A groundwater microbiota catalog (GWMC) of 44,320 genomes was created, spanning 167 phyla.
• Over 12,000 previously uncharacterized species were identified.
• A bimodal genome size distribution revealed distinct genomic allocation strategies.
• Small genomes focused on defense/redox, large genomes on biosynthesis.
• The largest selenoprotein catalog to date was established, highlighting groundwater's role in selenium metabolism.

Conclusions:

• Groundwater harbors immense and diverse microbial life with significant genomic potential.
• Divergent genome sizes correlate with distinct functional strategies.
• Groundwater is a critical, overlooked reservoir for microbial selenium metabolism.
• The GWMC offers valuable resources for biotechnology and biomedicine.