. | . |
Lava caves of Hawaii Island contain thousands of unknown bacterial species by Staff Writers Manoa HI (SPX) Jul 25, 2022
The lava caves, lava tubes and geothermal vents on the big island of Hawai?i have higher bacterial diversity than scientists expected, reports a new study in Frontiers in Microbiology. These habitats represent how life might have existed on Mars and early Earth in the past, and this study explores the diversity and interactions within these microbial ecosystems. Surprisingly, the results revealed that a group of bacteria called Chloroflexi are often 'hub' species, meaning that they are connected with many other species and usually play key ecological roles in the community. Little is known about many Chloroflexi species and further study will reveal previously undiscovered species, as well as what role these species play in these extreme environments. "This study points to the possibility that more ancient lineages of bacteria, like the phylum Chloroflexi, may have important ecological 'jobs,' or roles," said first author Dr Rebecca D Prescott of NASA Johnson Space Center and University of Hawai?i at Manoa, in the US. "The Chloroflexi are an extremely diverse group of bacteria, with lots of different roles found in lots of different environments, but they are not well studied and so we don't know what they do in these communities. Some scientists call such groups 'microbial dark matter' - the unseen or un-studied microorganisms in nature."
Unseen volcanic life The research team had expected that the harshest conditions-the geothermal sites-might have lower diversity than the more established and habitable lava tubes. While it was true that the diversity was lower, the team was surprised to see that the interactions within these communities were more complex than in locations with higher diversity. "This leads to the question, do extreme environments help create more interactive microbial communities, with microorganisms more dependent on each other?" said Prescott. "And if so, what is it about extreme environments that helps to create this?" Since Chloroflexi, and another class called Acidobacteria, were present at nearly all of the locations, they may play important roles in these communities. But these were not the most abundant bacteria, and the individual communities from the different sites showed large variation in the diversity and complexity of the microbial interactions. Counterintuitively, the most abundant groups, Oxyphotobacteria and Actinobacteria, were not often 'hub' species, suggesting that their roles may be less important to the overall structure of the community.
More questions than answers "Overall, this study helps to illustrate how important it is to study microbes in co-culture, rather than growing them alone (as isolates)," said Prescott. "In the natural world, microbes do not grow in isolation. Instead, they grow, live and interact with many other microorganisms in a sea of chemical signals from those other microbes. This then can alter their gene expression, affecting what their jobs are in the community." Beyond the insights about past, or even future, life on Mars, bacteria from volcanic environments can also be useful in understanding how microbes turn volcanic rock (basalt) into soils, as well as bioremediation, biotechnology and sustainable resource management.
Research Report:Islands within islands: bacterial phylogenetic structure and consortia in Hawaiian lava caves and fumaroles
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |