Environmental filtering governs consistent vertical zonation in sedimentary microbial communities across disconnected mountain lakes

Von Eggers, Jordan M.Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States; Program in Ecology and Evolution, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States (author)

Subsurface microorganisms make up the majority of Earth's microbial biomass, but ecological processes governing surface communities may not explain community patterns at depth because of burial. Depth constrains dispersal and energy availability, and when combined with geographic isolation across landscapes, may influence community assembly. We sequenced the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria and archaea from 48 sediment cores across 36 lakes in four disconnected mountain ranges in Wyoming, USA and used null models to infer assembly processes across depth, spatial isolation, and varying environments. Although we expected strong dispersal limitations across these isolated settings, community composition was primarily shaped by environmental selection. Communities consistently shifted from domination by organisms that degrade organic matter at the surface to methanogenic, low-energy adapted taxa in deeper zones. Stochastic processes—like dispersal limitation—contributed to differences among lakes, but because these effects weakened with depth, selection processes ultimately governed subsurface microbial biogeography.

Wisnoski, Nathan I.Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, MS, Mississippi State, United States (author)
Calder, John W.Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States (author)
Capo, EricUmeå universitet,Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap(Swepub:umu)erca0040 (author)
Groff, Dulcinea V.Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States (author)
Krist, Amy C.Program in Ecology and Evolution, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States; Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States (author)
Shuman, BryanDepartment of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States; Program in Ecology and Evolution, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States (author)
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States; Program in Ecology and Evolution, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United StatesWyoming Geographic Information Science Center, University of Wyoming, WY, Laramie, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, MS, Mississippi State, United States (creator_code:org_t)

By the author/editor: Von Eggers, Jord ...; Wisnoski, Nathan ...; Calder, John W.; Capo, Eric; Groff, Dulcinea ...; Krist, Amy C.; show more...; Shuman, Bryan; show less...

About the subject

NATURAL SCIENCES: NATURAL SCIENCES; and Biological Scien ...; and Microbiology

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