Sequenciamento por Ion Torrent revela padrões de interação e distribuição de comunidades microbianas em um perfil de solo ornitogênico da Ilha Seymour, Península Antártica.

Abstract

In this study, we analyzed and compared the soil bacterial communities from a penguin rookery site at Seymour Island (Antarctic Peninsula) in terms of abundance, structure, diversity and interaction network in order to identify interaction patterns among the various groups of bacteria presented in an ornithogenic site at three depths (layers). The analysis of the sequences revealed the presence of 8 phyla distributed in different proportions among the Layers 1 (0-8 cm), 2 (20-25 cm) and 3 (35-40 cm). According to the diversity indexes, Layer 3 presented the highest values of richness, diversity and evenness when compared to Layers 1 and 2. In terms of bacterial community structure, the unweighted and weighted UniFrac analysis showed that the soil bacterial communities from the three layers were quite different from each other. Network analysis revealed the existence of a unique pattern of interactions in which the soil microbial network formed a clustered topology, but not structured in modules, as usual in biological communities. In addition, through the use of network analysis, it was possible to identify specific taxa as potentially important for the structuring and functioning of the microbial community. Furthermore, simulation analyzes indicated that the loss of potential keystone groups of microorganisms may significantly alter the patterns of interactions within the microbial communityThese findings provide new insights into the bacterial interactions and microbial ecology of this important, but threatened environment.