Next-generation sequencing and quantitative PCR reveal patterns of co-occurrence in the soils of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Ivan James Emrich (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Seán O'Connell
Abstract: Nematodes, fungi and bacteria are highly important in the maintenance and ecology of soil communities. Bacteria and fungi are responsible for the breakdown and subsequent transformation of recalcitrant organic matter, such as cellulose and lignin, into biomass that is more readily accessible to other groups of organisms, returning this carbon to circulation. Nematodes are also responsible for a large proportion of nutrient mineralization in soils. Nematodes, while not efficient decomposers themselves, exert top-down influence on bacterial and fungal populations through predation and grazing of biofilms. It has been experimentally demonstrated that nematodes display a preference for certain taxa as food items. Many of these taxa contain members capable of essential biochemical and physical processes, such as nitrogen fixation, dissimilatory metal metabolism or enmeshment of soil particles, implying that nematode food preference may affect the chemical and trophic state of the soils they inhabit, as well as the structural properties of the soil. Bacteria and fungi parasitize or directly predate nematodes in the environment surrounding them in turn. Fungi and bacteria secrete a wide variety of compounds into the surrounding environment to inhibit each other’s growth and gain the upper hand in competition. These interactions perpetuate a nuanced relationship between these three groups. Relationships between soil nematodes, bacteria and fungi were investigated via modern, culture-free methodologies, including next-generation sequencing and qPCR, with data analyses performed using QIIME 2, Cytoscape 3 and CoNet. Inferred co-occurrence networks were used to establish possible ecological roles and relationships in the soils of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A relationship between a family of filamentous, polymer degrading bacteria, Ktedonobacteraceae, and the fungal genus Mortierella, was uncovered. The nematode genus Filenchus was found to be negatively associated with two groups of bacteria involved in nitrogen metabolism. This information may guide future conservation and management efforts.
Next-generation sequencing and quantitative PCR reveal patterns of co-occurrence in the soils of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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Created on 4/1/2024
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2024
- Keywords
- Bacteria, Ecology, Fungi, Nematodes, Network, Soil
- Subjects
- Nematodes
- Soils
- Fungi
- Bacteria
- Soil ecology