‘Follow the Water’: Microbial Water Acquisition in Desert Soils

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorCowan, Don A
dc.contributor.authorCary, S. Craig
dc.contributor.authorDiRuggiero, Jocelyne
dc.contributor.authorEckardt, Frank
dc.contributor.authorFerrari, Belinda
dc.contributor.authorHopkins, David W.
dc.contributor.authorLebre, Pedro H.
dc.contributor.authorMaggs-Kölling, Gillian
dc.contributor.authorPointing, Stephen B.
dc.contributor.authorRamond, Jean-Baptiste
dc.contributor.authorTribbia, Dana
dc.contributor.authorWarren-Rhodes, Kimberley
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-10T09:00:04Z
dc.date.available2023-08-10T09:00:04Z
dc.date.issued2023-06-27
dc.date.updated2023-07-28T12:21:45Z
dc.description.abstractWater availability is the dominant driver of microbial community structure and function in desert soils. However, these habitats typically only receive very infrequent large-scale water inputs (e.g., from precipitation and/or run-off). In light of recent studies, the paradigm that desert soil microorganisms are largely dormant under xeric conditions is questionable. Gene expression profiling of microbial communities in desert soils suggests that many microbial taxa retain some metabolic functionality, even under severely xeric conditions. It, therefore, follows that other, less obvious sources of water may sustain the microbial cellular and community functionality in desert soil niches. Such sources include a range of precipitation and condensation processes, including rainfall, snow, dew, fog, and nocturnal distillation, all of which may vary quantitatively depending on the location and geomorphological characteristics of the desert ecosystem. Other more obscure sources of bioavailable water may include groundwater-derived water vapour, hydrated minerals, and metabolic hydro-genesis. Here, we explore the possible sources of bioavailable water in the context of microbial survival and function in xeric desert soils. With global climate change projected to have profound effects on both hot and cold deserts, we also explore the potential impacts of climate-induced changes in water availability on soil microbiomes in these extreme environments.en_US
dc.identifierdoi: 10.3390/microorganisms11071670
dc.identifier.apacitationCowan, D. A., Cary, S. Craig., DiRuggiero, J., Eckardt, F., Ferrari, B., Hopkins, David W., ... Warren-Rhodes, K. (2023). ‘Follow the Water’: Microbial Water Acquisition in Desert Soils. <i>Microorganisms</i>, 11(7), 1670. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38220en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationCowan, Don A, S. Craig Cary, Jocelyne DiRuggiero, Frank Eckardt, Belinda Ferrari, David W. Hopkins, Pedro H. Lebre, et al "‘Follow the Water’: Microbial Water Acquisition in Desert Soils." <i>Microorganisms</i> 11, 7. (2023): 1670. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38220en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationCowan, D.A., Cary, S. Craig., DiRuggiero, J., Eckardt, F., Ferrari, B., Hopkins, David W., Lebre, Pedro H. & Maggs-Kölling, G. et al. 2023. ‘Follow the Water’: Microbial Water Acquisition in Desert Soils. <i>Microorganisms.</i> 11(7):1670. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38220en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Cowan, Don A AU - Cary, S. Craig AU - DiRuggiero, Jocelyne AU - Eckardt, Frank AU - Ferrari, Belinda AU - Hopkins, David W. AU - Lebre, Pedro H. AU - Maggs-Kölling, Gillian AU - Pointing, Stephen B. AU - Ramond, Jean-Baptiste AU - Tribbia, Dana AU - Warren-Rhodes, Kimberley AB - Water availability is the dominant driver of microbial community structure and function in desert soils. However, these habitats typically only receive very infrequent large-scale water inputs (e.g., from precipitation and/or run-off). In light of recent studies, the paradigm that desert soil microorganisms are largely dormant under xeric conditions is questionable. Gene expression profiling of microbial communities in desert soils suggests that many microbial taxa retain some metabolic functionality, even under severely xeric conditions. It, therefore, follows that other, less obvious sources of water may sustain the microbial cellular and community functionality in desert soil niches. Such sources include a range of precipitation and condensation processes, including rainfall, snow, dew, fog, and nocturnal distillation, all of which may vary quantitatively depending on the location and geomorphological characteristics of the desert ecosystem. Other more obscure sources of bioavailable water may include groundwater-derived water vapour, hydrated minerals, and metabolic hydro-genesis. Here, we explore the possible sources of bioavailable water in the context of microbial survival and function in xeric desert soils. With global climate change projected to have profound effects on both hot and cold deserts, we also explore the potential impacts of climate-induced changes in water availability on soil microbiomes in these extreme environments. DA - 2023-06-27 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town IS - 7 J1 - Microorganisms KW - anhydrobiosis KW - desert soils KW - hyper-arid KW - microbiomes KW - desiccation KW - xerophily KW - moisture stress KW - water activity KW - water availability LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2023 T1 - ‘Follow the Water’: Microbial Water Acquisition in Desert Soils TI - ‘Follow the Water’: Microbial Water Acquisition in Desert Soils UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38220 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/38220
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationCowan DA, Cary S Craig, DiRuggiero J, Eckardt F, Ferrari B, Hopkins David W, et al. ‘Follow the Water’: Microbial Water Acquisition in Desert Soils. Microorganisms. 2023;11(7):1670. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38220.en_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Environmental and Geographical Science
dc.publisher.facultyScience
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.sourceMicroorganismsen_US
dc.source.journalissue7en_US
dc.source.journalvolume11en_US
dc.source.pagination1670en_US
dc.source.urihttps://www.mdpi.com/journal/microorganisms
dc.subjectanhydrobiosisen_US
dc.subjectdesert soilsen_US
dc.subjecthyper-ariden_US
dc.subjectmicrobiomesen_US
dc.subjectdesiccationen_US
dc.subjectxerophilyen_US
dc.subjectmoisture stressen_US
dc.subjectwater activityen_US
dc.subjectwater availabilityen_US
dc.title‘Follow the Water’: Microbial Water Acquisition in Desert Soilsen_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
microorganisms-11-01670.pdf
Size:
1.54 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
0 B
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Journal Articles