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Environmental gradients and conservation status determine the structure and carbon-related metabolic potential of the prokaryotic communities of Mediterranean inland saline shallow lakes
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  • Javier Miralles-Lorenzo,
  • Antonio Picazo,
  • Carlos Rochera,
  • Daniel Morant,
  • Emilio Casamayor,
  • Mateu Menendez-Serra,
  • Antonio Camacho
Javier Miralles-Lorenzo
Universitat de Valencia Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva
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Antonio Picazo
Universitat de Valencia Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva
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Carlos Rochera
Universitat de Valencia Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva
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Daniel Morant
Universitat de Valencia Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva
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Emilio Casamayor
Centre d'Estudis Avancats de Blanes
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Mateu Menendez-Serra
Centre d'Estudis Avancats de Blanes
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Antonio Camacho
Universitat de Valencia Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Mediterranean inland saline lakes may play an important role in the carbon cycle due to the metabolic capacities of their prokaryotic communities. However, these lakes are not homogeneous and have different environmental characteristics. In this work, the structure and function of the prokaryotic communities inhabiting water and sediments of 15 Mediterranean inland saline shallow lakes have been studied. These lakes are grouped in categories according to their salinity, conservation statuses and alterations, which determine the structuration of the prokaryotic communities and their carbon-related metabolisms. Each salinity category and conservation status showed characteristic prokaryotic taxa. Relative abundance of methanogenic archaea tended to increase along the salinity gradient, but this did not result into increased methane emissions. The relationship between metabolic rates and the predicted abundance of their marker genes depended on the type of metabolism. Archaea played a relevant role in the organisation of interactions between community members and were markers of good conservation status. Water communities were shaped by the salinity gradient, conservation status and seasonality, while sediment communities were mostly determined by the salinity gradient. This work highlights the importance of combining molecular studies with in situ metabolic measurements to better understand carbon fluxes in inland saline aquatic ecosystems.
20 Sep 2024Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
21 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
21 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
26 Sep 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned