Hans-Werner Breiner

Multiple marker parallel tag environmental DNA sequencing reveals a highly complex eukaryotic community in marine anoxic water

Sequencing of ribosomal DNA clone libraries amplified from environmental DNA has revolutionized our understanding of microbial eukaryote diversity and ecology. The results of these analyses have shown that protist groups are far more genetically heterogeneous than their morphological diversity suggests. However, the clone library approach is labour‐intensive, relatively expensive, and methodologically biased. Therefore, even the most intensive rDNA library analyses have recovered only small samples of much larger assemblages, indicating that global environments harbour a vast array of unexplored biodiversity. High‐throughput parallel tag 454 sequencing offers an unprecedented scale of sampling for molecular detection of microbial diversity. Here, we report a 454 protocol for sampling and characterizing assemblages of eukaryote microbes. We use this approach to sequence two SSU rDNA diversity markers—the variable V4 and V9 regions—from 10 L of anoxic Norwegian fjord water. We identified 38 116 V4 and 15 156 V9 unique sequences. Both markers detect a wide range of taxonomic groups but in both cases the diversity detected was dominated by dinoflagellates and close relatives. Long‐tailed rank abundance curves suggest that the 454 sequencing approach provides improved access to rare genotypes. Most tags detected represent genotypes not currently in GenBank, although many are similar to database sequences. We suggest that current understanding of the ecological complexity of protist communities, genetic diversity, and global species richness are severely limited by the sequence data hitherto available, and we discuss the biological significance of this high amplicon diversity.

Microeukaryote Community Patterns along an O2/H2S Gradient in a Supersulfidic Anoxic Fjord (Framvaren, Norway)

ABSTRACT To resolve the fine-scale architecture of anoxic protistan communities, we conducted a cultivation-independent 18S rRNA survey in the superanoxic Framvaren Fjord in Norway. We generated three clone libraries along the steep O2/H2S gradient, using the multiple-primer approach. Of 1,100 clones analyzed, 753 proved to be high-quality protistan target sequences. These sequences were grouped into 92 phylotypes, which displayed high protistan diversity in the fjord (17 major eukaryotic phyla). Only a few were closely related to known taxa. Several sequences were dissimilar to all previously described sequences and occupied a basal position in the inferred phylogenies, suggesting that the sequences recovered were derived from novel, deeply divergent eukaryotes. We detected sequence clades with evolutionary importance (for example, clades in the euglenozoa) and clades that seem to be specifically adapted to anoxic environments, challenging the hypothesis that the global dispersal of protists is uniform. Moreover, with the detection of clones affiliated with jakobid flagellates, we present evidence that primitive descendants of early eukaryotes are present in this anoxic environment. To estimate sample coverage and phylotype richness, we used parametric and nonparametric statistical methods. The results show that although our data set is one of the largest published inventories, our sample missed a substantial proportion of the protistan diversity. Nevertheless, statistical and phylogenetic analyses of the three libraries revealed the fine-scale architecture of anoxic protistan communities, which may exhibit adaptation to different environmental conditions along the O2/H2S gradient.

A Molecular Approach to Identify Active Microbes in Environmental Eukaryote Clone Libraries

A rapid method for the simultaneous extraction of RNA and DNA from eukaryote plankton samples was developed in order to discriminate between indigenous active cells and signals from inactive or even dead organisms. The method was tested using samples from below the chemocline of an anoxic Danish fjord. The simple protocol yielded RNA and DNA of a purity suitable for amplification by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and PCR, respectively. We constructed an rRNA-derived and an rDNA-derived clone library to assess the composition of the microeukaryote assemblage under study and to identify physiologically active constituents of the community. We retrieved nearly 600 protistan target clones, which grouped into 84 different phylotypes (98% sequence similarity). Of these phylotypes, 27% occurred in both libraries, 25% exclusively in the rRNA library, and 48% exclusively in the rDNA library. Both libraries revealed good correspondence of the general community composition in terms of higher taxonomic ranks. They were dominated by anaerobic ciliates and heterotrophic stramenopile flagellates thriving below the fjord’s chemocline. The high abundance of these bacterivore organisms points out their role as a major trophic link in anoxic marine systems. A comparison of the two libraries identified phototrophic dinoflagellates, “uncultured marine alveolates group I,” and different parasites, which were exclusively detected with the rDNA-derived library, as nonindigenous members of the anoxic microeukaryote community under study.

A morphogenetic survey on ciliate plankton from a mountain lake pinpoints the necessity of lineage-specific barcode markers in microbial ecology

Analyses of high-throughput environmental sequencing data have become the ‘gold-standard’ to address fundamental questions of microbial diversity, ecology and biogeography. Findings that emerged from sequencing are, e.g. the discovery of the extensive ‘rare microbial biosphere’ and its potential function as a seed-bank. Even though applied since several years, results from high-throughput environmental sequencing have hardly been validated. We assessed how well pyrosequenced amplicons [the hypervariable eukaryotic V4 region of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene] reflected morphotype ciliate plankton. Moreover, we assessed if amplicon sequencing had the potential to detect the annual ciliate plankton stock. In both cases, we identified significant quantitative and qualitative differences. Our study makes evident that taxon abundance distributions inferred from amplicon data are highly biased and do not mirror actual morphotype abundances at all. Potential reasons included cell losses after fixation, cryptic morphotypes, resting stages, insufficient sequence data availability of morphologically described species and the unsatisfying resolution of the V4 SSU rRNA fragment for accurate taxonomic assignments. The latter two underline the necessity of barcoding initiatives for eukaryotic microbes to better and fully exploit environmental amplicon data sets, which then will also allow studying the potential of seed-bank taxa as a buffer for environmental changes.

Evidence for isolated evolution of deep-sea ciliate communities through geological separation and environmental selection

BackgroundDeep hypersaline anoxic basins (DHABs) are isolated habitats at the bottom of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, which originate from the ancient dissolution of Messinian evaporites. The different basins have recruited their original biota from the same source, but their geological evolution eventually constituted sharp environmental barriers, restricting genetic exchange between the individual basins. Therefore, DHABs are unique model systems to assess the effect of geological events and environmental conditions on the evolution and diversification of protistan plankton. Here, we examine evidence for isolated evolution of unicellular eukaryote protistan plankton communities driven by geological separation and environmental selection. We specifically focused on ciliated protists as a major component of protistan DHAB plankton by pyrosequencing the hypervariable V4 fragment of the small subunit ribosomal RNA. Geospatial distributions and responses of marine ciliates to differential hydrochemistries suggest strong physical and chemical barriers to dispersal that influence the evolution of this plankton group.ResultsCiliate communities in the brines of four investigated DHABs are distinctively different from ciliate communities in the interfaces (haloclines) immediately above the brines. While the interface ciliate communities from different sites are relatively similar to each other, the brine ciliate communities are significantly different between sites. We found no distance-decay relationship, and canonical correspondence analyses identified oxygen and sodium as most important hydrochemical parameters explaining the partitioning of diversity between interface and brine ciliate communities. However, none of the analyzed hydrochemical parameters explained the significant differences between brine ciliate communities in different basins.ConclusionsOur data indicate a frequent genetic exchange in the deep-sea water above the brines. The “isolated island character” of the different brines, that resulted from geological events and contemporary environmental conditions, create selective pressures driving evolutionary processes, and with time, lead to speciation and shape protistan community composition. We conclude that community assembly in DHABs is a mixture of isolated evolution (as evidenced by small changes in V4 primary structure in some taxa) and species sorting (as indicated by the regional absence/presence of individual taxon groups on high levels in taxonomic hierarchy).

Diversity and endemism of ciliates inhabiting Neotropical phytotelmata

While the diversity and distribution of macro-organisms living in phytotelmata (plant-container habitats) is well known, detailed taxonomic work on micro-organisms living in the same environments is limited. As a model clade of microbial eukaryotes, sampling of ciliates in Neotropical bromeliad tanks increased, and Neotropical phytotelmata such as bamboo stumps and tree holes were newly sampled. Thirty-three isolates from Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico were sequenced for small subunit rDNA, and placed into a phylogenetic context using non-phytotelmata GenBank accessions. This and the morphological investigations discovered 45 undescribed, possibly endemic ciliate species. The potential endemics are from throughout most clades of the ciliate tree of life, and there is evidence of speciation within the Neotropical phytotelmata habitat. Our data show the number of potential Neotropical phytotelmata-endemic ciliate species increasing as more phytotelmata are sampled. While the new data show that the supposed endemics are mainly recruited from moss and ephemeral limnetic habitats, the bromeliad ciliate fauna is quite distinct from those of other limnetic habitats, lacking many typical and common freshwater genera, such as Coleps, Colpidium, Frontonia, Paramecium, Glaucoma, Nassula, Stylonychia and Trithigmostoma. There is no indication that specific ciliates are confined to specific bromeliads.

The chaos prevails: molecular phylogeny of the Haptoria (Ciliophora, Litostomatea).

The Haptoria are free-living predatory ciliates living in terrestrial and aquatic habitats all around the world. They belong to a highly diverse class, Litostomatea, whose morphological and molecular classifications harmonize poorly since both approaches produce rather different frameworks. In the present study, we analyzed the genealogy of the litostomateans, including eight new haptorian 18S rRNA gene sequences. Apart from traditional tree-building methods, we also applied phylogenetic networks, split spectrum analysis and quartet likelihood mapping to assess the information content of alignments. These analyses show that: (1) there are several strongly supported monophyletic litostomatean lineages--Rhynchostomatia, Trichostomatia, Haptorida, Lacrymariida, Pleurostomatida, and Didiniida; (2) the Rhynchostomatia are the best candidates for a basal litostomatean group; (3) sister relationship of the Trichostomatia and Haptoria is very likely, which well corroborates the traditional morphology-based classifications; (4) molecular phylogeny of the order Spathidiida is only poorly resolved very likely due to one or several rapid radiation events or due to the incomplete lineage sorting at the rRNA locus; and (5) the basal position of the genera Chaenea and Trachelotractus in molecular trees and phylogenetic networks is very likely a result of class III long-branch effects.

High diversity of protistan plankton communities in remote high mountain lakes in the European Alps and the Himalayan mountains.

We analyzed the genetic diversity (V4 region of the 18S rRNA) of planktonic microbial eukaryotes in four high mountain lakes including two remote biogeographic regions (the Himalayan mountains and the European Alps) and distinct habitat types (clear and glacier-fed turbid lakes). The recorded high genetic diversity in these lakes was far beyond of what is described from high mountain lake plankton. In total, we detected representatives from 66 families with the main taxon groups being Alveolata (55.0% OTUs97%, operational taxonomic units), Stramenopiles (34.0% OTUs97%), Cryptophyta (4.0% OTUs97%), Chloroplastida (3.6% OTUs97%) and Fungi (1.7% OTUs97%). Centrohelida, Choanomonada, Rhizaria, Katablepharidae and Telonema were represented by <1% OTUs97%. Himalayan lakes harbored a higher plankton diversity compared to the Alpine lakes (Shannon index). Community structures were significantly different between lake types and biogeographic regions (Fisher exact test, P < 0.01). Network analysis revealed that more families of the Chloroplastida (10 vs 5) and the Stramenopiles (14 vs 8) were found in the Himalayan lakes than in the Alpine lakes and none of the fungal families was shared between them. Biogeographic aspects as well as ecological factors such as water turbidity may structure the microbial eukaryote plankton communities in such remote lakes.

The Toxic Symbiont Caedibacter caryophila in the Cytoplasm of Paramecium novaurelia.

Endosymbiotic bacteria were observed to inhabit the cytoplasm of the freshwater ciliateParamecium novaurelia. Transmission electron microscopy and toxicity tests with sensitive paramecia showed that the endosymbionts belong to the genusCaedibacter. The bacteria conferred a killer trait to their host paramecia. The production of a proteinaceous inclusion body (“R-body”) in the bacterial cell makes them toxic to other paramecia after they become enclosed in food vacuoles. R-bodies ofCaedibacter sp were associated with phages, which are known in most otherCaedibacter species to code for the R-body proteins. The killer-effect ofP. novaurelia on sensitiveP. caudatum strains was of the “paralysis” type, which is a characteristic of the symbiont speciesCaedibacter caryophila. Until nowC. caryophila was known to inhabit the macronucleus ofParamecium caudatum only. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA-gene proved thatCaedibacter sp from the cytoplasm ofP. novaurelia belongs to the speciesC. caryophila as well. The rDNA-sequence of 1695 bp length differed in a total of only 1 bp from the corresponding gene inC. caryophila from the macronucleus ofP. caudatum. The results indicate that the infection of specific host cell compartments may depend on host genes, but not on different traits of the infecting symbiont species. The occurrence of killer and sensitive paramecia strains together in one pond is discussed with respect to the competitive advantage of the killer trait.

Living at the Limits: Evidence for Microbial Eukaryotes Thriving under Pressure in Deep Anoxic, Hypersaline Habitats

The advent of molecular tools in microbial ecology paved the way to exploit the diversity of microbes in extreme environments. Here, we review these tools as applied in one of the most polyextreme habitats known on our planet, namely, deep hypersaline anoxic basins (DHABs), located at ca. 3000–3500 m depth in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Molecular gene signatures amplified from environmental DHAB samples identified a high degree of genetic novelty, as well as distinct communities in the DHABs. Canonical correspondence analyses provided strong evidence that salinity, ion composition, and anoxia were the strongest selection factors shaping protistan community structures, largely preventing cross-colonization among the individual basins. Thus, each investigated basin represents a unique habitat (“isolated islands of evolution”), making DHABs ideal model sites to test evolutionary hypotheses. Fluorescence in situ hybridization assays using specifically designed probes revealed that the obtained genetic signatures indeed originated from indigenous polyextremophiles. Electron microscopy imaging revealed unknown ciliates densely covered with prokaryote ectosymbionts, which may enable adaptations of eukaryotes to DHAB conditions. The research reviewed here significantly advanced our knowledge on polyextremophile eukaryotes, which are excellent models for a number of biological research areas, including ecology, diversity, biotechnology, evolutionary research, physiology, and astrobiology.