02367nas a2200289   4500008004100000245011400041210006900155260001200224300001400236490000600250520147700256653001501733653002201748653002201770653001001792100002601802700002401828700002701852700002101879700001801900700001701918700002001935700001701955700001701972700002401989856006402013       2022                        eng d00aElevational constraints on the composition and genomic attributes of microbial communities in Antarctic soils0 aElevational constraints on the composition and genomic attribute  c01/2022  ae01330-210 v73 a<p>The inland soils found on the Antarctic continent represent one of the more challenging environments for microbial life on Earth. Nevertheless, Antarctic soils harbor unique bacterial and archaeal (prokaryotic) communities able to cope with extremely cold and dry conditions. These communities are not homogeneous, and the taxonomic composition and functional capabilities (genomic attributes) of these communities across environmental gradients remain largely undetermined. We analyzed the prokaryotic communities in soil samples collected from across the Shackleton Glacier region of Antarctica by coupling quantitative PCR, marker gene amplicon sequencing, and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. We found that elevation was the dominant factor explaining differences in the structures of the soil prokaryotic communities, with the drier and saltier soils found at higher elevations harboring less diverse communities and unique assemblages of cooccurring taxa. The higher-elevation soil communities also had lower maximum potential growth rates (as inferred from metagenome-based estimates of codon usage bias) and an overrepresentation of genes associated with trace gas metabolism. Together, these results highlight the utility of assessing community shifts across pronounced environmental gradients to improve our understanding of the microbial diversity found in Antarctic soils and the strategies used by soil microbes to persist at the limits of habitability.</p>10aAntarctica10amicrobial ecology10asoil microbiology10asoils1 aDragone, Nicholas, B.1 aHenley, Jessica, B.1 aHolland-Moritz, Hannah1 aDiaz, Melisa, A.1 aHogg, Ian, D.1 aLyons, Berry1 aWall, Diana, H.1 aAdams, Byron1 aFierer, Noah1 aMackelprang, Rachel  uhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/msystems.01330-2102038nas a2200205   4500008004100000245010100041210006900142260001200211520136000223653001501583653001801598653002201616653001701638653001301655653002201668100002501690700001901715700001701734856008101751       2020                        eng d00aShotgun metagenomics reveal a diverse assemblage of protists in a model Antarctic soil ecosystem0 aShotgun metagenomics reveal a diverse assemblage of protists in   c08/20203 a<p>The soils of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica are established models for understanding fundamental processes in soil ecosystem functioning (e.g. ecological tipping points, community structuring, and nutrient cycling) because the extreme physical environment drastically reduces biodiversity and ecological complexity. Understanding the functioning of MDV soils requires in‐depth knowledge of the diversity of MDV soil species. Protists, which contribute significantly to soil ecosystem functioning worldwide, remain poorly characterized in the MDV. To better assess the diversity of MDV protists, we performed shotgun metagenomics on 18 sites representing a variety of landscape features and edaphic variables. Our results show MDV soil protists are diverse at both the genus (155 of 281 eukaryote genera) and family (120) levels, but comprise only 6% of eukaryotic reads. Protists are structured by moisture, total N, and distance from the local coast, and possess limited richness in arid (&lt;5% moisture) and at high elevation sites, known drivers of communities in the MDV. High relative diversity and broad distribution of protists in our study promotes these organisms as key members of MDV soil microbiomes and the MDV as a useful system for understanding the contribution of soil protists to the structure of soil microbiomes.</p>10aAntarctica10aextremophiles10afunctional groups10ametagenomics10aprotozoa10asoil microbiology1 aThompson, Andrew, R.1 aGeisen, Stefan1 aAdams, Byron  uhttps://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1462-2920.15198