Distinctive prokaryotic microbiomes in sympatric plant roots from a Yucatan cenote

Abstract

Objective Cenotes are flooded caves in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. Many cenotes are interconnected in an underground network of pools and streams forming a vast belowground aquifer across most of the peninsula. Many plants in the peninsula grow roots that reach the cenotes water and live submerged in conditions similar to hydroponics. Our objective was to study the microbial community associated with these submerged roots of the Sac Actun cenote. We accomplished this objective by profiling the root prokaryotic community using 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing. Results We identified plant species by DNA barcoding the total genomic DNA of each root. We found a distinctive composition of the root and water bacterial and archaeal communities. Prokaryotic diversity was higher in all plant roots than in the surrounding freshwater, suggesting that plants in the cenotes may attract and select microorganisms from soil and freshwater, and may also harbor vertically transmitted lineages. The reported data are of interest for studies targeting biodiversity in general and root-microbial ecological interactions specifically.

Diversity and bioprospection of Gram-positive bacteria derived from a Mayan sinkhole

“…Previous studies of bacterial diversity in cenotes have reported a majority of Gram-negative isolates (80-90%) [4,29]. However, among Gram-positive bacteria, the two most abundant phyla found by Escobar-Zepeda [29] were Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, in the water and plant roots of a coastal cenote, similar than in our ndings from Pol-Ac sediments.…”

“…Previous studies of bacterial diversity in cenotes have reported a majority of Gram-negative isolates (80-90%) [4,29]. However, among Gram-positive bacteria, the two most abundant phyla found by Escobar-Zepeda [29] were Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, in the water and plant roots of a coastal cenote, similar than in our ndings from Pol-Ac sediments. Indeed, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, found ubiquitously in soil and water ecosystems, actively contribute to the maintenance of ecological balance by e ciently degrading both organic and inorganic matter in their surroundings [59][60][61].…”

Diversity and Bioprospection of Gram-positive Bacteria Derived from a Mayan Sinkhole

“…Previous studies of bacterial diversity in cenotes have reported a majority of Gram-negative isolates (80–90%) [ 4 , 29 ]. However, among Gram-positive bacteria, the two most abundant phyla found by Escobar-Zepeda [ 29 ] were Bacillota and Actinomycetota, in the water and plant roots of a coastal cenote, similar than in our findings from Pol-Ac sediments.…”

“…Previous studies of bacterial diversity in cenotes have reported a majority of Gram-negative isolates (80–90%) [ 4 , 29 ]. However, among Gram-positive bacteria, the two most abundant phyla found by Escobar-Zepeda [ 29 ] were Bacillota and Actinomycetota, in the water and plant roots of a coastal cenote, similar than in our findings from Pol-Ac sediments. Indeed, Bacillota and Actinomycetota, found ubiquitously in soil and water ecosystems, actively contribute to the maintenance of ecological balance by efficiently degrading both organic and inorganic matter in their surroundings [ 59 – 61 ].…”

“…Despite exploration of bacterial communities from the underground river in Yucatán and its cenotes [ 29 – 31 ], there is little information on their biotechnological potential. By 2020, only 18 of the > 7000 mapped cenotes [ 1 ] had been assessed for their cultivable microbial diversity [ 3 ], and microorganisms from only six had been assessed for their biotechnological potential [ 3 ]; most studies have focused on inland cenotes, whereas the present study concerns a coastal cenote, Pol-Ac, with the aim of characterizing 49 Gram-positive bacteria isolated from sediment samples.…”