Cesar A. Pérez-Fernández

Universidad Privada Boliviana

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Jocelyne DiRuggiero

Johns Hopkins University

Gary A. Toranzos

University of Puerto Rico System

Bayleigh Murray

Johns Hopkins University

Gaozhong Shen

Pennsylvania State University

Mercedes Iriarte

University of San Simón

Nathan T. Soulier

Pennsylvania State University

Jessica C. Rivera

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans

Emine Ertekin

Boğaziçi University

Paul Wilburn

ZSX Medical (United States)

Alfonso F. Dávila

Ames Research Center

Cooperative Institutions

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies

Johns Hopkins University

Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies

Università degli Studi della Tuscia

University of Alicante

Universitat de les Illes Balears

Pennsylvania State University

University of San Simón

University of California, Irvine

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Microbiota dispersion in the Uyuni salt flat (Bolivia) as determined by community structure analyses

International Microbiology (2019)

Cesar A. Pérez-Fernández Mercedes Iriarte Jessica C. Rivera Raymond L. Tremblay Gary A. Toranzos

Halite

Salt pan

10.1007/s10123-018-00052-2

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Citations (6)

Adaptation of Cyanobacteria to the Endolithic Light Spectrum in Hyper-Arid Deserts

Microorganisms (2022)

Bayleigh Murray Emine Ertekin Micah Dailey Nathan T. Soulier Gaozhong Shen

In hyper-arid deserts, endolithic microbial communities survive in the pore spaces and cracks of rocks, an environment that enhances water retention and filters UV radiation. The rock colonization zone is enriched in far-red light (FRL) and depleted in visible light. This poses a challenge to cyanobacteria, which are the primary producers of endolithic communities. Many species of cyanobacteria are capable of Far-Red-Light Photoacclimation (FaRLiP), a process in which FRL induces the synthesis of specialized chlorophylls and remodeling of the photosynthetic apparatus, providing the ability to grow in FRL. While FaRLiP has been reported in cyanobacteria from various low-light environments, our understanding of light adaptations for endolithic cyanobacteria remains limited. Here, we demonstrated that endolithic Chroococcidiopsis isolates from deserts around the world synthesize chlorophyll f, an FRL-specialized chlorophyll when FRL is the sole light source. The metagenome-assembled genomes of these isolates encoded chlorophyll f synthase and all the genes required to implement the FaRLiP response. We also present evidence of FRL-induced changes to the major light-harvesting complexes of a Chroococcidiopsis isolate. These findings indicate that endolithic cyanobacteria from hyper-arid deserts use FRL photoacclimation as an adaptation to the unique light transmission spectrum of their rocky habitat.

10.3390/microorganisms10061198

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Citations (12)

Adaptations of endolithic communities to abrupt environmental changes in a hyper-arid desert

Scientific Reports (2022)

Cesar A. Pérez-Fernández Paul Wilburn Alfonso F. Dávila Jocelyne DiRuggiero

Abstract The adaptation mechanisms of microbial communities to natural perturbations remain unexplored, particularly in extreme environments. The extremophilic communities of halite (NaCl) nodules from the hyper-arid core of the Atacama Desert are self-sustained and represent a unique opportunity to study functional adaptations and community dynamics with changing environmental conditions. We transplanted halite nodules to different sites in the desert and investigated how their taxonomic, cellular, and biochemical changes correlated with water availability, using environmental data modeling and metagenomic analyses. Salt-in strategists, mainly represented by haloarchaea, significantly increased in relative abundance at sites characterized by extreme dryness, multiple wet/dry cycles, and colder conditions. The functional analysis of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) revealed site-specific enrichments in archaeal MAGs encoding for the uptake of various compatible solutes and for glycerol utilization. These findings suggest that opportunistic salt-in strategists took over the halite communities at the driest sites. They most likely benefited from compounds newly released in the environment by the death of microorganisms least adapted to the new conditions. The observed changes were consistent with the need to maximize cellular bioenergetics when confronted with lower water availability and higher salinity, providing valuable information on microbial community adaptations and resilience to climate change.

Desert (philosophy)

Desert climate

10.1038/s41598-022-23437-w

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First insight into microbial diversity and ion concentration in the Uyuni salt flat, Bolivia

Caribbean Journal of Science (2016)

Cesar A. Pérez-Fernández Mercedes Iriarte Wilber Hinojosa-Delgadillo Andrea Veizaga-Salinas Raúl J. Cano

The most important hypersaline environment in Bolivia is the Uyuni salt flat. It is the largest salt flat in the world and, it presents certain unique chemical characteristics and composition on its surface such as a gradient of ion concentrations from south to north. The autochthonous microbial communities in these salt flats have yet to be studied in detail, and it is not clear if these communities are somehow homogeneous across in the ca. 10,000 km2 flat. The present study was done in order to describe the structure of the microbial communities and determine any possible correlations with abiotic factors. Total DNA was extracted from rock salt samples obtained at different locations, and 16S rDNA followed by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) analyses. Statistical analyses of the communities indicated that the highest diversity indices were found in the southern area, and the microbial communities were clustered in three groups for bacteria and in two groups for archaea. This variation could be explained by different concentrations of lithium and calcium, in addition to other abiotic variables on the surface crust. Our results indicate that even under extreme hypersaline conditions abiotic factors such as wind or geological activity may determine the composition of the resident microbiota.

10.18475/cjos.v49i1.a6

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Biogeographical patterns of bacterial and archaeal communities from distant hypersaline environments

Systematic and Applied Microbiology (2017)

Merit del Rocío Mora-Ruiz Ana Cifuentes Francisca Font-Verdera Cesar A. Pérez-Fernández Marı́a Eugenia Farı́as

10.1016/j.syapm.2017.10.006

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Citations (51)

Dryland microbiomes reveal community adaptations to desertification and climate change

The ISME Journal (2024)

Claudia Coleine Manuel Delgado‐Baquerizo Jocelyne DiRuggiero Emilio Guirado Antoine Harfouche

Abstract Drylands account for 45% of the Earth’s land area, supporting ~40% of the global population. These regions support some of the most extreme environments on Earth, characterized by extreme temperatures, low and variable rainfall, and low soil fertility. In these biomes, microorganisms provide vital ecosystem services and have evolved distinctive adaptation strategies to endure and flourish in the extreme. However, dryland microbiomes and the ecosystem services they provide are under threat due to intensifying desertification and climate change. In this review, we provide a synthesis of our current understanding of microbial life in drylands, emphasizing the remarkable diversity and adaptations of these communities. We then discuss anthropogenic threats, including the influence of climate change on dryland microbiomes and outline current knowledge gaps. Finally, we propose research priorities to address those gaps and safeguard the sustainability of these fragile biomes.

Desertification

10.1093/ismejo/wrae056

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Iron acquisition and mineral transformation by cyanobacteria living in extreme environments

Materials Today Bio (2022)

Wei Huang Taifeng Wang Cesar A. Pérez-Fernández Jocelyne DiRuggiero David Kisailus

10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100493

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Citations (5)

ESTUDIO DE CASO DE LA LAGUNA ALALAY, BOLIVIA: TRECE AÑOS DE DINAMICA AMBIENTAL EN UNA LAGUNA EUTROFIZADA

Revista AIDIS de Ingeniería y Ciencias Ambientales Investigación desarrollo y práctica (2020)

Cesar A. Pérez-Fernández Ana Maria Romero Jaldin Rosario Montaño Mérida Gary A. Toranzos

<p>Las actividades humanas ocasionan profundas alteraciones en los ecosistemas acuáticos resultando en lagunas eutrofizadas, afloramientos algales, mortandad masiva de peces, y pérdida de recursos hidrológicos. En la Laguna Alalay de la ciudad de Cochabamba, Bolivia se registraron los eventos mencionados durante el año 2016 por lo que presentamos un estudio de su caso con el objetivo de detectar cambios en distintos parámetros ambientales durante los últimos años. El estudio se hizo mediante el análisis descriptivo de distintos parámetros fisicoquímicos correspondientes al periodo 2003-2016. A pesar de no contar con datos provenientes de un monitoreo constante, nuestros resultados muestran que Alalay se mantuvo con niveles altos de fósforo y nitrógeno, y bajos niveles de oxígeno disuelto a pesar de las variaciones estacionales y cambios en la precipitación de la región. Esto sugiere que la laguna recibe un aporte constante de nutrientes provenientes, posiblemente, del Rio Rocha, y de otras fuentes de agua residual cruda haciendo que los afloramientos algales sean un problema latente. El pH alcalino del agua y el aparente aumento en conductividad, desencadenaron en un afloramiento de cianobacterias con un concomitante incremento en la materia orgánica y la muerte de la fauna habitante del lugar. Conociendo este escenario recomendamos el monitoreo ambiental constante, el tratamiento del flujo de aguas residuales (usando métodos de bajo costo) y la inclusión de la comunidad adyacente en la solución del problema como actividades críticas para la restauración de la laguna. Sugerimos el uso de este tipo de abordaje cuando los datos de monitoreo están incompletos.</p>

10.22201/iingen.0718378xe.2020.13.3.68194

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Adaptation of cyanobacteria to the endolithic light spectrum in hyper-arid deserts

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2022)

Bayleigh Murray Emine Ertekin Micah Dailey Nathan T. Soulier Gaozhong Shen

Abstract In hyper-arid deserts, endolithic microbial communities survive in the pore spaces and cracks of rocks, an environment that enhances water retention and filters UV radiation. The rock colonization zone is enriched in far-red light (FRL) and depleted in visible light. This poses a challenge to cyanobacteria, which are the primary producers of endolithic communities. Many species of cyanobacteria are capable of Far-Red Light Photoacclimation (FaRLiP), a process in which FRL induces the synthesis of specialized chlorophylls and remodeling of the photosynthetic apparatus, providing the ability to grow in FRL. While FaRLiP has been reported in cyanobacteria from various low-light environments, our understanding of light adaptations for endolithic cyanobacteria remains limited. Here, we demonstrated that endolithic Chroococidiopsis isolates from deserts around the world synthesize chlorophyll f , an FRL-specialized chlorophyll when FRL is the sole light source. The metagenome-assembled genomes of these isolates encoded chlorophyll f synthase and all the genes required to implement the FaRLiP response. We also present evidence of FRL-induced changes to the major light-harvesting complexes of a Chroococidiopsis isolate. These findings indicate that endolithic cyanobacteria from hyper-arid deserts use FRL photo-acclimation as an adaptation to the unique light transmission spectrum of their rocky habitat.

10.1101/2022.05.24.493334

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Citations (2)

Experiments on the Survivability of Extremophiles

Lily Zhao Cesar A. Pérez-Fernández Jocelyne DiRuggiero K.T. Ramesh

Abstract The ability of terrestrial microorganisms to survive extreme conditions is an important consideration for developing and determining mission criteria, especially for future sample return missions. Of the numerous extreme conditions in space, the effect of impact is an important one for planetary protection. Impacts are complex phenomena with conditions that vary widely but typically involve high stresses sustained for short times. We aim to adapt the pressure-shear plate impact experiment to investigate how impact stresses affect the survival of microorganisms (in particular, extremophiles). Experiments are underway on Deinococcus radiodurans to validate the experimental design and establish testing protocols for such extremophiles.

Survivability

Extremophile

10.1115/hvis2022-63

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