Bacterial communities as bioindicators of climate change in freshwater ecosystems: Tank bromeliads as model systems
Climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and extreme weather events, threatens tropical freshwater ecosystems. However, despite their global relevance, research on the effects of climate change on tropical environments remains scarce. Tank bromeliads, functioning as natural microcosms, o...
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000901 |
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| author | Daniel Di Pace Soares Penna Gustavo Quevedo Romero Mark P. Nessel Angélica L. González Valéria Maia Oliveira |
| author_facet | Daniel Di Pace Soares Penna Gustavo Quevedo Romero Mark P. Nessel Angélica L. González Valéria Maia Oliveira |
| author_sort | Daniel Di Pace Soares Penna |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and extreme weather events, threatens tropical freshwater ecosystems. However, despite their global relevance, research on the effects of climate change on tropical environments remains scarce. Tank bromeliads, functioning as natural microcosms, offer a valuable model for studying tropical ecosystems. These plants host complex communities, including microorganisms, which may serve as bioindicators of climate change due to their adaptability and ubiquity. This study used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to examine bacterial communities in bromeliads along a latitudinal gradient on the Brazilian coast, using a space-for-time substitution approach. The analysis of water and sediment samples from 60 bromeliads across 10 sites revealed the phyla Pseudomonadota, Acidobacteriota, and Bacillota as the predominant members. Alpha diversity metrics were positively correlated with latitude and negatively with atmospheric temperature, while dbRDA and Mantel tests identified atmospheric temperature and pH as key factors influencing bacterial communities. The study showed that deterministic processes shaped community assembly; however higher temperatures led to stochastic processes, altering bacterial composition. Network analysis revealed that rare species were key connectors in highly interconnected modules, suggesting resilience in the face of environmental changes. However, the vulnerability of these rare species to stochastic processes raises concerns about community stability under climate change. This study provides the first detailed characterization of bacterial communities and co-occurrence networks in tank bromeliads, supporting their use as model systems for monitoring the impacts of climate change on tropical freshwater ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a1eb750bf7c649e49fe7e1b837e0b021 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-a1eb750bf7c649e49fe7e1b837e0b0212025-02-02T05:26:56ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-02-01171113161Bacterial communities as bioindicators of climate change in freshwater ecosystems: Tank bromeliads as model systemsDaniel Di Pace Soares Penna0Gustavo Quevedo Romero1Mark P. Nessel2Angélica L. González3Valéria Maia Oliveira4Divisão de Recursos Microbianos, Centro Pluridisciplinar de Pesquisas Químicas, Biológicas E Agrícolas (CPQBA), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Paulínia, SP CEP 13148-218, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação de Genética E Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP CEP 13083-970, Brazil; Corresponding authors at: Divisão de Recursos Microbianos, Centro Pluridisciplinar de Pesquisas Químicas, Biológicas E Agrícolas (CPQBA), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Paulínia, SP CEP 13148-218, Brazil.Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, Campinas, São Paulo 13083-862, BrazilDepartment of Natural Resource Ecology & Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USADepartment of Biology and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University, Camden 08103, USADivisão de Recursos Microbianos, Centro Pluridisciplinar de Pesquisas Químicas, Biológicas E Agrícolas (CPQBA), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Paulínia, SP CEP 13148-218, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação de Genética E Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP CEP 13083-970, Brazil; Corresponding authors at: Divisão de Recursos Microbianos, Centro Pluridisciplinar de Pesquisas Químicas, Biológicas E Agrícolas (CPQBA), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Paulínia, SP CEP 13148-218, Brazil.Climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and extreme weather events, threatens tropical freshwater ecosystems. However, despite their global relevance, research on the effects of climate change on tropical environments remains scarce. Tank bromeliads, functioning as natural microcosms, offer a valuable model for studying tropical ecosystems. These plants host complex communities, including microorganisms, which may serve as bioindicators of climate change due to their adaptability and ubiquity. This study used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to examine bacterial communities in bromeliads along a latitudinal gradient on the Brazilian coast, using a space-for-time substitution approach. The analysis of water and sediment samples from 60 bromeliads across 10 sites revealed the phyla Pseudomonadota, Acidobacteriota, and Bacillota as the predominant members. Alpha diversity metrics were positively correlated with latitude and negatively with atmospheric temperature, while dbRDA and Mantel tests identified atmospheric temperature and pH as key factors influencing bacterial communities. The study showed that deterministic processes shaped community assembly; however higher temperatures led to stochastic processes, altering bacterial composition. Network analysis revealed that rare species were key connectors in highly interconnected modules, suggesting resilience in the face of environmental changes. However, the vulnerability of these rare species to stochastic processes raises concerns about community stability under climate change. This study provides the first detailed characterization of bacterial communities and co-occurrence networks in tank bromeliads, supporting their use as model systems for monitoring the impacts of climate change on tropical freshwater ecosystems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000901Microbial ecologyBacterial diversityClimate resilienceBacterial networksLatitudinal gradientClimate change |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Di Pace Soares Penna Gustavo Quevedo Romero Mark P. Nessel Angélica L. González Valéria Maia Oliveira Bacterial communities as bioindicators of climate change in freshwater ecosystems: Tank bromeliads as model systems Ecological Indicators Microbial ecology Bacterial diversity Climate resilience Bacterial networks Latitudinal gradient Climate change |
| title | Bacterial communities as bioindicators of climate change in freshwater ecosystems: Tank bromeliads as model systems |
| title_full | Bacterial communities as bioindicators of climate change in freshwater ecosystems: Tank bromeliads as model systems |
| title_fullStr | Bacterial communities as bioindicators of climate change in freshwater ecosystems: Tank bromeliads as model systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bacterial communities as bioindicators of climate change in freshwater ecosystems: Tank bromeliads as model systems |
| title_short | Bacterial communities as bioindicators of climate change in freshwater ecosystems: Tank bromeliads as model systems |
| title_sort | bacterial communities as bioindicators of climate change in freshwater ecosystems tank bromeliads as model systems |
| topic | Microbial ecology Bacterial diversity Climate resilience Bacterial networks Latitudinal gradient Climate change |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000901 |
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