1 research outputs found
Extremely Halophilic Archaeal Communities are Resilient to ShortâTerm Entombment in Halite
Some haloarchaea avoid the harsh conditions present in evaporating brines by entombment in brine inclusions within forming halite crystals, where a subset of haloarchaea survives over geological time. However, shifts in the community structure of haliteâentombed archaeal communities remain poorly understood. Therefore, we analysed archaeal communities from in situ hypersaline brines collected from Trapani saltern (Sicily) and their successional changes in brines versus laboratoryâgrown halite over 21âweeks, using highâthroughput sequencing. Haloarchaea were dominant, comprising >95% of the archaeal community. Unexpectedly, the OTU richness of the communities after 21âweeks was indistinguishable from the parent brine and overall archaeal abundance in halite showed no clear temporal trends. Furthermore, the duration of entombment was less important than the parent brine from which the halite derived in determining the community composition and relative abundances of most genera in haliteâentombed communities. These results show that haliteâentombed archaeal communities are resilient to entombment durations of up to 21âweeks, and that entombment in halite may be an effective survival strategy for near complete communities of haloarchaea. Additionally, the dominance of âhalite specialistsâ observed in ancient halite must occur over periods of years, rather than months, hinting at longâterm successional dynamics in this environment