Microbiome interactions and their ecological implications at the Salton Sea
Although the Salton Sea was once a thriving destination for humans and wildlife, it has now degraded to the point of ecosystem collapse. Increases in local dust emissions have introduced aeolian (wind-blown) microorganisms that travel, along with contaminants and minerals, into the atmosphere, detri...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
2022-04-01
|
| Series: | California Agriculture |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.2022a0002 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1825207064470749184 |
|---|---|
| author | H Freund* M Maltz* M Swenson T Topacio V Montellano W Porter E Aronson |
| author_facet | H Freund* M Maltz* M Swenson T Topacio V Montellano W Porter E Aronson |
| author_sort | H Freund* |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although the Salton Sea was once a thriving destination for humans and wildlife, it has now degraded to the point of ecosystem collapse. Increases in local dust emissions have introduced aeolian (wind-blown) microorganisms that travel, along with contaminants and minerals, into the atmosphere, detrimentally impacting inhabitants of the region. Proliferation of certain microbial groups in regions of the Sea may have a disproportionate impact on local ecological systems. Yet, little is known about how the biogeochemical processes of this drying lakebed influence microbial community composition and dispersal. To elucidate how these microorganisms contribute, and adapt, to the Sea's volatile conditions, we synthesize research on three niche-specific microbiomes — exposed lakebed (playa), the Sea, and aeolian — and highlight modern molecular techniques, such as metagenomics, coupled with physical science methodologies, including transport modeling, to predict how the drying lakebed will affect microbial processes. We argue that an explicit consideration of microbial groups within this system is needed to provide vital information about the distribution and functional roles of ecologically pertinent microbial groups. Such knowledge could help inform regulatory measures aimed at restoring the health of the Sea's human and ecological systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e6896b9693824927b1bf5855a3a1c85a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0008-0845 2160-8091 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| record_format | Article |
| series | California Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-e6896b9693824927b1bf5855a3a1c85a2025-02-06T23:59:42ZengUniversity of California Agriculture and Natural ResourcesCalifornia Agriculture0008-08452160-80912022-04-01761Microbiome interactions and their ecological implications at the Salton SeaH Freund*M Maltz*M SwensonT TopacioV MontellanoW PorterE AronsonAlthough the Salton Sea was once a thriving destination for humans and wildlife, it has now degraded to the point of ecosystem collapse. Increases in local dust emissions have introduced aeolian (wind-blown) microorganisms that travel, along with contaminants and minerals, into the atmosphere, detrimentally impacting inhabitants of the region. Proliferation of certain microbial groups in regions of the Sea may have a disproportionate impact on local ecological systems. Yet, little is known about how the biogeochemical processes of this drying lakebed influence microbial community composition and dispersal. To elucidate how these microorganisms contribute, and adapt, to the Sea's volatile conditions, we synthesize research on three niche-specific microbiomes — exposed lakebed (playa), the Sea, and aeolian — and highlight modern molecular techniques, such as metagenomics, coupled with physical science methodologies, including transport modeling, to predict how the drying lakebed will affect microbial processes. We argue that an explicit consideration of microbial groups within this system is needed to provide vital information about the distribution and functional roles of ecologically pertinent microbial groups. Such knowledge could help inform regulatory measures aimed at restoring the health of the Sea's human and ecological systems.https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.2022a0002 |
| spellingShingle | H Freund* M Maltz* M Swenson T Topacio V Montellano W Porter E Aronson Microbiome interactions and their ecological implications at the Salton Sea California Agriculture |
| title | Microbiome interactions and their ecological implications at the Salton Sea |
| title_full | Microbiome interactions and their ecological implications at the Salton Sea |
| title_fullStr | Microbiome interactions and their ecological implications at the Salton Sea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microbiome interactions and their ecological implications at the Salton Sea |
| title_short | Microbiome interactions and their ecological implications at the Salton Sea |
| title_sort | microbiome interactions and their ecological implications at the salton sea |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.2022a0002 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hfreund microbiomeinteractionsandtheirecologicalimplicationsatthesaltonsea AT mmaltz microbiomeinteractionsandtheirecologicalimplicationsatthesaltonsea AT mswenson microbiomeinteractionsandtheirecologicalimplicationsatthesaltonsea AT ttopacio microbiomeinteractionsandtheirecologicalimplicationsatthesaltonsea AT vmontellano microbiomeinteractionsandtheirecologicalimplicationsatthesaltonsea AT wporter microbiomeinteractionsandtheirecologicalimplicationsatthesaltonsea AT earonson microbiomeinteractionsandtheirecologicalimplicationsatthesaltonsea |