A mosaic of bacterial communities and their functional potential across Antarctic moss, lichen and soil
Abstract
IntroductionBacterial community composition differed markedly among substrates, whereas broad community-level differences between sampling localities were not statistically detected. The recovered U. aurantiacoatra bacterial community was dominated by Pseudomonadota, while A. regularis and soil communities exhibited greater taxonomic diversity, with Pseudomonadota, Actinomycetota, and Cyanobacteriota as dominant phyla. Functional profiling revealed distinct metabolic patterns across microhabitats. Bulk soils exhibited the broadest metabolic potential and nearly complete nitrogen-cycling pathways. The A. regularis microbiome was enriched in autotrophic machinery, high-affinity transport systems, and environmental sensing pathways, whereas the lichen microbiome displayed a more streamlined functional profile, lacking diagnostic nitrogenase genes and dissimilatory pathways.DiscussionThese findings highlight the importance of substrate identity in structuring bacterial communities across adjacent Antarctic microhabitats. The observed differences in taxonomic composition and functional potential suggest that mosses, lichens, and soils provide distinct ecological niches, potentially influencing microbial contributions to nutrient cycling in Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems.
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BibTeX
@article{masmartinez2026mosaic,
title = {{A mosaic of bacterial communities and their functional potential across Antarctic moss, lichen and soil}},
author = {Isabel Mas-Martinez and Victoria Höbold and Burkhard Becker and Julia Gerasimova and Ekaterina Pushkareva},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1974728},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1974728},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A mosaic of bacterial communities and their functional potential across Antarctic moss, lichen and soil
AU - Isabel Mas-Martinez
AU - Victoria Höbold
AU - Burkhard Becker
AU - Julia Gerasimova
AU - Ekaterina Pushkareva
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1974728
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1974728
AB - IntroductionBacterial community composition differed markedly among substrates, whereas broad community-level differences between sampling localities were not statistically detected. The recovered U. aurantiacoatra bacterial community was dominated by Pseudomonadota, while A. regularis and soil communities exhibited greater taxonomic diversity, with Pseudomonadota, Actinomycetota, and Cyanobacteriota as dominant phyla. Functional profiling revealed distinct metabolic patterns across microhabitats. Bulk soils exhibited the broadest metabolic potential and nearly complete nitrogen-cycling pathways. The A. regularis microbiome was enriched in autotrophic machinery, high-affinity transport systems, and environmental sensing pathways, whereas the lichen microbiome displayed a more streamlined functional profile, lacking diagnostic nitrogenase genes and dissimilatory pathways.DiscussionThese findings highlight the importance of substrate identity in structuring bacterial communities across adjacent Antarctic microhabitats. The observed differences in taxonomic composition and functional potential suggest that mosses, lichens, and soils provide distinct ecological niches, potentially influencing microbial contributions to nutrient cycling in Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -