Metagenomics-assembled genomes reveal microbial metabolic adaptation to athalassohaline environment, the case Lake Barkol, China

作者：Maripat Xamxidin, Xuanqi Zhang, Gang Zheng, Can Chen, Mian Wu · 发表于：Frontiers in Microbiology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fmicb.2025.1550346 · 被引用次数：14 · 研究领域：Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology、Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies、Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena

Salt-tolerant and halophilic microorganisms are critical drivers of ecosystem stability and biogeochemical cycling in athalassohaline environments. Lake Barkol, a high-altitude inland saline lake, provides a valuable natural setting for investigating microbial community dynamics and adaptation mechanisms under extreme salinity. In this study, we employed high-throughput metagenomic sequencing to characterize the taxonomic composition, metabolic potential, and ecological functions of microbial communities in both water and sediment samples from Lake Barkol. We reconstructed 309 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), comprising 279 bacterial and 30 archaeal genomes. Notably, approximately 97% of the MAGs could not be classified at the species level, indicating substantial taxonomic novelty in this ecosystem. Dominant bacterial phyla included Pseudomonadota , Bacteroidota , Desulfobacterota , Planctomycetota , and Verrucomicrobiota , while archaeal communities were primarily composed of Halobacteriota , Thermoplasmatota , and Nanoarchaeota . Metabolic reconstruction revealed the presence of diverse carbon fixation pathways, including the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle, the Arnon-Buchanan reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle, and the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. Autotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, alongside members of Cyanobacteria and Desulfobacterota , were implicated in primary production and carbon assimilation. Nitrogen metabolism was predominantly mediated by Gammaprote...