Functional ecology of soil microbial communities along a glacier forefield in Tierra del Fuego (Chile) Authors Miguel A. Fernández-Martínez Department of Biochemistry and Microbial Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC. Madrid, Spain. Stephen B. Pointing Institute for Applied Ecology, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. Sergio Pérez-Ortega Department of Biochemistry and Microbial Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC. Madrid, Spain. María Arróniz-Crespo Department of Chemistry and Tecnology of Food, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. T. G. Allan Green Department of Plant Biology II. Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Ricardo Rozzi Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, University of Magallanes, Puerto Williams, Chile Leopoldo G. Sancho Department of Plant Biology II. Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Asunción de los Ríos Department of Biochemistry and Microbial Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC. Madrid, Spain. Keywords: Functional genes, antibiotic resistance, GeoChip microarray, primary succession, chronosequence Abstract A previously established chronosequence from Pia Glacier forefield in Tierra del Fuego (Chile) containing soils of different ages (from bare soils to forest ones) is analyzed. We used this chronosequence as framework to postulate that microbial successional development would be accompanied by changes in functionality. To test this, the GeoChip functional microarray was used to identify diversity of genes involved in microbial carbon and nitrogen metabolism, as well as other genes related to microbial stress response and biotic interactions. Changes in putative functionality generally reflected succession-related taxonomic composition of soil microbiota. Major shifts in carbon fixation and catabolism were observed, as well as major changes in nitrogen metabolism. At initial microbial dominated succession stages, microorganisms could be mainly involved in pathways that help to increase nutrient availability, while more complex microbial transformations such as denitrification and methanogenesis, and later degradation of complex organic substrates, could be more prevalent at vegetated successional states. Shifts in virus populations broadly reflected changes in microbial diversity. Conversely, stress response pathways appeared relatively well conserved for communities along the entire chronosequence. We conclude that nutrient utilization is likely the major driver of microbial succession in these soils. [Int Microbiol 19(3):161-173 (2016)]Keywords: Functional genes · antibiotic resistance · GeoChip microarray · primary succession · chronosequence Author Biographies Miguel A. Fernández-Martínez, Department of Biochemistry and Microbial Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC. Madrid, Spain. Leopoldo G. Sancho, Department of Plant Biology II. Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Downloads PDF Issue Vol. 19 No. 3 (2016) Section Research Articles License Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.
