A global comparison of surface and subsurface microbiomes reveals large-scale biodiversity gradients, and a marine-terrestrial divide
Subsurface environments are among Earth's largest habitats for microbial life. Yet, until recently, we lacked adequate data to accurately differentiate between globally distributed marine and terrestrial surface and subsurface microbiomes. Here, we analyzed 478 archaeal and 964 bacterial metabarcoding datasets and 147 metagenomes from diverse and widely distributed environments. Microbial diversity is similar in marine and terrestrial microbiomes at local to global scales. However, community composition greatly differs between sea and land, corroborating a phylogenetic divide that mirrors patterns in plant and animal diversity. In contrast, community composition overlaps between surface to subsurface environments supporting a diversity continuum rather than a discrete subsurface biosphere. Differences in microbial life thus seem greater between land and sea than between surface and subsurface. Diversity of terrestrial microbiomes decreases with depth, while marine subsurface diversity and phylogenetic distance to cultured isolates rivals or exceeds that of surface environments. We identify distinct microbial community compositions but similar microbial diversity for Earth's subsurface and surface environments.
Authors
- Isabella Hrabě de Angelis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9451-8908)
- Joshua Ladau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1454-2225)
- Megan M. Mullis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1930-1885)
- S. Emil Ruff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6872-6188)
- Anna Shipunova
- Cara Magnabosco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6871-7188)
- Alexander J. Probst (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9392-6544)
- Karen G. Lloyd (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0914-6375)
- Cody S. Sheik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0413-1924)
- Clarisse Lemonnier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7665-6872)
- Mitchell L. Sogin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7196-6991)
- Hilary G. Morrison (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0281-326X)
- Andrew D. Steen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4297-4332)
- Samantha B. Joye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1610-451X)
- James A. Bradley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3640-208X)
- Julie A. Huber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4790-7633)
- Aleksey Morozov
- Brandi Kiel Reese (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9949-9013)
- Frederick S. Colwell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7109-5874)
- Jérôme P. Payet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9862-0624)
- Matthew O. Schrenk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5623-8558)
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Oregon State University (US)
- Marine Biological Laboratory (US)
- Université de Toulon (FR)
- University of Georgia (US)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Aix-Marseille Université (FR)
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab (US)
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (DE)
- University of Minnesota, Duluth (US)
- Argos Intelligence (United States) (US)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- University of Duisburg-Essen (DE)
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (US)
- Université Savoie Mont Blanc (FR)
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
- University of South Alabama (US)
- Michigan State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2024-12-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adq0645
- Citations
- 18
- Primary Topic
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.26
Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
- Arizona State University
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek der Zee
- Division of Ocean Sciences
- Biological and Environmental Research