Abstract
Microbialites, ancient records of microbial activity, serve as significant indicators of environmental change. This study examined microbialites from the peritidal zone of three tide pools at Fongchueisha, Hengchun, Taiwan, to investigate the impact of salinity on microbial community composition and carbonate precipitation mechanisms. Microbial samples were collected across varying salinity gradients over multiple timepoints and analyzed using next-generation sequencing of bacterial 16S and eukaryotic 18S rRNA genes. Our findings reveal that the microbial communities in higher salinity environments exhibited significant shifts, with increased relative abundance of ureolytic bacteria and ammonifying microorganisms, such as Myxococcota and Actinobacteriota. This suggests the presence of diverse microbial carbonate precipitation mechanisms beyond photosynthesis, including ureolysis and ammonification. Furthermore, our results show that changes in the composition of cyanobacteria and diatoms were influenced by salinity, with heterocystous cyanobacteria (e.g., Nostocales) dominating low-salinity environments, and non-heterocystous cyanobacteria (e.g., Synechococcales) prevailing in higher salinity environments. Functional predictions reveal that microbial communities in high-salinity environments were enriched in anaerobic metabolic pathways, including pyruvate fermentation and the urea cycle. These findings highlight the significant role of salinity in influencing microbial composition and metabolic pathways, shaping carbonate precipitation processes in microbialites.
Importance The study focuses on the impact of environmental salinity on microbial community composition and carbonate precipitation mechanisms within modern microbialites, based on an analysis of samples from three tide pools with different salinity levels collected at five time points throughout the year. Using next-generation sequencing of bacterial 16S and eukaryotic 18S rRNA genes, we identified key shifts in microbial communities along salinity gradients and explored diverse microbial processes involved in carbonate precipitation. This work enhances our understanding of microbial ecosystems within modern microbialites and their response to environmental changes. Additionally, our study provides insight into ancient biogeochemical processes, with implications for interpreting microbial metabolism in carbonate precipitation across different salinity regimes.
