Nutrient supplementation experiments with saltern microbial communities implicate utilization of DNA as a source of phosphorus

All environments including hypersaline ones harbor measurable concentrations of dissolved extracellular DNA (eDNA) that can be utilized by microbes as a nutrient. However, it remains poorly understood which eDNA components are used, and who in a community utilizes it. For this study, we incubated a saltern microbial community with combinations of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and DNA, and tracked the community response in each microcosm treatment via 16S rRNA and rpoB gene sequencing. We show that microbial communities used DNA only as a phosphorus source, and provision of other sources of carbon and nitrogen was needed to exhibit a substantial growth. The taxonomic composition of eDNA in the water column changed with the availability of inorganic phosphorus or supplied DNA, hinting at preferential uptake of eDNA from specific organismal sources. Especially favored for growth was eDNA from the most abundant taxa, suggesting some haloarchaea prefer eDNA from closely related taxa. The preferential eDNA consumption and differential growth under various nutrient availability regimes were associated with substantial shifts in the taxonomic composition and diversity of microcosm communities. Therefore, we conjecture that in salterns the microbial community assembly is driven by the available resources, including eDNA.

Automated summary

In hypersaline environments, microbial communities use DNA primarily as a phosphorus source, requiring other sources of carbon and nitrogen for substantial growth. The taxonomic composition of eDNA in the water column changes depending on the availability of inorganic phosphorus or supplied DNA, indicating preferential uptake of eDNA from specific organismal sources. Substantial shifts in the taxonomic composition and diversity of microcosm communities occur due to preferential eDNA consumption and differential growth under various nutrient availability regimes, suggesting microbial community assembly in salterns is driven by available resources, including eDNA.