Predation increases multiple components of microbial diversity in activated sludge communities
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Nature
Fecha
2021-12-01Referencia bibliográfica
Burian, A... [et al.]. Predation increases multiple components of microbial diversity in activated sludge communities. ISME J (2021). [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-01145-z]
Patrocinador
Derby University; Queen Mary University of LondonResumen
Protozoan predators form an essential component of activated sludge communities that is tightly linked to wastewater treatment
efficiency. Nonetheless, very little is known how protozoan predation is channelled via bacterial communities to affect ecosystem
functioning. Therefore, we experimentally manipulated protozoan predation pressure in activated-sludge communities to
determine its impacts on microbial diversity, composition and putative functionality. Different components of bacterial diversity
such as taxa richness, evenness, genetic diversity and beta diversity all responded strongly and positively to high protozoan
predation pressure. These responses were non-linear and levelled off at higher levels of predation pressure, supporting predictions
of hump-shaped relationships between predation pressure and prey diversity. In contrast to predation intensity, the impact of
predator diversity had both positive (taxa richness) and negative (evenness and phylogenetic distinctiveness) effects on bacterial
diversity. Furthermore, predation shaped the structure of bacterial communities. Reduction in top-down control negatively affected
the majority of taxa that are generally associated with increased treatment efficiency, compromising particularly the potential for
nitrogen removal. Consequently, our findings highlight responses of bacterial diversity and community composition as two distinct
mechanisms linking protozoan predation with ecosystem functioning in activated sludge communities.