A genus in the bacterial phylum Aquificota appears to be endemic to Aotearoa-New Zealand

Jean F. Power, Carlo R. Carere, Holly E. Welford, Daniel T. Hudson, Kevin C. Lee, John W. Moreau, Thijs J. G. Ettema, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Charles K. Lee, Daniel R. Colman, Eric S. Boyd, Xochitl C. Morgan, Ian R. McDonald, S. Craig Cary () and Matthew B. Stott ()
Additional contact information
Jean F. Power: Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato | University of Waikato
Carlo R. Carere: Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury
Holly E. Welford: Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury
Daniel T. Hudson: Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtākou | University of Otago
Kevin C. Lee: Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau | Auckland University of Technology
John W. Moreau: University of Glasgow
Thijs J. G. Ettema: Wageningen University & Research
Anna-Louise Reysenbach: Portland State University
Charles K. Lee: Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato | University of Waikato
Daniel R. Colman: Montana State University
Eric S. Boyd: Montana State University
Xochitl C. Morgan: Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtākou | University of Otago
Ian R. McDonald: Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato | University of Waikato
S. Craig Cary: Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato | University of Waikato
Matthew B. Stott: Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract Allopatric speciation has been difficult to examine among microorganisms, with prior reports of endemism restricted to sub-genus level taxa. Previous microbial community analysis via 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 925 geothermal springs from the Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ), Aotearoa-New Zealand, revealed widespread distribution and abundance of a single bacterial genus across 686 of these ecosystems (pH 1.2-9.6 and 17.4-99.8 °C). Here, we present evidence to suggest that this genus, Venenivibrio (phylum Aquificota), is endemic to Aotearoa-New Zealand. A specific environmental niche that increases habitat isolation was identified, with maximal read abundance of Venenivibrio occurring at pH 4-6, 50-70 °C, and low oxidation-reduction potentials. This was further highlighted by genomic and culture-based analyses of the only characterised species for the genus, Venenivibrio stagnispumantis CP.B2T, which confirmed a chemolithoautotrophic metabolism dependent on hydrogen oxidation. While similarity between Venenivibrio populations illustrated that dispersal is not limited across the TVZ, extensive amplicon, metagenomic, and phylogenomic analyses of global microbial communities from DNA sequence databases indicates Venenivibrio is geographically restricted to the Aotearoa-New Zealand archipelago. We conclude that geographic isolation, complemented by physicochemical constraints, has resulted in the establishment of an endemic bacterial genus.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43960-2

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