The soil microbial food web revisited: Predatory myxobacteria as keystone taxa?

• DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-00958-2
• Publication Date: 2021-03-21T23:02:15Z
• Authors: Sebastian Petters; Verena Groß; Andrea Söllinger; Michelle Pichler; Anne Reinhard; Mia Maria Bengtsson; Tim Urich
• Keywords: Myxobacteria; Microbial food web; Bacterivore; Bdellovibrio; Soil Food Web

Abstract Trophic interactions are crucial for carbon cycling in food webs. Traditionally, eukaryotic micropredators considered the major of bacteria soils, although like myxobacteria and Bdellovibrio also known bacterivores. Until recently, it was impossible to assess abundance prokaryotes eukaryotes soil webs simultaneously. Using metatranscriptomic three-domain community profiling we identified pro- 11 European mineral organic soils from different climes. Myxobacteria comprised 1.5–9.7% all obtained SSU rRNA transcripts more than 60% potential bacterivores most soils. The name-giving well-characterized predatory affiliated with Myxococcaceae were barely present, while Haliangiaceae Polyangiaceae dominated. In predation assays, representatives latter showed prey spectra as broad Myxococcaceae. 18S micropredators, amoeba nematodes, generally less abundant myxobacterial 16S transcripts, especially Although does not directly reflect organismic abundance, our findings indicate that could be keystone taxa microbial web, impact on prokaryotic composition. Further, they suggest an overlooked, yet ecologically relevant web module, independent subject separate environmental evolutionary pressures.