Disentangling microbial community variations across three European Coastal Lagoons

Galys, Helena

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/25682

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Authors

Galys, Helena

Advisor(s)

Chícharo, Luis

Fazi, Stefano

Abstract(s)

Coastal lagoon ecosystems are vital and dynamic habitats, yet their microbial community structures remain poorly understood. This thesis presents a comprehensive investigation of microbial communities in the three Southern European Coastal Lagoons Butrinti Lagoon (Albania), Sabaudia (Italy), and Ria Formosa (Portugal) aiming to identify key taxa and potential interactions that may offer generalizable insights into lagoon microbial ecology. A multi-faceted approach was employed, combining elemental composition analysis and high-throughput DNA sequencing to characterize both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of microbial communities. The results provide in-depth descriptions of microbial composition and diversity in each lagoon, highlighting unique taxonomic signatures. Subsequently, a correlative analysis suggested the potential of key bacteria (e.g. Flacobacteriaceae and Desulfobulbaceae) as potential indicator species for anthropogenic impacts, such as heavy metal pollution. Further network inference revealed distinct genera (Haliglobus, Woeseia, Actibacter, Sandaracinaceae and an unknown species of Gammaproteobacteria) as shared key taxa across the lagoons. Notably, the findings suggest potential general patterns in microbial community composition within the three European coastal lagoons. However, given the exploratory nature of this study, further research is encouraged to confirm and expand upon these preliminary insights.