Academic Journal
A comparison of microbial community composition in two alpine springs in southern Nevada.
| Τίτλος: | A comparison of microbial community composition in two alpine springs in southern Nevada. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Hunnicutt S; Nevada State University, Henderson, Nevada, United States of America.; US Forest Service, Fredonia, Arizona, United States of America., Bouali EH; Nevada State University, Henderson, Nevada, United States of America., Sigel B; Nevada State University, Henderson, Nevada, United States of America. |
| Πηγή: | PloS one [PLoS One] 2026 Feb 27; Vol. 21 (2), pp. e0342925. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Feb 27 (Print Publication: 2026). |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Comparative Study |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Natural Springs*/microbiology , Natural Springs*/chemistry , Water Microbiology*, DNA, Environmental/genetics ; Nevada ; Ecosystem ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Altitude ; Temperature |
| Περίληψη: | Springs are intersections between the geosphere and hydrosphere where localized ecosystems form. Microbial communities play important roles in these aquatic ecosystems and can be identified using environmental DNA (eDNA) acquisition and amplification techniques. The Spring Mountain range west of Las Vegas, Nevada is a sky island with over 300 naturally flowing cold water springs. eDNA was acquired at three sampling sites at two springs from different elevations on the eastern side of the range-Harris Spring (HS) located at 1,779 m elevation and Deer Creek Spring (DCS) located at 2,778 m elevation-to compare microbial community composition, abundance, alpha diversity, and median evenness. Aquatic chemistry parameters such as water temperature, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), sodicity, alkalinity, and dissolved oxygen were measured to quantify environmental conditions within the springs. Results show that DCS exhibited greater microbial abundance, alpha diversity, and median evenness when compared to HS. This differs from elevational diversity gradient expectations which predicts lower abundance, alpha diversity, and median evenness due to harsher environmental conditions and scarcer resources. Aquatic chemistry measurements indicated no significant difference in pH and dissolved oxygen between the two springs, and differences in water temperature and conductivity do not provide a substantive explanation for microbial community patterns observed. A discussion of other environmental variables that were observed to qualitatively differ between the study sites, such as exposure to solar radiation, stream reemergence, and anthropogenic disturbance, are offered as potential explanatory variables that warrant further investigation. Further research is needed to better quantify these relationships, which would also assist in the environmental conservation efforts of these fragile spring ecosystems. (Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.) |
| Competing Interests: | NO authors have competing interests. |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (DNA, Environmental) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260227 Date Completed: 20260709 Latest Revision: 20260709 |
| Update Code: | 20260711 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC12948051 |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0342925 |
| PMID: | 41758786 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
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| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0342925 |