Drought Drives Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation and Functional Shifts in Streambed Biofilm Communities

This study investigates the adaptive response of streambed microbial biofilms to water scarcity, focusing on the role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production across a gradient of hydrological conditions. Sediment samples from 37 streams in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula, encompas...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Romaní i Cornet, Anna M., Perujo Buxeda, Núria, Pujol Abajo, Marta, Gionchetta, Giulia
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10256/27728
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10256/27728
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ecologia microbiana
Microbial ecology
Biofilms
Sequeres
Droughts
id ES_6fb13ecc6f1bd8c19a817320381a532b
oai_identifier_str oai:recercat.cat:10256/27728
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling Drought Drives Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation and Functional Shifts in Streambed Biofilm CommunitiesRomaní i Cornet, Anna M.Perujo Buxeda, NúriaPujol Abajo, MartaGionchetta, GiuliaEcologia microbianaMicrobial ecologyBiofilmsSequeresDroughtsThis study investigates the adaptive response of streambed microbial biofilms to water scarcity, focusing on the role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production across a gradient of hydrological conditions. Sediment samples from 37 streams in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula, encompassing both permanent and intermittent flow regimes, were analysed for EPS-polysaccharide content, microbial biomass, chlorophyll-a, and biofilm function (carbon substrate utilization profiles). Drought conditions were characterized based on the number of dry days over the eight months preceding sampling. Results revealed that EPS production increased significantly in intermittent streams, particularly under long-term drought, reaffirming that EPS synthesis is a key microbial strategy to mitigate desiccation stress. Notably, when normalized to prokaryotic density, EPS content exhibited a significant positive correlation with drought duration, emphasizing the dominant role of heterotrophic bacteria over algae in EPS secretion. However, EPS content alone was not a universal indicator of water scarcity, which showed a large variability in permanently flowing streams. Functional profiling showed clear shifts in carbon substrate utilization associated with stream hydrology. Intermittent streams exhibited a broader metabolic range, and particularly a capacity to use phenolic compounds, suggesting an adaptation to terrestrial organic matter inputs. Contrary to expectations, functional diversity increased in drier conditions, challenging assumptions derived from controlled experiments and underscoring the resilience of Mediterranean microbial biofilm communities to drought. These findings provide empirical support for EPS-mediated drought adaptation in natural biofilms and highlight functional diversity as a potential mechanism maintaining ecosystem processes under increasing aridity due to climate changeFinancial support was provided by the the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FUNSTREAM project, CGL2014-58760-C3-R), and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Grant/Award Number: PID2021-123735OB-C21). GG was supported by a Junior Leader Incoming Fellowship contract (LCF/BQ/PI23/11970040) funded by La Caixa Foundation (ID 100010434). NP acknowledges support from the German Research Foundation (DFG) through research grant PE 3766/1–1. AMR acknowledges the funding from the AGAUR-ICREA Academia award (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, ref. 2024 ICREA 00144). Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer NatureSpringerMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad (Espanya)Agencia Estatal de Investigación2025info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionpeer-reviewedapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10256/27728Microbial Ecology, 2025, vol. 88, art.núm. 133Articles publicats (D-CCAA)reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunyainstname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)Inglésinfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1007/s00248-025-02649-3info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/0095-3628info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1432-184XCGL2014-58760-C3-2-RPID2021-123735OB-C21info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MINECO//CGL2014-58760-C3-2-Rinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2021-2023/PID2021-123735OB-C21Attribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:recercat.cat:10256/277282026-05-29T05:05:01Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Drought Drives Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation and Functional Shifts in Streambed Biofilm Communities
title Drought Drives Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation and Functional Shifts in Streambed Biofilm Communities
spellingShingle Drought Drives Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation and Functional Shifts in Streambed Biofilm Communities
Romaní i Cornet, Anna M.
Ecologia microbiana
Microbial ecology
Biofilms
Sequeres
Droughts
title_short Drought Drives Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation and Functional Shifts in Streambed Biofilm Communities
title_full Drought Drives Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation and Functional Shifts in Streambed Biofilm Communities
title_fullStr Drought Drives Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation and Functional Shifts in Streambed Biofilm Communities
title_full_unstemmed Drought Drives Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation and Functional Shifts in Streambed Biofilm Communities
title_sort Drought Drives Extracellular Polymeric Substances Accumulation and Functional Shifts in Streambed Biofilm Communities
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Romaní i Cornet, Anna M.
Perujo Buxeda, Núria
Pujol Abajo, Marta
Gionchetta, Giulia
author Romaní i Cornet, Anna M.
author_facet Romaní i Cornet, Anna M.
Perujo Buxeda, Núria
Pujol Abajo, Marta
Gionchetta, Giulia
author_role author
author2 Perujo Buxeda, Núria
Pujol Abajo, Marta
Gionchetta, Giulia
author2_role author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Espanya)
Agencia Estatal de Investigación
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Ecologia microbiana
Microbial ecology
Biofilms
Sequeres
Droughts
topic Ecologia microbiana
Microbial ecology
Biofilms
Sequeres
Droughts
description This study investigates the adaptive response of streambed microbial biofilms to water scarcity, focusing on the role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production across a gradient of hydrological conditions. Sediment samples from 37 streams in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula, encompassing both permanent and intermittent flow regimes, were analysed for EPS-polysaccharide content, microbial biomass, chlorophyll-a, and biofilm function (carbon substrate utilization profiles). Drought conditions were characterized based on the number of dry days over the eight months preceding sampling. Results revealed that EPS production increased significantly in intermittent streams, particularly under long-term drought, reaffirming that EPS synthesis is a key microbial strategy to mitigate desiccation stress. Notably, when normalized to prokaryotic density, EPS content exhibited a significant positive correlation with drought duration, emphasizing the dominant role of heterotrophic bacteria over algae in EPS secretion. However, EPS content alone was not a universal indicator of water scarcity, which showed a large variability in permanently flowing streams. Functional profiling showed clear shifts in carbon substrate utilization associated with stream hydrology. Intermittent streams exhibited a broader metabolic range, and particularly a capacity to use phenolic compounds, suggesting an adaptation to terrestrial organic matter inputs. Contrary to expectations, functional diversity increased in drier conditions, challenging assumptions derived from controlled experiments and underscoring the resilience of Mediterranean microbial biofilm communities to drought. These findings provide empirical support for EPS-mediated drought adaptation in natural biofilms and highlight functional diversity as a potential mechanism maintaining ecosystem processes under increasing aridity due to climate change
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
peer-reviewed
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10256/27728
url http://hdl.handle.net/10256/27728
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1007/s00248-025-02649-3
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/0095-3628
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1432-184X
CGL2014-58760-C3-2-R
PID2021-123735OB-C21
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MINECO//CGL2014-58760-C3-2-R
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2021-2023/PID2021-123735OB-C21
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Microbial Ecology, 2025, vol. 88, art.núm. 133
Articles publicats (D-CCAA)
reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
instname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
instname_str Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
reponame_str Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
collection Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
_version_ 1869410526409261056
score 15,81155

Similares en LA Referencia