干旱地区拥有季节性和永久性湿地,尽管条件恶劣,但生物多样性热点对生态系统服务至关重要。这些湿地,通常取决于偶发性强降雨,与潮湿的同行相比,研究不足。虽然这些湿地中植物和动物的多样性是众所周知的,微生物群落在很大程度上仍未被开发。为了解决这个知识差距,我们使用宏基因组测序技术来描述原生社区,包括病原原生动物,以及它们相关的功能通路,在南非北部永久和季节性干旱淡水湿地的沉积物中。结果表明,原生生物的核心群落以顶孔门为主(66.73%),Euglenazoa(19.03%),芽孢杆菌(5.44%),Metamonada(4.65%),隐球菌(1.90%),和阿米巴佐(1.21%)。与永久湿地相比,季节性湿地表现出显著更高的原生生物多样性(香农指数,p=0.019;Chao1,p=0.0095)。人类和人畜共患病原原生生物的丰度和多样性较高(87.67%),具有较低水平的自养生物(6.69%)和有限的吞噬生物多样性(5.64%)。确定的关键光自养生物包括硅藻(thalasiosioraceae和Phaeodactylaceae)和隐藻(Hemiselmis和Cryptophyta属),消费者/吞噬生物与细菌群落丰度呈相关性(r2=0.218,p<0.001)。病原原生动物鉴定,包括引起疟疾的疟原虫,动植体(贝斯诺塔属,Theilleria,新孢子虫,弓形虫,头孢菌素,和Babesia)和具有公共卫生重要性的水生原生动物(例如隐孢子虫和贾第鞭毛虫)。此外,致病相关途径的富集(氨基酸生物合成,肽聚糖成熟,血红素生物合成和降解,和卡尔文-本森-巴斯舍姆循环),以及确定的毒力基因家族,强调这些湿地是传染病的潜在蓄水池。我们的结果揭示了干旱湿地内的原始生物分类学和功能组成,包括有益和致病的原生动物。这些湿地与人类活动非常接近,这引起了人们对这些病原体在当地和越境传播的关注。因此,持续监测对于疾病控制和保护这些独特的生态系统至关重要。
Arid regions harbor seasonal and permanent wetlands, as biodiversity hotspots crucial for ecosystem services despite harsh conditions. These wetlands, typically dependent on episodic intense rainfall, are understudied compared to their humid counterparts. While the diversity of plants and animals in these wetlands is well-known, the microbial communities remain largely unexplored. To address this knowledge gap, we employed metagenome sequencing technologies to profile protist communities, including pathogenic protozoa, and their associated functional pathways, in sediment of permanent and seasonal arid freshwater wetlands across northern South Africa. Results revealed a core community of protists dominated by phylum Apicomplexa (66.73 %), Euglenazoa (19.03 %), Bacillariophyta (5.44 %), Metamonada (4.65 %), Cryptophyta (1.90 %), and Amoebazoa (1.21 %). Seasonal wetlands showed significantly higher protist diversity compared to permanent wetlands (Shannon index, p = 0.019; Chao1, p = 0.0095). A high abundance and diversity of human and zoonotic pathogenic protists (87.67 %) was observed, with lower levels of photoautotrophs (6.69 %) and limited diversity of phagotrophs (5.64 %). Key photoautotrophs identified included diatoms (Thalassiosiraceae and Phaeodactylaceae) and cryptophytes (genus Hemiselmis and Cryptophyta), with consumers/phagotrophs exhibited a correlation with the bacterial community abundance (r2 = 0.218, p < 0.001). Pathogenic protozoans identified, include malaria-causing Plasmodium, kinetoplastids (genus Besnoita, Theilleria, Neospora, Toxoplasma, Encephalitozoon, and Babesia) and waterborne protozoans of public health importance (such as Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia). Furthermore, the enrichment of pathogenesis-associated pathways (amino acid biosynthesis, peptidoglycan maturation, heme biosynthesis and degradation, and the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle), along with virulence gene families identified, highlighted these wetlands as potential reservoirs for infectious diseases. Our results unveil a baseline protist taxonomic and functional composition within arid wetlands, including beneficial and pathogenic protozoa. The close proximity of these wetlands to human activity raises concern for local and transboundary spread of these pathogens. Thus, continued monitoring is vital for disease control and preserving these unique ecosystems.