Selective Pressure Influences Inter-Biome Dispersal in the Assembly of Saline Microbial Communities

Abstract

Selection and dispersal are the primary processes influencing community assembly at both global and regional scales. Although the effectiveness of dispersal is often examined within the same biome, microscopic organisms demonstrate the capability to colonise and thrive across different biomes. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between (i) aquatic, (ii) sedimentary and (iii) aerial microbial communities, and how local selective pressures influence the potential impact of inter-biome dispersal, focusing on the salinity gradient stress over time in ephemeral saline lakes. Our taxonomic ordination analyses revealed that the three communities were distinctly segregated yet interconnected by shared populations. Organisms prevalent across the three biomes exhibited cosmopolitan behaviour based on global databases, indicating an inherent ability to cross biome boundaries. Cosmopolitan groups dominated the planktonic community at lower salinities but gradually diminished as salinity increased, resulting in communities dominated by aquatic specialists with more restricted environmental distributions. The aerial community was primarily composed of generalists, although airborne halophiles were also identified, suggesting long-range dispersal as a source of colonisers in isolated extremophile environments. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the dynamic interplay between dispersal and selective pressures on community assembly across biomes, highlighting the significance of aerial microbiota in remote colonisation.