Groundwater microbiomes balance resilience and vulnerability to hydroclimatic extremes
Abstract Groundwater health is increasingly threatened by climate change, which alters precipitation patterns, leading to groundwater recharge shifts. These shifts impact subsurface microbial communities, crucial for maintaining ecosystem functions. In this decade-long study of carbonate aquifers, w...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02680-9 |
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| author | He Wang Martina Herrmann Simon A. Schroeter Christian Zerfaß Robert Lehmann Katharina Lehmann Arina Ivanova Georg Pohnert Gerd Gleixner Susan E. Trumbore Kai Uwe Totsche Kirsten Küsel |
| author_facet | He Wang Martina Herrmann Simon A. Schroeter Christian Zerfaß Robert Lehmann Katharina Lehmann Arina Ivanova Georg Pohnert Gerd Gleixner Susan E. Trumbore Kai Uwe Totsche Kirsten Küsel |
| author_sort | He Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Groundwater health is increasingly threatened by climate change, which alters precipitation patterns, leading to groundwater recharge shifts. These shifts impact subsurface microbial communities, crucial for maintaining ecosystem functions. In this decade-long study of carbonate aquifers, we analyzed 815 bacterial 16S rRNA gene datasets, 226 dissolved organic matter (DOM) profiles, 387 metabolomic datasets, and 174 seepage microbiomes. Our findings reveal distinct short- and long-term temporal patterns of groundwater microbiomes driven by environmental fluctuations. Microbiomes of hydrologically connected aquifers exhibit lower temporal stability due to stochastic processes and greater susceptibility to surface disturbances, yet demonstrate remarkable resilience. Conversely, more isolated aquifer microbiomes resist short-term changes, governed by deterministic processes, but exhibit reduced stability under prolonged stress. Variability in seepage-associated microorganisms, DOM, and metabolic diversity further drives microbiome dynamics. These findings highlight the dual vulnerability of groundwater systems to acute or chronic pressures and the need for sustainable management to mitigate hydroclimatic extremes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2ffa054d325d4e4fa6aaa49bb8c3863c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-2ffa054d325d4e4fa6aaa49bb8c3863c2025-08-24T11:52:26ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-08-016111510.1038/s43247-025-02680-9Groundwater microbiomes balance resilience and vulnerability to hydroclimatic extremesHe Wang0Martina Herrmann1Simon A. Schroeter2Christian Zerfaß3Robert Lehmann4Katharina Lehmann5Arina Ivanova6Georg Pohnert7Gerd Gleixner8Susan E. Trumbore9Kai Uwe Totsche10Kirsten Küsel11Aquatic Geomicrobiology, Institute of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University JenaAquatic Geomicrobiology, Institute of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University JenaDepartment Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for BiogeochemistryDepartment of Bioorganic Analytics, Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University JenaDepartment of Hydrogeology, Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University JenaDepartment of Hydrogeology, Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University JenaDepartment Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for BiogeochemistryCluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University JenaGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle–Jena–LeipzigDepartment Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for BiogeochemistryCluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University JenaAquatic Geomicrobiology, Institute of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University JenaAbstract Groundwater health is increasingly threatened by climate change, which alters precipitation patterns, leading to groundwater recharge shifts. These shifts impact subsurface microbial communities, crucial for maintaining ecosystem functions. In this decade-long study of carbonate aquifers, we analyzed 815 bacterial 16S rRNA gene datasets, 226 dissolved organic matter (DOM) profiles, 387 metabolomic datasets, and 174 seepage microbiomes. Our findings reveal distinct short- and long-term temporal patterns of groundwater microbiomes driven by environmental fluctuations. Microbiomes of hydrologically connected aquifers exhibit lower temporal stability due to stochastic processes and greater susceptibility to surface disturbances, yet demonstrate remarkable resilience. Conversely, more isolated aquifer microbiomes resist short-term changes, governed by deterministic processes, but exhibit reduced stability under prolonged stress. Variability in seepage-associated microorganisms, DOM, and metabolic diversity further drives microbiome dynamics. These findings highlight the dual vulnerability of groundwater systems to acute or chronic pressures and the need for sustainable management to mitigate hydroclimatic extremes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02680-9 |
| spellingShingle | He Wang Martina Herrmann Simon A. Schroeter Christian Zerfaß Robert Lehmann Katharina Lehmann Arina Ivanova Georg Pohnert Gerd Gleixner Susan E. Trumbore Kai Uwe Totsche Kirsten Küsel Groundwater microbiomes balance resilience and vulnerability to hydroclimatic extremes Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Groundwater microbiomes balance resilience and vulnerability to hydroclimatic extremes |
| title_full | Groundwater microbiomes balance resilience and vulnerability to hydroclimatic extremes |
| title_fullStr | Groundwater microbiomes balance resilience and vulnerability to hydroclimatic extremes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Groundwater microbiomes balance resilience and vulnerability to hydroclimatic extremes |
| title_short | Groundwater microbiomes balance resilience and vulnerability to hydroclimatic extremes |
| title_sort | groundwater microbiomes balance resilience and vulnerability to hydroclimatic extremes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02680-9 |
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