Prokaryotic community diversity in the sediments of saline lagoons and its resistance to seasonal disturbances by water level cycles

Apart from having high concentrations of salt, some natural saline wetlands also go through cyclical fluctuations in water level. They are frequently considered vulnerable habitats. In the last decades, reduction rainfall many areas, coupled with fertilizer overuse, is transforming wetlands, especially climates a pronounced dry season. We studied seasonally flooded wetland, and focused on changes microbial communities. High-throughput sequencing was used to explore diversity structure prokaryotic communities present surface sediments. A soil salinity gradient along different lagoons wetland complex observed. Salinity affected both richness composition. The highest observed lower salinity. Statistical analysis suggests that differences community composition were associated level, although an anthropic disturbance (increasing levels organic matter, SOM) predominantly one lagoon had noticeable effect. Sorting samples using beta distances revealed among due distinct habitats, is, lagoon’s SOM, not level cycles. Differences between dry-out seasons explored linear model showed only small number OTUs (2.5%) statistical seasons. Our findings will help understanding effects drying-out periods, which increasing problems worldwide, may have their resistance seasonal levels.