Where less may be more: how the rare biosphere pulls ecosystems strings

Type Article
Date 2017-04
Language English
Author(s) Jousset Alexandre1, Bienhold Christina2, 3, Chatzinotas AntonisORCID4, 5, Gallien LaureORCID6, 7, Gobet AngeliqueORCID8, Kurm Viola9, Kuesel Kirsten5, 10, Rillig Matthias C.11, 12, Rivett Damian W.13, Salles Joana F.14, Van Der Heijden Marcel G. A.15, 16, 17, Youssef Noha H.18, Zhang XiaoweiORCID19, Wei Zhong20, Hol W. H. Gera9
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Utrecht, Dept Biol, Inst Environm Biol, Ecol & Biodivers Grp, Utrecht, Netherlands.
2 : Helmholtz Ctr Polar & Marine Res, Alfred Wegener Inst, Bremerhaven, Germany.
3 : Max Planck Inst Marine Microbiol, Bremen, Germany.
4 : UFZ Helmholtz Ctr Environm Res, Leipzig, Germany.
5 : German Ctr Integrat Biodivers Res iDiv, Leipzig, Germany.
6 : Swiss Fed Inst Forest Snow & Landscape Res WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
7 : Univ Stellenbosch, Dept Bot & Zool, Ctr Invas Biol, Matieland, South Africa.
8 : Univ Paris 06, Sorbonne Univ, CNRS, Integrat Biol Marine Models,Stn Biol Roscoff,UMR, F-29688 Roscoff, France.
9 : Netherlands Inst Ecol, Dept Terr Ecol, Wageningen, Netherlands.
10 : Univ Jena, Inst Ecol, Jena, Germany.
11 : Free Univ Berlin, Inst Biol, Berlin, Germany.
12 : Berlin Brandenburg Inst Adv Biodivers Res BBIB, Berlin, Germany.
13 : Univ London Imperial Coll Sci Technol & Med, London, England.
14 : Univ Groningen, Groningen Inst Evolutionary Life Sci, Groningen, Netherlands.
15 : Plant Soil Interact, Inst Sustainabil Sci, Agroscope, Zurich, Switzerland.
16 : Univ Zurich, Inst Evolutionary Biol & Environm Studies, Zurich, Switzerland.
17 : Univ Utrecht, Fac Sci, Inst Environm Biol, Plant Microbe Interact, Utrecht, Netherlands.
18 : Oklahoma State Univ, Dept Microbiol & Mol Genet, Stillwater, OK 74078 USA.
19 : Nanjing Univ, Sch Environm, State Key Lab Pollut Control & Resource Reuse, Nanjing, Jiangsu, Peoples R China.
20 : Nanjing Agr Univ, Nanjing, Jiangsu, Peoples R China.
Source Isme Journal (1751-7362) (Nature Publishing Group), 2017-04 , Vol. 11 , N. 4 , P. 853-862
DOI 10.1038/ismej.2016.174
WOS© Times Cited 665
Abstract

Rare species are increasingly recognized as crucial, yet vulnerable components of Earth's ecosystems. This is also true for microbial communities, which are typically composed of a high number of relatively rare species. Recent studies have demonstrated that rare species can have an over-proportional role in biogeochemical cycles and may be a hidden driver of microbiome function. In this review, we provide an ecological overview of the rare microbial biosphere, including causes of rarity and the impacts of rare species on ecosystem functioning. We discuss how rare species can have a preponderant role for local biodiversity and species turnover with rarity potentially bound to phylogenetically conserved features. Rare microbes may therefore be overlooked keystone species regulating the functioning of host-associated, terrestrial and aquatic environments. We conclude this review with recommendations to guide scientists interested in investigating this rapidly emerging research area.

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Jousset Alexandre, Bienhold Christina, Chatzinotas Antonis, Gallien Laure, Gobet Angelique, Kurm Viola, Kuesel Kirsten, Rillig Matthias C., Rivett Damian W., Salles Joana F., Van Der Heijden Marcel G. A., Youssef Noha H., Zhang Xiaowei, Wei Zhong, Hol W. H. Gera (2017). Where less may be more: how the rare biosphere pulls ecosystems strings. Isme Journal, 11(4), 853-862. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2016.174 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00488/59940/