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Background <p>Decomposition of brine shrimp carcasses has a crucial role in carbon cycling of saline lakes, yet the microbial dynamics remain poorly understood.</p> Results <p>Here we integrated metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, culturomics, metabolomics, and microcosm experiments to investigate microbial community succession and function during brine shrimp (<i>Artemia</i> sp.) carcass decomposition in Barkol Lake, a hypersaline lake in China. A total of 149 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) and 77 pure culture genomes were recovered across 33 phyla, with 72.12% genomes representing species-level novel lineages. Our results reveal diverse bacterial and archaeal taxa, including novel lineages from CG03, T1Sed10-126 and rare archaeal taxa (<i>Asgardarchaeota</i>, <i>Thermoplasmatota</i>, <i>Nanoarchaeota</i>, and <i>Halobacteriota</i>), involved in degradation of biomacromolecules—proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids—via extracellular hydrolysis, nutrient transport, and intracellular catabolism. These taxa exhibit substrate preferences, rapidly responding to the breakdown of polysaccharides and proteins, followed by lipids and nucleic acids. Hydrolyzed oligomers are further oxidized by various microbes through fermentation, sulfate reduction, and methanogenesis via metabolic handoffs. Additionally, viral auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) further enhance microbial host functions, contributing to key ecological processes such as carbon cycling and stress response. A temporally structured microbial decomposer network (MDN) was observed, driving mineralization cascades from fermentation to sulfate reduction and methanogenesis.</p> Conclusions <p>This study reveals microbial metabolic handoffs and virus-mediated modulation as critical mechanisms for organic matter turnover, expanding the known diversity and function of decomposers in saline ecosystems. Our findings offer new insights into biogeochemical processes in saline lakes and highlight a synergistic microbial decomposer network involving bacteria, archaea, and viruses that collectively drive nutrient cycling during brine shrimp carcass decomposition.</p> <p><MediaObject ID="MOESM3"> <VideoObject FileRef="MediaObjects/40168_2026_2361_MOESM3_ESM.mp4" VideoID="2LfiC5YNnq1qSEM2R3ayp9"> <Caption Language="En" xml:lang="en"> <CaptionContent> <p>Video Abstract</p> </CaptionContent> </Caption> </VideoObject> </MediaObject></p>

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Microbial decomposer diversity and metabolic function during the decomposition of brine shrimp carcasses in a saline lake

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月31日

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  • Lei Gao,
  • Bao-Zhu Fang,
  • Jian Yang,
  • Zheng-Han Lian,
  • Ying Chen,
  • Osama Abdalla Abdelshafy Mohamad,
  • Qing-Yu Xu,
  • Yong-Hong Liu,
  • Dildar Wu,
  • Yang Yuan,
  • Rashidin Abdugheni,
  • Meng-Meng Li,
  • Pandeng Wang,
  • Maite Ortúzar,
  • Xin-Yao Li,
  • Jian-Rong Huang,
  • Lan Liu,
  • Hong-Chen Jiang,
  • Wensheng Shu,
  • Brian P. Hedlund,
  • Wen-Jun Li,
  • Jian-Yu Jiao

摘要

Background

Decomposition of brine shrimp carcasses has a crucial role in carbon cycling of saline lakes, yet the microbial dynamics remain poorly understood.

Results

Here we integrated metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, culturomics, metabolomics, and microcosm experiments to investigate microbial community succession and function during brine shrimp (Artemia sp.) carcass decomposition in Barkol Lake, a hypersaline lake in China. A total of 149 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) and 77 pure culture genomes were recovered across 33 phyla, with 72.12% genomes representing species-level novel lineages. Our results reveal diverse bacterial and archaeal taxa, including novel lineages from CG03, T1Sed10-126 and rare archaeal taxa (Asgardarchaeota, Thermoplasmatota, Nanoarchaeota, and Halobacteriota), involved in degradation of biomacromolecules—proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids—via extracellular hydrolysis, nutrient transport, and intracellular catabolism. These taxa exhibit substrate preferences, rapidly responding to the breakdown of polysaccharides and proteins, followed by lipids and nucleic acids. Hydrolyzed oligomers are further oxidized by various microbes through fermentation, sulfate reduction, and methanogenesis via metabolic handoffs. Additionally, viral auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) further enhance microbial host functions, contributing to key ecological processes such as carbon cycling and stress response. A temporally structured microbial decomposer network (MDN) was observed, driving mineralization cascades from fermentation to sulfate reduction and methanogenesis.

Conclusions

This study reveals microbial metabolic handoffs and virus-mediated modulation as critical mechanisms for organic matter turnover, expanding the known diversity and function of decomposers in saline ecosystems. Our findings offer new insights into biogeochemical processes in saline lakes and highlight a synergistic microbial decomposer network involving bacteria, archaea, and viruses that collectively drive nutrient cycling during brine shrimp carcass decomposition.

Video Abstract