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At least 523 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

In Situ Detection of Amino Acids from Bacterial Biofilms and Plant Root Exudates by Liquid Microjunction Surface-Sampling Probe Mass Spectrometry

The plant rhizosphere is a complex and dynamic chemical environment where the exchange of molecular signals between plants, microbes, and fungi drives the development of the entire biological system. Exogenous compounds in the rhizosphere are known to affect plant-microbe organization, interactions between organisms, and ultimately, growth and survivability. The function of exogenous compounds in the rhizosphere is still under much investigation, specifically with respect to their roles in plant growth and development, the assembly of the associated microbial community, and the spatiotemporal distribution of molecular components. A major challenge for spatiotemporal measurements is developing a nondisruptive and nondestructive technique capable of analyzing the exogenous compounds contained within the environment. A methodology using liquid microjunction-surface sampling probe-mass spectrometry (LMJ-SSP-MS) and microfluidic devices with attached microporous membranes was developed for in situ, spatiotemporal measurement of amino acids (AAs) from bacterial biofilms and plant roots. Exuded arginine was measured from a living Pantoea YR 343 biofilm, which resulted in a chemical image indicative of biofilm growth within the device. Spot sampling along the roots of Populus trichocarpa with the LMJ-SSP-MS resulted in the detection of 15 AAs. Of note, variation in AA concentrations across the root system was observed, indicating that exudation is not homogeneous and may be linked to local rhizosphere architecture and different biological processes along the root.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

62°S Witnesses the Transition of Boundary Layer Marine Aerosol Pattern Over the Southern Ocean (50°S–68°S, 63°E– 150°E) During the Spring and Summer: Results From MARCUS (I)

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Mobile Facility-2 was installed onboard the research vessel Aurora Australis to measure aerosol properties during the 2017-2018 Measurement of Aerosols, Radiation, and CloUds over the pristine Southern ocean (MARCUS) Experiment, providing unique data on aerosols latitudinal and seasonal variation, including south of 60 degrees S where previous observations are scarce. Data from a Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) counter and Ultra-High-Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer show that both the number concentration (N-CCN) and size distribution of CCN-active aerosols, with diameters (D) between 60 nm < D < 1,000 nm are different over the North Southern Ocean (NSO) (50 degrees S-60 degrees S) and the South Southern Ocean (SSO) (62 degrees S-68 degrees S). The average NSO N-CCN at 0.2% and 0.5% supersaturation were 28% and 49% less than that over the SSO. This increase of CCN over the SSO is caused by the increase of aerosols with 60 nm < D < 200 nm, consistent with calculations of Aerosol Scattering Angstrom Exponents derived from a nephelometer. Aerosol hygroscopicity growth factor measured by the Hygroscopic Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer stayed close to 1.41 for aerosols with 50 nm < D < 250 nm over the SSO, but increased from 1.30 to 1.67 over the NSO, indicating different chemical compositions. Both CCN and Ice Nucleating Particles (INPs) showed a stronger variation with season than with latitude. The variation of heat-labile and presumably proteinacous INPs suggests an increase of ice nucleating-active microbes in summer.

Niu, Qing↗
DOE OSTI2020

Activity-based cell sorting reveals responses of uncultured archaea and bacteria to substrate amendment

Metagenomic studies have revolutionized our understanding of the metabolic potential of uncultured microorganisms in various ecosystems. However, many of these genomic predictions have yet to be experimentally tested, and the functional expression of genomic potential often remains unaddressed. In order to obtain a more thorough understanding of cell physiology, novel techniques capable of testing microbial metabolism under close to in situ conditions must be developed. Here, we provide a benchmark study to demonstrate that bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) in combination with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing can be used to identify anabolically active members of a microbial community incubated in the presence of various growth substrates or under changing physicochemical conditions. We applied this approach to a hot spring sediment microbiome from Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, USA) and identified several microbes that changed their activity levels in response to substrate addition, including uncultured members of the phyla Thaumarchaeota, Acidobacteria, and Fervidibacteria. Because shifts in activity in response to substrate amendment or headspace changes are indicative of microbial preferences for particular growth conditions, results from this and future BONCAT-FACS studies could inform the development of cultivation media to specifically enrich uncultured microbes. Most importantly, BONCAT-FACS is capable of providing information on the physiology of uncultured organisms at as close to in situ conditions as experimentally possible.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dissecting the dominant hot spring microbial populations based on community-wide sampling at single-cell genomic resolution

With advances in DNA sequencing and miniaturized molecular biology workflows, rapid and affordable sequencing of single-cell genomes has become a reality. Compared to 16S rRNA gene surveys and shotgun metagenomics, large-scale application of single-cell genomics to whole microbial communities provides an integrated snapshot of community composition and function, directly links mobile elements to their hosts, and enables analysis of population heterogeneity of the dominant community members. To that end, we sequenced nearly 500 single-cell genomes from a low diversity hot spring sediment sample from Dewar Creek, British Columbia, and compared this approach to 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomics applied to the same sample. We found that the broad taxonomic profiles were similar across the three sequencing approaches, though several lineages were missing from the 16S rRNA gene amplicon dataset, likely the result of primer mismatches. At the functional level, we detected a large array of mobile genetic elements present in the single-cell genomes but absent from the corresponding same species metagenome-assembled genomes. Moreover, we performed a single-cell population genomic analysis of the three most abundant community members, revealing differences in population structure based on mutation and recombination profiles. While the average pairwise nucleotide identities were similar across the dominant species-level lineages, we observed differences in the extent of recombination between these dominant populations. Most intriguingly, the creek's Hydrogenobacter sp. population appeared to be so recombinogenic that it more closely resembled a sexual species than a clonally evolving microbe. Together, this work demonstrates that a randomized single-cell approach can be useful for the exploration of previously uncultivated microbes from community composition to population structure.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Microbial biofilms as living photoconductors due to ultrafast electron transfer in cytochrome OmcS nanowires

Light-induced microbial electron transfer has potential for efficient production of value-added chemicals, biofuels and biodegradable materials owing to diversified metabolic pathways. However, most microbes lack photoactive proteins and require synthetic photosensitizers that suffer from photocorrosion, photodegradation, cytotoxicity, and generation of photoexcited radicals that are harmful to cells, thus severely limiting the catalytic performance. Therefore, there is a pressing need for biocompatible photoconductive materials for efficient electronic interface between microbes and electrodes. Here we show that living biofilms of Geobacter sulfurreducens use nanowires of cytochrome OmcS as intrinsic photoconductors. Photoconductive atomic force microscopy shows up to 100-fold increase in photocurrent in purified individual nanowires. Photocurrents respond rapidly (<100 ms) to the excitation and persist reversibly for hours. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and quantum dynamics simulations reveal ultrafast (~200 fs) electron transfer between nanowire hemes upon photoexcitation, enhancing carrier density and mobility. Our work reveals a new class of natural photoconductors for whole-cell catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Climate warming and elevated CO 2 alter peatland soil carbon sources and stability

Peatlands are an important carbon (C) reservoir storing one-third of global soil organic carbon (SOC), but little is known about the fate of these C stocks under climate change. Here, we examine the impact of warming and elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration (eCO 2 ) on the molecular composition of SOC to infer SOC sources (microbe-, plant- and fire-derived) and stability in a boreal peatland. We show that while warming alone decreased plant- and microbe-derived SOC due to enhanced decomposition, warming combined with eCO 2 increased plant-derived SOC compounds. We further observed increasing root-derived inputs (suberin) and declining leaf/needle-derived inputs (cutin) into SOC under warming and eCO 2 . The decline in SOC compounds with warming and gains from new root-derived C under eCO 2 , suggest that warming and eCO 2 may shift peatland C budget towards pools with faster turnover. Together, our results indicate that climate change may increase inputs and enhance decomposition of SOC potentially destabilising C storage in peatlands.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Standardized multi-omics of Earth’s microbiomes reveals microbial and metabolite diversity

Despite advances in sequencing, lack of standardization makes comparisons across studies challenging and hampers insights into the structure and function of microbial communities across multiple habitats on a planetary scale. Here we present a multi-omics analysis of a diverse set of 880 microbial community samples collected for the Earth Microbiome Project. We include amplicon (16S, 18S, ITS) and shotgun metagenomic sequence data, and untargeted metabolomics data (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography mass spectrometry). We used standardized protocols and analytical methods to characterize microbial communities, focusing on relationships and co-occurrences of microbially related metabolites and microbial taxa across environments, thus allowing us to explore diversity at extraordinary scale. In addition to a reference database for metagenomic and metabolomic data, we provide a framework for incorporating additional studies, enabling the expansion of existing knowledge in the form of an evolving community resource. We demonstrate the utility of this database by testing the hypothesis that every microbe and metabolite is everywhere but the environment selects. Our results show that metabolite diversity exhibits turnover and nestedness related to both microbial communities and the environment, whereas the relative abundances of microbially related metabolites vary and co-occur with specific microbial consortia in a habitat-specific manner. We additionally show the power of certain chemistry, in particular terpenoids, in distinguishing Earth’s environments (for example, terrestrial plant surfaces and soils, freshwater and marine animal stool), as well as that of certain microbes including Conexibacter woesei (terrestrial soils), Haloquadratum walsbyi (marine deposits) and Pantoea dispersa (terrestrial plant detritus). This Resource provides insight into the taxa and metabolites within microbial communities from diverse habitats across Earth, informing both microbial and chemical ecology, and provides a foundation and methods for multi-omics microbiome studies of hosts and the environment.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Soil microbiome engineering for sustainability in a changing environment

Recent advances in microbial ecology and synthetic biology have the potential to mitigate damage caused by anthropogenic activities that are deleteriously impacting Earth’s soil ecosystems. Here, we discuss challenges and opportunities for harnessing natural and synthetic soil microbial communities, focusing on plant growth promotion under different scenarios. We explore current needs for microbial solutions in soil ecosystems, how these solutions are being developed and applied, and the potential for new biotechnology breakthroughs to tailor and target microbial products for specific applications. We highlight several scientific and technological advances in soil microbiome engineering, including characterization of microbes that impact soil ecosystems, directing how microbes assemble to interact in soil environments, and the developing suite of gene-engineering approaches. This Review underscores the need for an interdisciplinary approach to understand the composition, dynamics and deployment of beneficial soil microbiomes to drive efforts to mitigate or reverse environmental damage by restoring and protecting healthy soil ecosystems.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Manipulation of the Gut Microbiome Alters Acetaminophen Biodisposition in Mice

The gut microbiota is a vast and diverse microbial community that has co-evolved with its host to perform a variety of essential functions involved in the utilization of nutrients and the processing of xenobiotics. Shifts in the composition of gut microbiota can disturb the balance of organisms which can infuence the biodisposition of orally administered drugs. To determine how changes in the gut microbiome can alter drug disposition, the pharmacokinetics (PK), and biodistribution of acetaminophen were assessed in C57Bl/6 mice after treatment with the antibiotics ciprofoxacin, amoxicillin, or a cocktail of ampicillin/neomycin. Altered PK, and excretion profles of acetaminophen were observed in antibiotic exposed animals. Plasma C max was signifcantly decreased in antibiotic treated animals suggesting decreased bioavailability. Urinary metabolite profles revealed decreases in acetaminophen-sulfate metabolite levels in both the amoxicillin and ampicillin/neomycin treated animals. The ratio between urinary and fecal excretion was also altered in antibiotic treated animals. Analysis of gut microbe composition revealed that changes in microbe content in antibiotic treated animals was associated with changes in acetaminophen biodisposition. These results suggest that exposure to amoxicillin or ampicillin/neomycin can alter the biodisposition of acetaminophen and that these alterations could be due to changes in gut microbiome composition.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mineralogy of microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitates formed using single cell drop-based microfluidics

Microbe-mineral interactions are ubiquitous and can facilitate major biogeochemical reactions that drive dynamic Earth processes such as rock formation. One example is microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) in which microbial activity leads to the formation of calcium carbonate precipitates. A majority of MICP studies have been conducted at the mesoscale but fundamental questions persist regarding the mechanisms of cell encapsulation and mineral polymorphism. Here, we are the first to investigate and characterize precipitates on the microscale formed by MICP starting from single ureolytic E. coli MJK2 cells in 25 µm diameter drops. Mineral precipitation was observed over time and cells surrounded by calcium carbonate precipitates were observed under hydrated conditions. Using Raman microspectroscopy, amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) was observed first in the drops, followed by vaterite formation. ACC and vaterite remained stable for up to 4 days, possibly due to the presence of organics. The vaterite precipitates exhibited a dense interior structure with a grainy exterior when examined using electron microscopy. Autofluorescence of these precipitates was observed possibly indicating the development of a calcite phase. The developed approach provides an avenue for future investigations surrounding fundamental processes such as precipitate nucleation on bacteria, microbe-mineral interactions, and polymorph transitions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interactions between microbial diversity and substrate chemistry determine the fate of carbon in soil.

Microbial decomposition drives the transformation of plant-derived substrates into microbial products that form stable soil organic matter (SOM). Recent theories have posited that decomposition depends on an interaction between SOM chemistry with microbial diversity and resulting function. Here, we explicitly test these theories by coupling quantitative stable isotope probing and metabolomics to track the fate of 13C enriched substrates that vary in chemical composition as they are assimilated by microbes and transformed into new metabolic products in soil. We found that mycorrhizal-driven differences in forest nutrient economies (e.g., nutrient cycling, microbial competition) led to arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) soils harboring greater micro8ial diversity than ectomycorrhizal (ECM) soils. When incubated with 13C enriched substrates, substrate type drove shifts in the identity of active decomposers and their metabolic products in the highly diverse AM soils. The decomposition pathways were more static in the less diverse, ECM soil. Importantly, the majority of these shifts were driven by taxa only present in the AM soil suggesting a strong link between microbial identity and specialized function. Collectively, these results highlight an important interaction between ecosystem-level processes and microbial diversity; whereby the identity and function of active decomposers impacts the composition of decomposition products that can form stable SOM.

Raczka, Nanette↗
DOE OSTI2023

The environmental controls on efficiency of enhanced rock weathering in soils

Abstract Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) in soils is a promising carbon removal technology, but the realistically achievable efficiency, controlled primarily by in situ weathering rates of the applied rocks, is highly uncertain. Here we explored the impacts of coupled biogeochemical and transport processes and a set of primary environmental and operational controls, using forsterite as a proxy mineral in soils and a multiphase multi-component reactive transport model considering microbe-mediated reactions. For a onetime forsterite application of ~ 16 kg/m 2 , complete weathering within five years can be achieved, giving an equivalent carbon removal rate of ~ 2.3 kgCO 2 /m 2 /yr. However, the rate is highly variable based on site-specific conditions. We showed that the in situ weathering rate can be enhanced by conditions and operations that maintain high CO 2 availability via effective transport of atmospheric CO 2 (e.g. in well-drained soils) and/or sufficient biogenic CO 2 supply (e.g. stimulated plant–microbe processes). Our results further highlight that the effect of increasing surface area on weathering rate can be significant—so that the energy penalty of reducing the grain size may be justified—only when CO 2 supply is nonlimiting. Therefore, for ERW practices to be effective, siting and engineering design (e.g. optimal grain size) need to be co-optimized.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Benefits of symbiotic ectomycorrhizal fungi to plant water relations depend on plant genotype in pinyon pine

Rhizosphere microbes, such as root-associated fungi, can improve plant access to soil resources, affecting plant health, productivity, and stress tolerance. While mycorrhizal associations are ubiquitous, plant–microbe interactions can be species specific. Here we show that the specificity of the effects of microbial symbionts on plant function can go beyond species level: colonization of roots by ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) of the genus Geopora has opposite effects on water uptake, and stomatal control of desiccation in drought tolerant and intolerant genotypes of pinyon pine (Pinus edulis Engelm.). These results demonstrate, for the first time, that microorganisms can have significant and opposite effects on important plant functional traits like stomatal control of desiccation that are associated with differential mortality and growth in nature. They also highlight that appropriate pairing of plant genotypes and microbial associates will be important for mitigating climate change impacts on vegetation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

iVirus 2.0: Cyberinfrastructure-supported tools and data to power DNA virus ecology

Microbes drive myriad ecosystem processes, but under strong influence from viruses. Because studying viruses in complex systems requires different tools than those for microbes, they remain underexplored. To combat this, we previously aggregated double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) virus analysis capabilities and resources into ‘iVirus’ on the CyVerse collaborative cyberinfrastructure. Here we substantially expand iVirus’s functionality and accessibility, to iVirus 2.0, as follows. First, core iVirus apps were integrated into the Department of Energy’s Systems Biology KnowledgeBase (KBase) to provide an additional analytical platform. Second, at CyVerse, 20 software tools (apps) were upgraded or added as new tools and capabilities. Third, nearly 20-fold more sequence reads were aggregated to capture new data and environments. Finally, documentation, as “live” protocols, was updated to maximize user interaction with and contribution to infrastructure development. Together, iVirus 2.0 serves as a uniquely central and accessible analytical platform for studying how viruses, particularly dsDNA viruses, impact diverse microbial ecosystems.

Bolduc, Benjamin (ORCID:0000000324200755)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Vitamin B12 conveys a protective advantage to phycosphere-associated bacteria at high temperatures

Abstract Many marine microbes require vitamin B12 (cobalamin) but are unable to synthesize it, necessitating reliance on other B12-producing microbes. Thus, phytoplankton and bacterioplankton community dynamics can partially depend on the production and release of a limiting resource by members of the same community. We tested the impact of temperature and B12 availability on the growth of two bacterial taxa commonly associated with phytoplankton: Ruegeria pomeroyi, which produces B12 and fulfills the B12 requirements of some phytoplankton, and Alteromonas macleodii, which does not produce B12 but also does not strictly require it for growth. For B12-producing R. pomeroyi, we further tested how temperature influences B12 production and release. Access to B12 significantly increased growth rates of both species at the highest temperatures tested (38 °C for R. pomeroyi, 40 °C for A. macleodii) and A. macleodii biomass was significantly reduced when grown at high temperatures without B12, indicating that B12 is protective at high temperatures. Moreover, R. pomeroyi produced more B12 at warmer temperatures but did not release detectable amounts of B12 at any temperature tested. Results imply that increasing temperatures and more frequent marine heatwaves with climate change will influence microbial B12 dynamics and could interrupt symbiotic resource sharing.

Mars Brisbin, Margaret (ORCID:0000000177560039)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Developing reactors for electrifying bio-methanation: a perspective from bio-electrochemistry

The integration of microbial synthesis with renewable electricity is an emerging route for both CO 2 utilization and seasonal energy storage in the form of stored bio-electrofuels. The major benefits of electrifying bioreactors include: using highly selective bio-catalysts for CO 2 conversion under mild reaction conditions; decoupling the production of more facile electrochemical intermediates, such as hydrogen, at the electrode from the production of bio-catalyzed multi-electron and/or carbon products, such as methane or acetate; using microbes as robust and self-regenerating catalysts enabling higher efficiency and durability in CO 2 conversion systems compared to inorganic catalysis. In this Perspective, we propose research aimed at developing electro-bioreactor components that will increase the productivity of the reactor while maintaining high energy efficiency and biocompatible reaction conditions to fully realize the benefits of electrified bioreactors. Furthermore, these developments include: flow reactors with tailored 3D electrodes to optimally use the reactor volume, electrocatalysts designed for peak performance in neutral pH electrolytes, high conductivity microbial media, and new membrane separator materials with high ion conductivity and low gas permeability. Production of methane via a hybrid electrical-biological approach is taken as a case study to motivate these developments. Finally, an iterative design–manufacture–test cycle, enabled by additive manufacturing and 3D printing technologies, is proposed to rapidly prototype components prior to large-scale manufacturing.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

X-ray absorption spectroscopy and theoretical investigations of the effect of extended ligands in potassium organic matter interaction

Potassium (K) is an essential nutrient for plant growth, and despite its abundance in soil, most of the K is structurally bound in minerals, limiting its bioavailability and making this soil K reservoir largely inaccessible to plants. Microbial biochemical weathering has been shown to be a promising pathway to sustainably increase plant available K. However, the mechanisms underpinning microbial K uptake, transformation, storage, and sharing are poorly resolved. Here, to better understand the controls on microbial K transformations, we performed K K-edge x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy on K-organic salts, including acetate, citrate, nitrate, oxalate, and tartrate, which are frequently observed as low molecular weight organic acids secreted by soil microbes, as well as humic acid, which acts as a proxy for higher molecular weight organic acids. The organic salts display feature-rich K XANES spectra, each demonstrating numerous unique features spanning ~13 eV range across the absorption edge. In contrast, the spectra for humic acid have one broad, wide feature across the same energy range. We used a combination of time-dependent density functional theory and the Bethe–Salpeter equation based approach within the OCEAN code to simulate the experimental spectra for K-nitrate (KNO 3 ) and K-citrate [K 3 (C 6 H 5 O 7 )·H 2 O] to identify the electronic transitions that give rise to some of the outlying and unique spectral features in the organic salts. KNO 3 has both the lowest and highest lying energy features, and K 3 (C 6 H 5 O 7 )·H 2 O is produced by several soil microbes and is effective at mineral weathering. Our results analyze the K-organic salt bonding in detail to elucidate why the spectral shapes differ and indicate that the K K-edge XANES spectra are associated with the entire ligand despite similar first-shell bonding environments around the K center. The improved understanding of K bonding environments with organic ligands and their use for interpretation of the K-XANES spectra provides an important toolkit to understand how K is transformed by microbial processes and made bioavailable for plant uptake.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Plant ecological genomics at the limits of life in the Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert in Chile—hyperarid and with high–ultraviolet irradiance levels—is one of the harshest environments on Earth. Yet, dozens of species grow there, including Atacama-endemic plants. Herein, we establish the Talabre–Lejía transect (TLT) in the Atacama as an unparalleled natural laboratory to study plant adaptation to extreme environmental conditions. We characterized climate, soil, plant, and soil–microbe diversity at 22 sites (every 100 m of altitude) along the TLT over a 10-y period. We quantified drought, nutrient deficiencies, large diurnal temperature oscillations, and pH gradients that define three distinct vegetational belts along the altitudinal cline. Further, we deep-sequenced transcriptomes of 32 dominant plant species spanning the major plant clades, and assessed soil microbes by metabarcoding sequencing. The top-expressed genes in the 32 Atacama species are enriched in stress responses, metabolism, and energy production. Moreover, their root-associated soils are enriched in growth-promoting bacteria, including nitrogen fixers. To identify genes associated with plant adaptation to harsh environments, we compared 32 Atacama species with the 32 closest sequenced species, comprising 70 taxa and 1,686,950 proteins. To perform phylogenomic reconstruction, we concatenated 15,972 ortholog groups into a supermatrix of 8,599,764 amino acids. Using two codon-based methods, we identified 265 candidate positively selected genes (PSGs) in the Atacama plants, 64% of which are located in Pfam domains, supporting their functional relevance. For 59/184 PSGs with an Arabidopsis ortholog, we uncovered functional evidence linking them to plant resilience. As some Atacama plants are closely related to staple crops, these candidate PSGs are a “genetic goldmine” to engineer crop resilience to face climate change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗