Phylum‐level diversity of the microbiome of the extremophilic basidiomycete fungus Pisolithus arhizus (Scop.) Rauschert: An island of biodiversity in a thermal soil desert

We used high‐throughput DNA sequencing methods combined with bio‐geochemical profiles to characterize the internal environment and community structure of the microbiome of the basidiomycete fungus Pisolithus arhizus (Scop.) Rauschert from soils within a geothermal feature of Yellowstone National Park. Pisolithus arhizus is unique in that it forms closed fruiting bodies that sequester visible sulfur within. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis demonstrates that the P. arhizus fruiting body also concentrates copper, manganese, nickel, and zinc and contains pure granular silica. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) analysis indicates an environment rich in hydrocarbons. Oxygen probe analysis reveals that zones of up to 4× atmospheric oxygen exist within nanometers of zones of near anoxia. Analysis of microbial community structure using high‐throughput DNA sequencing methods shows that the fruiting body supports a microbiome that reflects the physiochemical environment of the fruiting body. Diversity and richness measures indicate a microbiome that is significantly richer and more diverse than that of the soils in which P. arhizus grows. Further, P. arhizus sporocarps are enriched significantly in Proteobacteria (primarily Burkholderia) Gemmatimonadetes, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Nitrospirae, Elusimicrobia, and Latescibacteria (WS3) while soils are enriched in Actinobacteria (primarily Mycobacterium), Dormibacteraeota (AD3), and Eremiobacteraeota (WPS‐2). Finally, pairwise % similarity comparisons indicate that P. arhizus harbors two lineages that may represent new groups in the candidate phylum radiation (CPR). Together, these results demonstrate that P. arhizus provides a novel environment for microbiome studies and provides for interesting hypotheses regarding the evolution, origins, and functions of symbioses and novel microbes.
This work describes the microbiome of the thermophilic fungus Pisolithus arhizus. Pisolithus arhizus creates an energy‐rich island refugium habitat in a thermal soil desert that harbors microbial community that is distinct from parent soils and includes deeply diverging novel lineages. The results demonstrate that P. arhizus provides for interesting hypotheses regarding the evolution, origins, and functions of symbioses and novel microbes.