Análisis metagenómico de suelos antárticos y su potencial aplicación para la recuperación de tierras afectadas por la desertificación

Abstract

Soils are highly diverse ecosystems. Even extreme environments such as Antarctica have been the subject of study due to the complexity of their microbial communities, which thrive in a particularly fragile environment threatened by global warming. On the other hand, in other regions of the planet, sterile and degraded soils represent a growing problem, characterized by weakened native microbiomes that fail to adapt to adverse environmental conditions. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the potential of Antarctic soil as a solution for the rehabilitation of lands affected by desertification. To this end, NGS sequencing technologies were used along with taxonomic and functional metagenomic analyses on three rhizospheric soil samples collected on the Antarctic Peninsula of King George Island. The data obtained were processed to identify coding sequences (CDS). In addition, specialized databases such as EggNOG, CAZy, NCyc, PCyc, and PGPFinder were used to detect genes involved in cellular metabolism and the main biogeochemical cycles that support soil functionality. Three dominant bacterial phyla were identified: Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria, with a taxonomic richness of up to 1,580 species. At the functional level, key genes and pathways associated with the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles were identified. Furthermore, PGP genes linked to biofertilization processes, phytohormone synthesis, and heavy metal detoxification and xenobiotic compounds were found. Mechanisms of tolerance to abiotic stress (especially drought and osmoprotection) were also observed, along with a notable abundance of genes related to root colonization. This study demonstrates that Antarctic soil microbiomes contain genes with high biotechnological value, which could contribute to the improvement of soils affected by desertification. Its potential application in bioaugmentation processes represents an innovative alternative to the challenges of soil degradation globally.