Novel nematode species in living stromatolites in the Andean Puna

ROMINA ELISA DALMEIDA; MARCIA ELIZABETH GARCÍA; MARÍA FLORENCIA PÉREZ; MARÍA EUGENIA FARÍAS; JULIÁN RAFAEL DIB

Invertebrate Zoology

Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Moscow State University

Lugar: Moscow; Año: 2019 vol. 16 p. 211 - 218

1812-9250

The recently discovered “living” stromatolites in the Argentinean Puna areconsidered one of the most extreme stromatolites found so far. A rich biodiversity ofbacteria and archaea were previously reported in such stromatolites. As nematodes are themost numerous multicellular animals on Earth, the aim of this work was to investigate theirpresence in the stromatolites from Socompa lake at 3570 meters above sea level (masl).Nematodes were extracted and identified as belonging to the Monhysteridae family, with91–92% homology to Diplolaimella dievengatensis. The phylogenetic analysis suggestedthey are novel species and probably belong to a new genus. This study represents the firstreport related to the presence of novel nematodes in such peculiar stromatolites. Knowingtheir functions and genetic features involved in the adaptation to these harsh conditionscould help to elucidate important aspects about the ecological impact of these organisms inhostile environments.