Uncovering Hidden Microbial Diversity in Nitrate/Iodide Deposits (NIDs) in the Domeyko District, Atacama Desert, Chile

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dc.contributor.authorCortés, Mayra
dc.contributor.authorAvendaño, Priscilla
dc.contributor.authorEncalada, Olga
dc.contributor.authorSalazar Ardiles, Camila
dc.contributor.authorAndrade, David C.
dc.contributor.authorGómez Silva, Benito
dc.contributor.authorContreras, Daniel
dc.contributor.authorToro, Norman
dc.contributor.authorArias, Dayana
dc.contributor.authorEscudero, Lorena V.
dc.date.accessioned2026-01-21T15:22:30Z
dc.date.available2026-01-21T15:22:30Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractUnique worldwide, nitrate/iodine deposits (NIDs) are located along a 700 km geological belt in the Atacama Desert, Chile. They serve as the primary source of mineral ores for the extraction of iodine, sodium, and potassium nitrates. NIDs have been relatively underexplored from a biological perspective. To address this, we collected sixteen soil samples from abandoned mines in Oficinas Pissis and Savona for chemical, mineralogical, and metagenomic analyses. The soils primarily consisted of halite and darapskite, with only one sample being predominantly composed of thenardite. Deliquescence and water activity measurements yielded values ranging from 0.02% to 0.40% and 0.47 to 0.62, respectively. To investigate the presence, identification, relative abundance, and diversity of microbial life in NID soils, we employed MiSeq high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic tools. The dominant phyla observed were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, with Actinobacteria and Cyanobacteria being predominant in two soil samples. Furthermore, we detected nitrate/perchloratereducing bacterial activity in enriched cultures from the soil samples. This study sheds light on the resilience of microbial life in the Atacama Desert NIDs, providing compelling evidence for its existence and offering insight into factors that could facilitate it within this unique environment.
dc.description.sponsorshipAgencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo-ANID through the projects Fondecyt Initiation # 11150686 and Fondecyt Postdoctoral # 3210675.
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/soilsystems8020046
dc.identifier.issn2571-8789
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorioabierto.uantof.cl/handle/uantof/623
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.sourceSoil Systems
dc.subjectAtacama Desert
dc.subjectdeliquescence
dc.subjectmicrobial diversity
dc.subjectmetagenomics
dc.subjectnitrate/iodide deposits
dc.subjectperchlorate
dc.subjectnitrate/perchlorate reducing bacteria
dc.subjectSalinity
dc.subjectwater activity
dc.titleUncovering Hidden Microbial Diversity in Nitrate/Iodide Deposits (NIDs) in the Domeyko District, Atacama Desert, Chile
dc.typeArticle
oaire.citation.issue2
oaire.citation.volume8
organization.identifier.rorhttps://ror.org/04eyc6d95
organization.legalNameUniversidad de Antofagasta
uantof.identificator.centerCentro de Investigación en Fisiología y Medicina de Altura
uantof.identificator.departmentDepartamento Biomédico
uantof.identificator.facultyFacultad de Ciencias de la Salud
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