ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbiological Chemistry and Geomicrobiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1619203
This article is part of the Research TopicMicrobes in Caves: Biomes, Activities, and Potential ApplicationsView all articles
Exploring microbial dynamics in ferruginous caves: Taxonomic and functional diversity across seasons and cave zones
Provisionally accepted
José Augusto Pires Bitencourt1*
Débora Marina Bandeira2Affonso Celso Gonçalves Jr2Aline Snak2Danielly Cristina Marques de Castro1Rafaela de Lima Ribeiro1
Leandro Argolo1Rafael dos Santos Scherer3
Brenda Almeida Lima2Ulisses Brigatto Albino4
Fabiana Pinto2*- 1Vale Technological Institute (ITV), Belém, Brazil
- 2Western Parana State University, Cascavel, Parana, Brazil
- 3Marabá Speleological Group, Marabá, Brazil
- 4Federal University of South and Southeast of Pará, Marabá, Para, Brazil
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Bacterial communities in ferruginous caves are known for their high diversity and functional adaptability to environmental conditions. In this study, we characterized the taxonomic and potential functional profiles of two iron-rich caves, GEM-1423 and GEM-1462, across photic, dysphotic, and aphotic zones during both rainy and dry seasons. High-throughput sequencing revealed distinct microbial community structures. GEM-1423 showed strong dominance of specific taxa, while GEM-1462 exhibited lower dominance of iron-metabolizing groups and higher beta diversity, particularly in the dry season—indicating a greater degree of species replacement. Notably, iron availability emerged as a key factor influencing microbial dynamics in both caves, affecting community composition and functional pathways. Core genera, such as Bacillus, Acidothermus, Mycobacterium, and Acidisphaera, were associated with nitrogen and carbon cycling, as well as indirect iron solubilization through production of organic acids. Potential functional profiles varied seasonally: energy metabolism was enriched during the dry season, while nutrient cycling pathways were more abundant in the rainy season. We also detected taxa involved in manganese oxidation, urea degradation, and functions with biotechnological relevance, including antimicrobial compound production and metal resistance. These findings highlight the complex interactions between environmental factors, microbial diversity, and ecosystem function in ferruginous caves, and underscore the biotechnological potential of microbial communities from extreme environments.
Keywords: cave microbiome, Chemoheterotrophy, iron metabolism, Metagenomics, Microbial Diversity, Seasonal variation
Received: 27 Apr 2025; Accepted: 01 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bitencourt, Bandeira, Gonçalves Jr, Snak, Marques de Castro, Ribeiro, Argolo, Scherer, Lima, Brigatto Albino and Pinto. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
José Augusto Pires Bitencourt, Vale Technological Institute (ITV), Belém, Brazil
Fabiana Pinto, Western Parana State University, Cascavel, 85819-110, Parana, Brazil
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