Sulfolobus islandicus meta‐populations in Yellowstone National Park hot springs

Research reveals that Sulfolobus islandicus populations in Yellowstone National Park's hot springs are structured into independent meta-populations, shaped by geographic isolation and abiotic factors like spring size and landscape position. While geochemistry influences regional population differentiation, temporal changes in these populations are not explained by corresponding geochemical variations. Instead, events such as storm-induced destabilization of smaller springs, leading to extinction or bottleneck effects, drive high variation over time. The study used deep amplicon sequencing to analyze 148 unique alleles at two loci across seven hot springs sampled over three years, providing evidence for low migration between springs and the dominance of local selective forces.

Campbell, K. M., Kouris, A., England, W., Anderson, R. E., McCleskey, R. B., Nordstrom, D. K., & Whitaker, R. J. (2017). Sulfolobus islandicus meta‐populations in Yellowstone National Park hot springs. Environmental Microbiology, 19(6), 2334–2347. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13728