Resumen de At the edge of aquatic systems: intermittent streambed microbial communities’ responses to hydrological alterations
Hydrological drought is a process of natural desiccation mainly due to large shortage of rainfall events. Reduced precipitations and prolonged droughts are spreading worldwide and threaten the integrity of aquatic ecosystems.
Most Mediterranean streams have an intermittent flow which may become more variable and with larger duration of their no-flow periods under climate change. The enlargement of the dry period can importantly influence the ecosystem functioning, altering the microbiota inhabiting the streambed sediment as well as the processes they carry out (e.g. nutrients cycling). Consequently, hydrological alterations can reduce, limit or change microbial community functions, structure and composition, and therefore compromise the overall aquatic ecosystem functioning. The main objectives of this thesis are to study the responses of bacteria archaea and fungi inhabiting sediment to prolonged dry phase events and to wet episodes, spacing from punctual rains to rewetting events.
