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Human impact on Actinobacteria community revealed by hsp65 marker as a complement to 16S rRNA by metabarcoding approach in natural limestone caves and the Lascaux Cave
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  • Andrea BURESOVA,
  • Jan Kopecky,
  • Marketa SAGOVA-MARECKOVA,
  • Lise Alonso,
  • Florian VAUTRIN,
  • Yvan MOENNE-LOCCOZ,
  • Veronica RODRIGUEZ NAVA
Andrea BURESOVA
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
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Jan Kopecky
Crop Research Institute
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Marketa SAGOVA-MARECKOVA
Crop Research Institute
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Lise Alonso
Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1
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Florian VAUTRIN
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
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Yvan MOENNE-LOCCOZ
Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1
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Veronica RODRIGUEZ NAVA
Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1

Corresponding Author:veronica.rodriguez-nava@univ-lyon1.fr

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Abstract

Actinobacteria are important cave inhabitants, but knowledge of how anthropization and anthropization-related visual marks affect this community on cave walls is missing. We compared Actinobacteria communities among four French limestone caves (Mouflon, Reille, Rouffignac, and Lascaux) ranging from pristine to anthropized and within Lascaux Cave between marked (wall visual marks) and unmarked areas on walls in different rooms (Sas-1, Passage, Apse, and Diaclase). In addition to the 16S rRNA gene marker, 441-bp fragments of hsp65 gene were used for the identification of Actinobacteria to the species level by Illumina-MiSeq analysis. The hsp65 marker revealed higher resolution for species and higher richness (at 99% OTUs cutoff) than did 16S rRNA assessment which, however, identified more taxa at higher taxonomic ranks. Actinobacteria communities varied between Mouflon and Reille caves (both pristine), Rouffignac and Lascaux (both anthropized). Rouffignac displayed high diversity of Nocardia, pointing to human inputs, and Lascaux exhibited high Mycobacterium abundance, whereas Gaiellales were typical in pristine caves and the Diaclase (the least affected area of Lascaux Cave). Within Lascaux, Pseudonocardiaceae dominated on unmarked walls and Streptomycetaceae (especially Streptomyces mirabilis) on marked walls, raising questions on their possible role in the formation of visual marks. Our results show how the use of the hsp65 marker, well beyond the resolution provided by 16S rRNA sequences, enabled for the first time to document species-level variations of the Actinobacteria community according to the extent of anthropogenic pressure. This approach proved effective when comparing different limestone caves or specific conditions within one cave.