The Early Microbial Colonizers of a Short-Lived Volcanic Island in the Kingdom of Tonga
Nicholas B. Dragone, Kerry Whittaker, Olivia M. Lord, Emily A. Burke, Helen Dufel, Emily Benton Hite, Farley Miller, Gabrielle Page, D. A. Slayback, Noah Fierer
Abstract
The volcanic island of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai in the Kingdom of Tonga represents a very rare example of new island formation and thus a unique opportunity to study how organisms colonize a new landmass. We found that the island was colonized by diverse microbial communities shortly after its formation in 2015, with these microbes likely originating from nearby geothermal environments. Primary succession in this system was distinct from that typically observed in other terrestrial environments, with the early microbial colonizers relying on unique metabolic strategies to survive on the surface of this newly formed island, including the capacity to generate energy via sulfur and trace gas metabolism.