Martín Cereceda, María MercedesDe Cos-Gandoy, AmayaWilliams, Richard Alexander JohnElliott, DavidSerrano Bellón, AndreaPérez Uz, María BlancaSánchez Jiménez, Abel2025-01-162025-01-162024-11-16Martín-Cereceda, M.; de Cos-Gandoy, A.; Williams, R.A.J.; Elliott, D.; Serrano-Bellón, A.; Pérez-Uz, B.; Sanchez-Jimenez, A. Cast from the Past? Microbial Diversity of a Neolithic Stone Circle. Microorganisms 2024, 12, 2338. https://doi.org/10.3390/ microorganisms121123382076-260710.3390/ microorganisms12112338https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/114636This research was funded by Project Santander-UCM Ref: PR44/21-29928. A.S.-B. was funded by the “Programa Investigo-MITES 2023-2024” for young researchers.We studied the microbial diversity colonizing limestone rock pools at a Neolithic Monument (Arbor Low, Derbyshire, England). Five pools were analyzed: four located at the megaliths of the stone circle and one pool placed at the megalith at the Gib Hill burial mound 300 m distant. Samples were taken from rock pool walls and sediments, and investigated through molecular metabarcoding. The microbiome consisted of 23 phyla of bacteria (831 OTUs), 4 phyla of archaea (19 OTUs), and 27 phyla of microbial eukarya (596 OTUs). For bacteria, there were statistically significant differences in wall versus sediment populations, but not between pools. For archaea and eukarya, significant differences were found only between pools. The most abundant bacterial phylum in walls was Cyanobacteriota, and Pseudomonadota in sediments. For archaea and microbial eukarya, the dominant phyla were Euryarcheota and Chlorophyta, respectively, in both wall and sediments. The distant pool (P5) showed a markedly different community structure in phyla and species, habitat discrimination, and CHN content. Species sorting and dispersal limitation are discussed as mechanisms structuring the microbiome assemblages and their spatial connectivity. The Arbor Low microbiome is composed of terrestrial representatives common in extreme environments. The high presence of Cyanobacteriota and Chlorophyta in the Arbor Low stones is troubling, as these microorganisms can induce mechanical disruption by penetrating the limestone matrix through endolithic/chasmoendolithic growth. Future research should focus on the metabolic traits of strains to ascertain their implication in bioweathering and/or biomineralization.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/journal articlehttps://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12112338https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/11/2338open access579902579.8Arbor LowNeolithic monumentMicrobiomeCyanobacteriotaPseudomonadotaEuryarcheotaChlorophytaSpatial connectivityMethanogensNitrogen-oxidizing archaeaMicrobiología (Biología)Arqueología2414 Microbiología5505.01 Arqueología2414.04 Bacteriología