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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.05.19.726157

Microbial network rewiring mediates the function-biosafety trade-off in transboundary Pamir lakes

Gu, Y.·Liu, Z.·Liu, C.·Gou, X.·Ji, Y.·Wang, B.·Liu, X.·Jiang, J.
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Abstract

The Pamir Plateau is a transboundary water tower whose source lakes serve as critical biogeochemical hubs with implications for downstream freshwater security. However, it remains unclear how environmental shifts in these high-altitude lakes reshape the microbial communities that drive ecosystem functioning and water safety. Here, we conducted a multi-omics survey across 20 lakes spanning Chinese and Tajikistani Pamir. Our results revealed that prokaryotes exhibited lower diversity but higher among-lake connectivity in China, while eukaryotes showed higher diversity but stronger dispersal limitation. These contrasting biogeographic responses triggered profound rewiring of microbial associations. Under intensified anthropogenic pressures, Chinese cross-kingdom networks decoupled from environmental constraints and became more centralized and complex. Conversely, Tajikistani lakes maintained more modular networks governed by hydrochemical filtering. Critically, this rewiring mediated a trade-off between multifunctionality and potential biosafety risk, with higher element cycling abundances in Chinese lakes, whereas Tajikistani lakes harbored larger biosafety burden dominated by virulence, pathogen, and toxic-algae potential. Incorporating network topology also substantially improved the prediction of these ecological consequences. These findings highlight the importance of network-informed monitoring and management strategies to safeguard ecosystem sustainability in transboundary Pamir lakes under global change.

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Gu, Y., Liu, Z., Liu, C., Gou, X., Ji, Y., Wang, B., Liu, X., Jiang, J.. 2026-05-19. Microbial network rewiring mediates the function-biosafety trade-off in transboundary Pamir lakes. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.19.726157

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