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Xu F, Li P. Biogeochemical mechanisms of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) in groundwater and soil profiles in the Zhongning section of the Weining Plain (northwest China). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 939:173506. [PMID: 38815819 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
High levels of Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) in soils may contribute to secondary contamination of groundwater. However, there is limited understanding of the cycling mechanisms of Fe and Mn in groundwater and soil. This study aimed to investigate the biogeochemical processes constituting the Fe and Mn cycle by combining hydrochemistry, sequential extraction and microbiological techniques. The results indicated a similar vertical distribution pattern of Fe and Mn, with lower levels of the effective form (EFC-Fe/Mn) observed at the oxygenated surface, increasing near the groundwater table and decreasing below it. Generally, there was a tendency for accumulation above the water table, with Mn exhibiting a higher release potential compared to Fe. Iron‑manganese oxides (Ox-Fe/Mn) dominated the effective forms, with Fe and Mn in the soil entering groundwater through the reduction dissolution of Ox-Fe/Mn and the oxidative degradation of organic matter or sulfide (OM-Fe/Mn). Correlation analysis revealed that Fe and Mn tend to accumulate in media with fine particles and high organic carbon (TOC) contents. 16S rRNA sequencing analysis disclosed significant variation in the abundance of microorganisms associated with Fe and Mn transformations among unsaturated zone soils, saturated zone media and groundwater, with Fe/Mn content exerting an influence on microbial communities. Furthermore, functional bacterial identification results from the FAPROTAX database show a higher abundance of iron-oxidizing bacteria (9.3 %) in groundwater, while iron and manganese-reducing bacteria are scarce in both groundwater and soil environments. Finally, a conceptual model of Fe and Mn cycling was constructed, elucidating the biogeochemical processes in groundwater and soil environments. This study provides a new perspective for a deeper understanding of the environmental fate of Fe and Mn, which is crucial for mitigating Fe and Mn pollution in groundwater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Xu
- School of Water and Environment, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an 710054, Shaanxi, China; Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of the Ministry of Education, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an 710054, Shaanxi, China; Key Laboratory of Eco-hydrology and Water Security in Arid and Semi-arid Regions of the Ministry of Water Resources, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an 710054, Shaanxi, China
| | - Peiyue Li
- School of Water and Environment, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an 710054, Shaanxi, China; Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of the Ministry of Education, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an 710054, Shaanxi, China; Key Laboratory of Eco-hydrology and Water Security in Arid and Semi-arid Regions of the Ministry of Water Resources, Chang'an University, No. 126 Yanta Road, Xi'an 710054, Shaanxi, China.
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Aldas-Vargas A, Hauptfeld E, Hermes GDA, Atashgahi S, Smidt H, Rijnaarts HHM, Sutton NB. Selective pressure on microbial communities in a drinking water aquifer - Geochemical parameters vs. micropollutants. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 299:118807. [PMID: 35007672 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Groundwater quality is crucial for drinking water production, but groundwater resources are increasingly threatened by contamination with pesticides. As pesticides often occur at micropollutant concentrations, they are unattractive carbon sources for microorganisms and typically remain recalcitrant. Exploring microbial communities in aquifers used for drinking water production is an essential first step towards understanding the fate of micropollutants in groundwater. In this study, we investigated the interaction between groundwater geochemistry, pesticide presence, and microbial communities in an aquifer used for drinking water production. Two groundwater monitoring wells in The Netherlands were sampled in 2014, 2015, and 2016. In both wells, water was sampled from five discrete depths ranging from 13 to 54 m and was analyzed for geochemical parameters, pesticide concentrations and microbial community composition using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and qPCR. Groundwater geochemistry was stable throughout the study period and pesticides were heterogeneously distributed at low concentrations (μg L-1 range). Microbial community composition was also stable throughout the sampling period. Integration of a unique dataset of chemical and microbial data showed that geochemical parameters and to a lesser extent pesticides exerted selective pressure on microbial communities. Microbial communities in both wells showed similar composition in the deeper aquifer, where pumping results in horizontal flow. This study provides insight into groundwater parameters that shape microbial community composition. This information can contribute to the future implementation of remediation technologies to guarantee safe drinking water production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Aldas-Vargas
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700, EV Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ernestina Hauptfeld
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700, EV Wageningen, the Netherlands; Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 8033, 6700, EH Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Gerben D A Hermes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 8033, 6700, EH Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Siavash Atashgahi
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 8033, 6700, EH Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hauke Smidt
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 8033, 6700, EH Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Huub H M Rijnaarts
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700, EV Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Nora B Sutton
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700, EV Wageningen, the Netherlands.
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Dong Y, Sanford RA, Connor L, Chee-Sanford J, Wimmer BT, Iranmanesh A, Shi L, Krapac IG, Locke RA, Shao H. Differential structure and functional gene response to geochemistry associated with the suspended and attached shallow aquifer microbiomes from the Illinois Basin, IL. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 202:117431. [PMID: 34320445 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite the clear ecological significance of the microbiomes inhabiting groundwater and connected ecosystems, our current understanding of their habitats, functionality, and the ecological processes controlling their assembly have been limited. In this study, an efficient pipeline combining geochemistry, high-throughput FluidigmTM functional gene amplification and sequencing was developed to analyze the suspended and attached microbial communities inhabiting five groundwater monitoring wells in the Illinois Basin, USA. The dominant taxa in the suspended and the attached microbial communities exhibited significantly different spatial and temporal changes in both alpha- and beta-diversity. Further analyses of representative functional genes affiliated with N2 fixation (nifH), methane oxidation (pmoA), and sulfate reduction (dsrB, and aprA), suggested functional redundancy within the shallow aquifer microbiomes. While more diversified functional gene taxa were observed for the suspended microbial communities than the attached ones except for pmoA, different levels of changes over time and space were observed between these functional genes. Notably, deterministic and stochastic ecological processes shaped the assembly of microbial communities and functional gene reservoirs differently. While homogenous selection was the prevailing process controlling assembly of microbial communities, the neutral processes (e.g., dispersal limitation, drift and others) were more important for the functional genes. The results suggest complex and changing shallow aquifer microbiomes, whose functionality and assembly vary even between the spatially proximate habitats and fractions. This research underscored the importance to include all the interface components for a more holistic understanding of the biogeochemical processes in aquifer ecosystems, which is also instructive for practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiran Dong
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Robert A Sanford
- Department of Geology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Liang Shi
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
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Zelaya AJ, Parker AE, Bailey KL, Zhang P, Van Nostrand J, Ning D, Elias DA, Zhou J, Hazen TC, Arkin AP, Fields MW. High spatiotemporal variability of bacterial diversity over short time scales with unique hydrochemical associations within a shallow aquifer. WATER RESEARCH 2019; 164:114917. [PMID: 31387058 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.114917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding microbial community structure and function within the subsurface is critical to assessing overall quality and maintenance of groundwater; however, the factors that determine microbial community assembly, structure, and function in groundwater systems and their impact on water quality remains poorly understood. In this study, three shallow wells (FW301, FW303, FW305) in a non-contaminated shallow aquifer in the ENIGMA-Oak Ridge Field Research Center (Oak Ridge, TN) were sampled approximately 3 times a week over a period of three months to measure changes in groundwater geochemistry and microbial diversity. It was expected that the sampled microbial diversity from two historic field wells (FW301, FW303) would be relatively stable, while diversity from a newer well (FW305) would be less stable over time. The wells displayed some degree of hydrochemical variability over time unique to each well, with FW303 being overall the most stable well and FW301 being the most dynamic based upon dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and nitrate. Community analysis via ss-rRNA paired-end sequencing and distribution-based clustering revealed higher OTU richness, diversity, and variability in groundwater communities of FW301 than the other two wells for diversity binned over all time points. Microbial community composition of a given well was on average > 50% dissimilar to any other well at a given time (days), yet, functional gene diversity as measured with GeoChip remained relatively constant. Similarities in community structure across wells were observed with respect to the presence of 20 shared bacterial groups in all samples in all wells, although at varying levels over the tested time period. Similarity percentage (SIMPER) analysis revealed that variability in FW301 was largely attributed to low abundance, highly-transient populations, while variability in the most hydrochemically stable well (FW303) was due to fluctuations in more highly abundant and frequently present taxa. Additionally, the youngest well FW305 showed a dramatic shift in community composition towards the end of the sampling period that was not observed in the other wells, suggesting possible succession events over time. Time-series analysis using vector auto-regressive models and Granger causality showed unique relationships between richness and geochemistry over time in each well. These results indicate temporally dynamic microbial communities over short time scales, with day-to-day population shifts in local community structure influenced by available source community diversity and local groundwater hydrochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna J Zelaya
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA; Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Albert E Parker
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA; Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Kathryn L Bailey
- Division of Environmental Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Ping Zhang
- Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Joy Van Nostrand
- Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Daliang Ning
- Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Dwayne A Elias
- Division of Environmental Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Jizhong Zhou
- Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Terry C Hazen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennesee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Adam P Arkin
- Department of Bioengineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Matthew W Fields
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA; Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
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Smith HJ, Zelaya AJ, De León KB, Chakraborty R, Elias DA, Hazen TC, Arkin AP, Cunningham AB, Fields MW. Impact of hydrologic boundaries on microbial planktonic and biofilm communities in shallow terrestrial subsurface environments. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2018; 94:5107865. [PMID: 30265315 PMCID: PMC6192502 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiy191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Subsurface environments contain a large proportion of planetary microbial biomass and harbor diverse communities responsible for mediating biogeochemical cycles important to groundwater used by human society for consumption, irrigation, agriculture and industry. Within the saturated zone, capillary fringe and vadose zones, microorganisms can reside in two distinct phases (planktonic or biofilm), and significant differences in community composition, structure and activity between free-living and attached communities are commonly accepted. However, largely due to sampling constraints and the challenges of working with solid substrata, the contribution of each phase to subsurface processes is largely unresolved. Here, we synthesize current information on the diversity and activity of shallow freshwater subsurface habitats, discuss the challenges associated with sampling planktonic and biofilm communities across spatial, temporal and geological gradients, and discuss how biofilms may be constrained within shallow terrestrial subsurface aquifers. We suggest that merging traditional activity measurements and sequencing/-omics technologies with hydrological parameters important to sediment biofilm assembly and stability will help delineate key system parameters. Ultimately, integration will enhance our understanding of shallow subsurface ecophysiology in terms of bulk-flow through porous media and distinguish the respective activities of sessile microbial communities from more transient planktonic communities to ecosystem service and maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- H J Smith
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
- ENIGMA (www.enigma.lbl.gov) Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS:977, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - A J Zelaya
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
- ENIGMA (www.enigma.lbl.gov) Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS:977, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - K B De León
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
- ENIGMA (www.enigma.lbl.gov) Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS:977, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - R Chakraborty
- Climate and Ecosystems Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
- ENIGMA (www.enigma.lbl.gov) Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS:977, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - D A Elias
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
- ENIGMA (www.enigma.lbl.gov) Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS:977, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - T C Hazen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
- ENIGMA (www.enigma.lbl.gov) Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS:977, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - A P Arkin
- Department of Bioengineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
- ENIGMA (www.enigma.lbl.gov) Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS:977, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - A B Cunningham
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
- Department of Civil Engineering, Montana State University, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
| | - M W Fields
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
- ENIGMA (www.enigma.lbl.gov) Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS:977, Berkeley, CA 94720
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