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Calvo-Martin E, Teira E, Álvarez-Salgado XA, Rocha C, Jiang S, Justel-Díez M, Ibánhez JSP. On the hidden diversity and niche specialization of the microbial realm of subterranean estuaries. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:5859-5881. [PMID: 36054689 PMCID: PMC10087554 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Subterranean estuaries (STEs) modulate the chemical composition of continental groundwater before it reaches the coast, but their microbial community is poorly known. Here, we explored the microbial ecology of two neighbouring, yet contrasting STEs (Panxón and Ladeira STEs; Ría de Vigo, NW Iberian Peninsula). We investigated microbial composition (16S rRNA gene sequencing), abundance, heterotrophic production and their geochemical drivers. A total of 10,150 OTUs and 59 phyla were retrieved from porewater sampled during four surveys covering each STE seepage face. In both STEs, we find a very diverse microbial community composed by abundant cosmopolitans and locally restricted rare taxa. Porewater oxygen and dissolved organic matter are the main environmental predictors of microbial community composition. More importantly, the high variety of benthic microbiota links to biogeochemical processes of different elements in STEs. The oxygen-rich Panxón beach showed strong associations of the ammonium oxidizing archaea Nitrosopumilales with the heterotrophic community, thus acting as a net source of nitrogen to the coast. On the other hand, the prevailing anoxic conditions of Ladeira beach promoted the dominance of anaerobic heterotrophs related to the degradation of complex and aromatic compounds, such as Dehalococcoidia and Desulfatiglans, and the co-occurrence of methane oxidizers and methanogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Calvo-Martin
- Organic Geochemistry Lab, Department of Oceanography, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Vigo, Spain.,PhD Program in Marine Science, Technology and Management, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Eva Teira
- Departamento de Ecología y Biología Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Centro de Investigación Mariña da Universidade de Vigo (CIM-UVigo), Vigo, Spain
| | - Xosé Antón Álvarez-Salgado
- Organic Geochemistry Lab, Department of Oceanography, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Vigo, Spain
| | - Carlos Rocha
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Shan Jiang
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.,State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Maider Justel-Díez
- Departamento de Ecología y Biología Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Centro de Investigación Mariña da Universidade de Vigo (CIM-UVigo), Vigo, Spain
| | - Juan Severino Pino Ibánhez
- Organic Geochemistry Lab, Department of Oceanography, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Vigo, Spain.,School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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2
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Ruiz‐González C, Rodríguez‐Pie L, Maister O, Rodellas V, Alorda‐Keinglass A, Diego‐Feliu M, Folch A, Garcia‐Orellana J, Gasol JM. High spatial heterogeneity and low connectivity of bacterial communities along a Mediterranean subterranean estuary. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5745-5764. [PMID: 36112071 PMCID: PMC9827943 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Subterranean estuaries are biogeochemically active coastal sites resulting from the underground mixing of fresh aquifer groundwater and seawater. In these systems, microbial activity can largely transform the chemical elements that may reach the sea through submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), but little is known about the microorganisms thriving in these land-sea transition zones. We present the first spatially-resolved characterization of the bacterial assemblages along a coastal aquifer in the NW Mediterranean, considering the entire subsurface salinity gradient. Combining bulk heterotrophic activity measurements, flow cytometry, microscopy and 16S rRNA gene sequencing we find large variations in prokaryotic abundances, cell size, activity and diversity at both the horizontal and vertical scales that reflect the pronounced physicochemical gradients. The parts of the transect most influenced by freshwater were characterized by smaller cells and lower prokaryotic abundances and heterotrophic production, but some activity hotspots were found at deep low-oxygen saline groundwater sites enriched in nitrite and ammonium. Diverse, heterogeneous and highly endemic communities dominated by Proteobacteria, Patescibacteria, Desulfobacterota and Bacteroidota were observed throughout the aquifer, pointing to clearly differentiated prokaryotic niches across these transition zones and little microbial connectivity between groundwater and Mediterranean seawater habitats. Finally, experimental manipulations unveiled large increases in community heterotrophic activity driven by fast growth of some rare and site-specific groundwater Proteobacteria. Our results indicate that prokaryotic communities within subterranean estuaries are highly heterogeneous in terms of biomass, activity and diversity, suggesting that their role in transforming nutrients will also vary spatially within these terrestrial-marine transition zones.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Olena Maister
- Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM‐CSIC)BarcelonaSpain
| | - Valentí Rodellas
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA‐UAB)Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - Aaron Alorda‐Keinglass
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA‐UAB)Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - Marc Diego‐Feliu
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA‐UAB)Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain,Departament de FísicaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - Albert Folch
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversitat Politècnica de CatalunyaBarcelonaSpain,Associated Unit: Hydrogeology Group (UPC‐CSIC)BarcelonaSpain
| | - Jordi Garcia‐Orellana
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA‐UAB)Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain,Departament de FísicaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
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3
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Korbel KL, Greenfield P, Hose GC. Agricultural practices linked to shifts in groundwater microbial structure and denitrifying bacteria. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 807:150870. [PMID: 34627912 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Irrigation enhances the connectivity between the surface and groundwater by facilitating the transport of energy sources and oxygen. When combined with fertilisers, the impact on groundwater microbial communities and their interactions with nitrogen cycling in aquifers is poorly understood. This study examines the impact of different landuses (irrigated and non-irrigated) on groundwater microbial communities. A total of 38 wells accessing shallow aquifers in three sub-catchments of the Murray Darling Basin, Australia, were sampled for water chemistry and microbial community structure using environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques. All sub-catchments showed evidence of intense irrigation and groundwater contamination with total nitrogen, nitrates and phosphorus concentrations often well above background, with total nitrogen concentrations up to 70 mg/L and nitrate concentration up to 18 mg/L. Across sub-catchments there was high microbial diversity, with differences in community structure and function between catchments and landuses. Of the 1100 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) recorded, 47 OTUs were common across catchments with species from Woesearchaeota, Nitrospirales, Nitrosopumilales and Acidobacter taxonomic groups contributing greatly to groundwater microbial communities. Within non-irrigated sites, groundwaters contained similar proportions of nitrifying and denitrifying capable taxa, whereas irrigated sites had significantly higher abundances of microbes with nitrifying rather than denitrifying capabilities. Microbial diversity was lower in irrigated sites in the Macquarie catchment. These results indicate that irrigated landuses impact microbial community structure and diversity within groundwaters and suggest that the ratios of denitrifying to nitrifying capable microbes as well as specific orders (e.g., Nitrososphaerales) may be useful to indicate long-term nitrogen contamination of groundwaters. Such research is important for understanding the biogeochemical processes that are key predictors of redox state and contamination of groundwater by N species and other compounds. This will help to predict human impacts on groundwater microbial structure, diversity, and ecosystem functions, aiding the long-term management groundwater resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- K L Korbel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia.
| | | | - G C Hose
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia
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4
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Ruiz-González C, Rodellas V, Garcia-Orellana J. The microbial dimension of submarine groundwater discharge: current challenges and future directions. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:6128669. [PMID: 33538813 PMCID: PMC8498565 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the relevance of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) for ocean biogeochemistry, the microbial dimension of SGD remains poorly understood. SGD can influence marine microbial communities through supplying chemical compounds and microorganisms, and in turn, microbes at the land–ocean transition zone determine the chemistry of the groundwater reaching the ocean. However, compared with inland groundwater, little is known about microbial communities in coastal aquifers. Here, we review the state of the art of the microbial dimension of SGD, with emphasis on prokaryotes, and identify current challenges and future directions. Main challenges include improving the diversity description of groundwater microbiota, characterized by ultrasmall, inactive and novel taxa, and by high ratios of sediment-attached versus free-living cells. Studies should explore microbial dynamics and their role in chemical cycles in coastal aquifers, the bidirectional dispersal of groundwater and seawater microorganisms, and marine bacterioplankton responses to SGD. This will require not only combining sequencing methods, visualization and linking taxonomy to activity but also considering the entire groundwater–marine continuum. Interactions between traditionally independent disciplines (e.g. hydrogeology, microbial ecology) are needed to frame the study of terrestrial and aquatic microorganisms beyond the limits of their presumed habitats, and to foster our understanding of SGD processes and their influence in coastal biogeochemical cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Ruiz-González
- Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC). Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, E08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Valentí Rodellas
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Jordi Garcia-Orellana
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E08193 Bellaterra, Spain.,Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E08193 Bellaterra, Spain
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5
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van Driezum IH, Chik AHS, Jakwerth S, Lindner G, Farnleitner AH, Sommer R, Blaschke AP, Kirschner AKT. Spatiotemporal analysis of bacterial biomass and activity to understand surface and groundwater interactions in a highly dynamic riverbank filtration system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 627:450-461. [PMID: 29426167 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Characterization of surface water - groundwater interaction in riverbank filtration (RBF) systems is of decisive importance to drinking water utilities due to the increasing microbial and chemical contamination of surface waters. These interactions are commonly assessed by monitoring changes in chemical water quality, but this might not be indicative for microbial contamination. The hydrological dynamics of the infiltrating river can influence these interactions, but seasonal temperature fluctuations and the supply of oxygen and nutrients from the surface water can also play a role. In order to understand the interaction between surface water and groundwater in a highly dynamic RBF system of a large river, bacterial abundance, biomass and carbon production as well as standard chemical parameters were analyzed during a 20 month period under different hydrological conditions. In the investigated RBF system, groundwater table changes exhibited striking dynamics even though flow velocities were rather low under regular discharge conditions. Bacterial abundance, biomass, and bacterial carbon production decreased significantly from the river towards the drinking water abstraction well. The cell size distribution changed from a higher proportion of large cells in the river, towards a higher proportion of small cells in the groundwater. Although biomass and bacterial abundance were correlated to water temperatures and several other chemical parameters in the river, such correlations were not present in the groundwater. In contrast, the dynamics of the bacterial groundwater community was predominantly governed by the hydrogeological dynamics. Especially during flood events, large riverine bacteria infiltrated further into the aquifer compared to average discharge conditions. With such information at hand, drinking water utilities are able to improve their water abstraction strategies and react quicker to changing hydrological conditions in the RBF system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge H van Driezum
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, Technische Universität Wien, E222/2, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria; Centre for Water Resource Systems, Technische Universität Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Alex H S Chik
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, N2L 3G1 Waterloo, ON, Canada.
| | - Stefan Jakwerth
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Medical University Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Gerhard Lindner
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, Technische Universität Wien, E222/2, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria; Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Medical University Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Centre for Water Resource Systems, Technische Universität Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria; Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics, Institute for Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, 166/5/3, Technische Universität Wien, Gumpendorferstrasse 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria; Department for Water Quality and Health, Karl Landsteiner University for Health Sciences, Dr. Karl Dorrek Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria.
| | - Regina Sommer
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Medical University Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Alfred Paul Blaschke
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, Technische Universität Wien, E222/2, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria; Centre for Water Resource Systems, Technische Universität Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Alexander K T Kirschner
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Water Hygiene, Medical University Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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Shirokova VL, Enright AML, Kennedy CB, Ferris FG. Thermal intensification of microbial Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox cycling in a pristine shallow sand aquifer on the Canadian Shield. WATER RESEARCH 2016; 106:604-612. [PMID: 27780075 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2016.10.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
This investigation evaluates spatial relationships between summer (July) groundwater temperatures and Fe(II)/Fe(III) biogeochemical cycling over a five year period in a shallow pristine sand aquifer at Meilleurs Bay near Deep River, Ontario, Canada. A warm subsurface thermal island of 12.5-16.1 °C, compared to background conditions of 10-11 °C, was manifest in contour maps of average groundwater temperature over the study period. The warm zone coincided with an area of convergent groundwater flow, implicating horizontal heat transfer by advective convection as the reason for elevated temperatures. Additionally, high concentrations of dissolved Fe(II) and Fe(III) overlapped the warm thermal island, indicative of increased rates of bacterial Fe(II)-oxidation and Fe(III)-reduction. A depletion in the modal abundance of Fe(II)-bearing minerals, notably amphibole and biotite, inside the area of the warm thermal island was also observed, suggesting enhanced mineral dissolution owing to chemoautotrophic Fe(II)-oxidation coupled to the reduction and fixation of dissolved inorganic carbon as biomass. Throughout the aquifer, redox conditions were poised in terms of Eh and pH close to equilibrium with respect to the Fe(II)/Fe(OH)3 couple, feasibly enabling simultaneous bacterial Fe(II)-oxidation and Fe(III)-reduction with an adequate supply of electron acceptors and donors, respectively. The significance of higher groundwater temperature as a determinant of elevated dissolved Fe(II) and Fe(III) concentrations induced by thermal intensification of microbial biogeochemical activities yielded Pearson product-moment correlations in which temperature alone, as a single independent variable, explains almost 30 to nearly 60 percent of the variation in the measured dissolved Fe(II) and Fe(III) concentrations in the groundwater. These results emphasize the important influence of thermal conditions on biogeochemical processes in aquifers coupled to the development of steep gradients in groundwater quality over short distances in shallow unconfined groundwater systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- V L Shirokova
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, M5S 3B1, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - A M L Enright
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, M5S 3B1, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - C B Kennedy
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, M5S 3B1, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - F G Ferris
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, M5S 3B1, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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7
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Zhou Y, Kellermann C, Griebler C. Spatio-temporal patterns of microbial communities in a hydrologically dynamic pristine aquifer. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2012; 81:230-42. [PMID: 22452537 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01371.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2011] [Revised: 03/19/2012] [Accepted: 03/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonal patterns of groundwater and sediment microbial communities were explored in a hydrologically dynamic alpine oligotrophic porous aquifer, characterized by pronounced groundwater table fluctuations. Rising of the groundwater level in consequence of snow melting water recharge was accompanied by a dramatic drop of bacterial Shannon diversity in groundwater from H' = 3.22 ± 0.28 in autumn and winter to H' = 1.31 ± 0.35 in spring and summer, evaluated based on T-RFLP community fingerprinting. Elevated numbers of bacteria in groundwater in autumn followed nutrient inputs via recharge from summer rains and correlated well with highest concentrations of assimilable organic carbon. Sterile sediments incubated to groundwater in monitoring wells were readily colonized reaching maximum cell densities within 2 months, followed by a consecutive but delayed increase and leveling-off of bacterial diversity. After 1 year of incubation, the initially sterile sediments exhibited a similar number of bacteria and Shannon diversity when compared to vital sediment from a nearby river incubated in parallel. The river bed sediment microbial communities hardly changed in composition, diversity, and cell numbers during 1 year of exposure to groundwater. Summing up, the seasonal hydrological dynamics were found to induce considerable dynamics of microbial communities suspended in groundwater, while sediment communities seem unaffected and stable in terms of biomass and diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiang Zhou
- Institute of Groundwater Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, GmbH, Neuherberg, Germany
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8
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Lin X, McKinley J, Resch CT, Kaluzny R, Lauber CL, Fredrickson J, Knight R, Konopka A. Spatial and temporal dynamics of the microbial community in the Hanford unconfined aquifer. ISME JOURNAL 2012; 6:1665-76. [PMID: 22456444 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2012.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA genes was used to study temporal dynamics of groundwater bacteria and archaea over 10 months within three well clusters separated by ~30 m and located 250 m from the Columbia River on the Hanford Site, WA. Each cluster contained three wells screened at different depths ranging from 10 to 17 m that differed in hydraulic conductivities. Representative samples were selected for analyses of prokaryotic 16S and eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene copy numbers. Temporal changes in community composition occurred in all nine wells over the 10-month sampling period. However, there were particularly strong effects near the top of the water table when the seasonal rise in the Columbia River caused river water intrusion at the top of the aquifer. The occurrence and disappearance of some microbial assemblages (such as Actinobacteria ACK-M1) were correlated with river water intrusion. This seasonal impact on microbial community structure was greater in the shallow saturated zone than deeper zone in the aquifer. Spatial and temporal patterns for several 16S rRNA gene operational taxonomic units associated with particular physiological functions (for example, methane oxidizers and metal reducers) suggests dynamic changes in fluxes of electron donors and acceptors over an annual cycle. In addition, temporal dynamics in eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene copies and the dominance of protozoa in 18S clone libraries suggest that bacterial community dynamics could be affected not only by the physical and chemical environment but also by top-down biological control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueju Lin
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
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Ayuso SV, Guerrero MDC, Montes C, López-Archilla AI. Regulation and spatiotemporal patterns of extracellular enzyme activities in a coastal, sandy aquifer system (Doñana, SW Spain). MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2011; 62:162-176. [PMID: 21484497 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-011-9853-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2010] [Accepted: 03/23/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
A seasonal study of extracellular enzyme activities (EEA) was conducted in the coastal, sandy aquifer system located in the greater fluvial-littoral ecosystem of Doñana (SW, Spain). Glucosidase, leucine aminopeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, and phenol oxidase activities were determined over a 2-year period in 30 piezometers spread in an area of approximately 100 km(2). Taking into account all enzymes, piezometers, and seasons, EEA ranged over several orders of magnitude, from 1.01 × 10(-5) ± 2.92 × 10(-6) to 1.37 ± 0.13 nmol (methylumbelliferyl, amido-4-methylcoumarin, or dihydroxyphenylalanine) mL(-1) h(-1). The quality, much more than the quantity, of organic matter and nutrients seemed to be the major variables that controlled the spatiotemporal patterns showed by EEA. EEA patterns obtained in this study agree with several functional models of microbial communities, such as optimal resource allocation and nutrient co-limitation. This study probably represents the first one in which these functional models have been tested in subsurface systems. Results obtained in this study seem to suggest that microbial communities inhabiting groundwaters in Doñana are not dead or compromised cells. By contrast, these communities play relevant roles in carbon and nutrient cycling, continue with the decomposition process that begins in the sediments of the shallow lakes located in the area, provide remineralized carbon and nutrients to producers of these surface aquatic systems, and close energy and matter cycles. This study proposes that groundwater systems should be considered dynamic systems, comparable in functional complexity to surface systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Velasco Ayuso
- Dirección de Estudios de Agua y Medio Ambiente, Área de Medio Ambiente Hídrico, Centro de Estudios Hidrográficos, CEDEX, Ministerio de Fomento, Paseo bajo de la Virgen del Puerto 3, 28005, Madrid, Spain.
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10
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Stein H, Kellermann C, Schmidt SI, Brielmann H, Steube C, Berkhoff SE, Fuchs A, Hahn HJ, Thulin B, Griebler C. The potential use of fauna and bacteria as ecological indicators for the assessment of groundwater quality. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 12:242-54. [DOI: 10.1039/b913484k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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11
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Longnecker K, Da Costa A, Bhatia M, Kujawinski EB. Effect of carbon addition and predation on acetate-assimilating bacterial cells in groundwater. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2009; 70:456-70. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2009.00767.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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