Dataset Information

Bacterial community responses to a gradient of alkaline mountaintop mine drainage in Central Appalachian streams.

ABSTRACT: Microbial community composition and diversity change along chemical gradients, leading to the expectation that microbial community information might provide new gradient characterizations. Here we examine stream bacteria composition and diversity along a strong chemical gradient in Central Appalachian streams. Coal mining in the region generates alkaline mine drainage (AlkMD), causing dramatic increases in conductivity, alkalinity, sulfate and metals sufficient to degrade stream macrobiota communities throughout the ecoregion. In this study, we examined the relationship between water and biofilm chemistry and biofilm bacteria taxonomic composition in streams where active and reclaimed surface coal mines occupied 0-96% of watershed surface area. We incubated wood veneers in each stream site for 4 months to develop biofilms on similar substrates. We sampled water chemistry at the time of deployment and collection, and after 1 month. Following incubation, we collected biofilms for microbial and chemical characterization. Microbial composition was determined by pyrosequencing 16S rRNA amplicons. Biofilm subsamples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine metal concentrations. Our results show that microbial community composition differed significantly between AlkMD-exposed and AlkMD-unexposed sites, and that compositional dissimilarity increased with AlkMD loading. Diversity was not correlated with pH or extent of upstream mining, but instead correlated with biofilm concentrations of Cd, Mn, Zn and Ni. Within mined sites, the extent of upstream mining was negatively correlated with taxonomic richness. Despite major compositional shifts, functional capacity predicted with PICRUSt (Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States) correlated with mining in only 3 of 43 level-2 KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) Orthology groups.

SUBMITTER: Bier RL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4438324 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Bacterial community responses to a gradient of alkaline mountaintop mine drainage in Central Appalachian streams.

Bier Raven L RL Voss Kristofor A KA Bernhardt Emily S ES

The ISME journal 20141212 6

Microbial community composition and diversity change along chemical gradients, leading to the expectation that microbial community information might provide new gradient characterizations. Here we examine stream bacteria composition and diversity along a strong chemical gradient in Central Appalachian streams. Coal mining in the region generates alkaline mine drainage (AlkMD), causing dramatic increases in conductivity, alkalinity, sulfate and metals sufficient to degrade stream macrobiota commu ...[more]

PMID: 25500511

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Project description:Mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR) has been a major source of landscape change in the Central Appalachians of the United States (US). Changes in stream hydrology, channel geomorphology and water quality caused by MTR coal mining can lead to severe impairment of stream ecological integrity. The objective of the Clean Water Act (CWA) is to restore and maintain the ecological integrity of the Nation's waters. Sensitive, readily measured indicators of ecosystem structure and function are needed for the assessment of stream ecological integrity. Most CWA assessments rely on structural indicators; inclusion of functional indicators could make these assessments more holistic and effective. The goals of this study were: (1) test the efficacy of selected carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling and microbial structural and functional indicators for assessing MTR coal mining impacts on streams; (2) determine whether indicators respond to impacts in a predictable manner; and (3) determine if functional indicators are less likely to change than are structural indicators in response to stressors associated with MTR coal mining. The structural indicators are water quality and sediment organic matter concentrations, and the functional indicators relate to microbial activity and biofilm production. Seasonal measurements were conducted over the course of a year in streams draining small MTR-impacted and forested watersheds in the Twentymile Creek watershed of West Virginia (WV). Five of the eight structural parameters measured had significant responses, with all means greater in the MTR-impacted streams than in the forested streams. These responses resulted from changes in source or augmentation of the original source of the C and N structural parameters because of MTR coal mining. Nitrate concentration and the stable carbon isotopic ratio of dissolved inorganic carbon were the most effective indicators evaluated in this study. Only three of the fourteen functional indicators measured had significant responses to MTR coal mining, with all means greater in the forested streams than in the MTR-impacted streams. These results suggest that stressors associated with MTR coal mining caused reduction in some aspects of microbial cycling, but resource subsidies may have counterbalanced some of the inhibition leading to no observable change in most of the functional indicators. The detritus base, which is thought to confer functional stability, was likely sustained in the MTR-impacted streams by channel storage and/or leaf litter inputs from their largely intact riparian zones. Overall, our results largely support the hypothesis that certain functional processes are more resistant to stress induced change than structural properties but also suggest the difficulty of identifying suitable functional indicators for ecological integrity assessment.

Project description:The microbial community of acid mine drainage (AMD) fascinates researchers by their adaption and roles in shaping the environment. Molecular surveys have recently helped to enhance the understanding of the distribution, adaption strategy, and ecological function of microbial communities in extreme AMD environments. However, the interactions between the environment and microbial community of extremely acidic AMD (pH <3) from different mining areas kept unanswered questions. Here, we measured physicochemical parameters and profiled the microbial community of AMD collected from four mining areas with different mineral types to provide a better understanding of biogeochemical processes within the extremely acidic water environment. The prominent physicochemical differences across the four mining areas were in SO4 2-, metal ions, and temperature, and distinct microbial diversity and community assemblages were also discovered in these areas. Mg2+ and SO4 2- were the predominant factors determining the microbial structure and prevalence of dominant taxa in AMD. Leptospirillum, Ferroplasma, and Acidithiobacillus were abundant but showed different occurrence patterns in AMD from different mining areas. More diverse communities and functional redundancy were identified in AMD of polymetallic mining areas compared with AMD of copper mining areas. Functional prediction revealed iron, sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon metabolisms driven by microorganisms were significantly correlated with Mg2+ and SO4 2-, Ca2+, temperature, and Fe2+, which distinguish microbial communities of copper mine AMD from that of polymetallic mine AMD. In summary, microbial diversity, composition, and metabolic potential were mainly shaped by Mg2+ and SO4 2- concentrations of AMD, suggesting that the substrate concentrations may contribute to the distinct microbiological profiles of AMD from different mining areas. These findings highlight the microbial community structure in extremely acidic AMD forming by types of minerals and the interactions of physicochemical parameters and microbiology, providing more clues of the microbial ecological function and adaptation mechanisms in the extremely acidic environment.

Dataset Information

Bacterial community responses to a gradient of alkaline mountaintop mine drainage in Central Appalachian streams.

Publications

Bacterial community responses to a gradient of alkaline mountaintop mine drainage in Central Appalachian streams.

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