Seasonal and spatial variations in microbial community structure and diversity in the acid stream draining across an ongoing surface mining site.
This study examined the microbial community in an acidic stream draining across the Yun-Fu pyrite mine (Guangdong, China), where extremely acidic mine water is a persistent feature due to the intensive surface mining activities. Analysis of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that microbial populations varied spatially and seasonally and correlated with geochemical and physical conditions. After the stream moves from underground to the surface, the microbial community in the acidic water rapidly evolves into a distinct community close to that in the downstream storage pond. Comparisons of TRFLP peaks with sequenced clone libraries indicated that bacteria related to the recently isolated iron-oxidizer Ferrovum myxofaciens dominated the acidophilic community throughout the year except for the samples collected in spring from the storage pond, where Ferroplasma acidiphilum-like archaea represented the most abundant group. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans-affiliated organisms increased along the acid stream and remained common over the year, whereas Leptospirillum ferrooxidans-like bacteria were negligible or even not detected in the analyzed samples. The data indicate that changes in environmental conditions are accompanied by significant shifts in community structure of the prokaryotic assemblages at this opencast mining site.
Tan
Gui-Liang
GL
State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen (Zhongshan) University, Guangzhou, China.
Shu
Wen-Sheng
WS
Zhou
Wen-Hua
WH
Li
Xiang-Li
XL
Lan
Chong-Yu
CY
Huang
Li-Nan
LN
D000143:Acids; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D044822:Biodiversity; D002681:China; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D015723:Gene Library; D007501:Iron; D008906:Mining; D010802:Phylogeny; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D045483:Rivers; D012621:Seasons; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013440:Sulfides; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D014871:Water Microbiology
D000143:Acids; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D013440:Sulfides; D014867:Water; C011342:pyrite; D007501:Iron