High-resolution microbial community succession of microbially induced concrete corrosion in working sanitary manholes.
Microbially-induced concrete corrosion in headspaces threatens wastewater infrastructure worldwide. Models for predicting corrosion rates in sewer pipe networks rely largely on information from culture-based investigations. In this study, the succession of microbes associated with corroding concrete was characterized over a one-year monitoring campaign using rRNA sequence-based phylogenetic methods. New concrete specimens were exposed in two highly corrosive manholes (high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide gas) on the Colorado Front Range for up to a year. Community succession on corroding surfaces was assessed using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of 16S bacterial rRNA amplicons and Sanger sequencing of 16S universal rRNA clones. Microbial communities associated with corrosion fronts presented distinct succession patterns which converged to markedly low α-diversity levels (< 10 taxa) in conjunction with decreasing pH. The microbial community succession pattern observed in this study agreed with culture-based models that implicate acidophilic sulfur-oxidizer Acidithiobacillus spp. in advanced communities, with two notable exceptions. Early communities exposed to alkaline surface pH presented relatively high α-diversity, including heterotrophic, nitrogen-fixing, and sulfur-oxidizing genera, and one community exposed to neutral surface pH presented a diverse transition community comprised of less than 20% sulfur-oxidizers.
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, United States of America.
Alison L
AL
Ling
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, United States of America.
Charles E
CE
Robertson
Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, United States of America.
J Kirk
JK
Harris
Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, United States of America.
Daniel N
DN
Frank
Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, United States of America.
Cassandra V
CV
Kotter
Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, United States of America.
Mark J
MJ
Stevens
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, United States of America.
Norman R
NR
Pace
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, United States of America.
Mark T
MT
Hernandez
D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003252:Construction Materials; D003343:Corrosion; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012498:Sanitary Engineering
D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S