From lithotroph- to organotroph-dominant: directional shift of microbial community in sulphidic tailings during phytostabilization.
Engineering microbial diversity to enhance soil functions may improve the success of direct revegetation in sulphidic mine tailings. Therefore, it is essential to explore how remediation and initial plant establishment can alter microbial communities, and, which edaphic factors control these changes under field conditions. A long-term revegetation trial was established at a Pb-Zn-Cu tailings impoundment in northwest Queensland. The control and amended and/or revegetated treatments were sampled from the 3-year-old trial. In total, 24 samples were examined using pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes and various chemical properties. The results showed that the microbial diversity was positively controlled by soil soluble Si and negatively controlled by soluble S, total Fe and total As, implying that pyrite weathering posed a substantial stress on microbial development in the tailings. All treatments were dominated by typical extremophiles and lithotrophs, typically Truepera, Thiobacillus, Rubrobacter; significant increases in microbial diversity, biomass and frequency of organotrophic genera (typically Nocardioides and Altererythrobacter) were detected in the revegetated and amended treatment. We concluded that appropriate phytostabilization options have the potential to drive the microbial diversity and community structure in the tailings toward those of natural soils, however, inherent environmental stressors may limit such changes.
Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia.
Xiaofang
X
Li
Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia.
Philip L
PL
Bond
Institute for Environmental Genomics and Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019.
Joy D
JD
Van Nostrand
1] Institute for Environmental Genomics and Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019 [2] Earth Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA 94720 [3] State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
Jizhong
J
Zhou
Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia.
Longbin
L
Huang
D052818:Autotrophic Processes / Q000235:genetics; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry; D007854:Lead / Q000737:chemistry; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry
D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D007854:Lead; D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc