Bacterial community structure and function shift along a successional series of tidal flats in the Yellow River Delta.
Coastal ecosystems play significant ecological and economic roles but are threatened and facing decline. Microbes drive various biogeochemical processes in coastal ecosystems. Tidal flats are critical components of coastal ecosystems; however, the structure and function of microbial communities in tidal flats are poorly understood. Here we investigated the seasonal variations of bacterial communities along a tidal flat series (subtidal, intertidal and supratidal flats) and the factors affecting the variations. Bacterial community composition and diversity were analyzed over four seasons by 16S rRNA genes using the Ion Torrent PGM platform. Bacterial community composition differed significantly along the tidal flat series. Bacterial phylogenetic diversity increased while phylogenetic turnover decreased from subtidal to supratidal flats. Moreover, the bacterial community structure differed seasonally. Canonical correspondence analysis identified salinity as a major environmental factor structuring the microbial community in the sediment along the successional series. Meanwhile, temperature and nitrite concentration were major drivers of seasonal microbial changes. Despite major compositional shifts, nitrogen, methane and energy metabolisms predicted by PICRUSt were inhibited in the winter. Taken together, this study indicates that bacterial community structure changed along the successional tidal flat series and provides new insights on the characteristics of bacterial communities in coastal ecosystems.
Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.|Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, China.|Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G2E3, Canada.
Xiaofei
X
Lv
Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.|Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G2E3, Canada.
Bin
B
Ma
College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China.
Junbao
J
Yu
Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G2E3, Canada.
Scott X
SX
Chang
Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
Jianming
J
Xu
College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China.
Yunzhao
Y
Li
Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, China.
Guangmei
G
Wang
Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, China.
Guangxuan
G
Han
Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, China.
Guan
G
Bo
Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, China.
Xiaojing
X
Chu
D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D044822:Biodiversity; D002681:China; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000502:physiology*; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D045483:Rivers / Q000382:microbiology*; D055871:Tidal Waves; D014871:Water Microbiology
D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S