Characterisation of the Bacteria and Archaea Community Associated with Wild Oysters, At Three Possible Restoration Sites in the North Sea

With 85% of the global oyster reefs destroyed, there is an urgent need for large scale restoration to benefit from the ecosystem services provided by biogenic oyster reefs and their associated biodiversity, including microorganisms that drive marine biogeochemical cycles. This experiment established a baseline for the monitoring of the bacterial and archaeal community associated with wild oysters, using samples from their immediate environment of the Voordelta, with cohabiting Crassostrea gigas and Ostrea edulis, Duikplaats with only C. gigas attached to rocks, and the Dansk Skaldyrcentre, with no onsite oysters. The microbial profiling was carried out through DNA analysis of samples collected from the surfaces of oyster shells and their substrate, the sediment and seawater. Following 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and bioinformatics, alpha indices implied high species abundance and diversity in sediment but low abundance in seawater. As expected, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Thaumarchaeota dominated the top 20 OTUs. In the Voordelta, OTUs related to Colwellia, Shewanella and Psychrobium differentiated the oysters collected from a reef with those attached to rocks. Duikplaats were distinct for sulfur-oxidizers Sulfurimonas and sulfate-reducers from the Sva 0081 sediment group. Archaea were found mainly in sediments and the oyster associated microbiome, with greater abundance at the reef site, consisting mostly of Thaumarchaeota from the family Nitrosopumilaceae. The oyster free site displayed archaea in sediments only, and algal bloom indicator microorganisms from the Rhodobacteraceae, Flavobacteriaceae family and genus [Polaribacter] huanghezhanensis, in addition to the ascidian symbiotic partner, Synechococcus. This study suggests site specific microbiome shifts, influenced by the presence of oysters and the type of substrate.

Metabolic activities of marine ammonia-oxidizing archaea orchestrated by quorum sensing

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA)play crucial roles in marine carbon and nitrogen cycles by fixing inorganic carbon and performing the initial step of nitrification.Evaluation of carbon and nitrogen metabolism popularly relies on functional genes such as amoA and accA.Increasing studies suggest that quorum sensing(QS)mainly studied in biofilms for bacteria may serve as a universal communication and regulatory mechanism among prokaryotes;however,this has yet to be demonstrated in marine planktonic archaea.To bridge this knowledge gap,we employed a combination of metabolic activity markers(amoA,accA,and grs)to elucidate the regulation of AOA-mediated nitrogen,carbon processes,and their interactions with the sur-rounding heterotrophic population.Through co-transcription investigations linking metabolic markers to potential key QS genes,we discovered that QS molecules could regulate AOA's carbon,nitrogen,and lipid metabolisms under different conditions.Interestingly,specific AOA ecotypes showed a preference for employing distinct QS systems and a distinct QS circuit involving a typical population.Overall,our data demonstrate that Qs orchestrates nitrogen and carbon metabolism,including the exchange of organic metabolites between AOA and surrounding heterotrophic bacteria,which has been pre-viously overlooked in marine AOA research.

Effect of soil archaea on N_(2)O emission in alpine permafrost

Soil microbial communities are pivotal in permafrost biogeochemical cycles,yet the variations of abundant and rare microbial taxa and their impacts on greenhouse gas emissions in different seasons,remain elusive,especially in the case of soil archaea.Here,we conducted a study on soil abundant and rare archaeal taxa during the growing and non-growing seasons in the active layer of alpine permafrost in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.The results suggested that,for the archaeal communities in the sub-layer,abundant taxa exhibited higher diversity,while rare taxa maintained a more stable composition from the growing to non-growing season.Water soluble organic carbon and soil porosity were the most significant environmental variables affecting the compositions of abundant and rare taxa,respectively.Stochastic and deterministic processes dominated the assemblies of rare and abundant taxa,respectively.The archaeal ecological network influenced N_(2)O flux through different modules.Rare taxa performed an essential role in stabilizing the network and exerting important effects on N_(2)O flux.Our study provides a pioneering and comprehensive investigation aimed at unravelling the mechanisms by which archaea or other microorganisms influence greenhouse gas emissions in the alpine permafrost.

Characterization of apparent sulfur oxidation activity of thermophilic archaea in bioleaching of chalcopyrite

The apparent sulfur oxidation activities of four pure thermophilic archaea, Acidianus brierleyi （JCM 8954）, Metallosphaera sedula （YN 23）, Acidianus manzaensis （YN 25） and Sulfolobus metallicus （YN 24） and their mixture in bioleaching chalcopyrite were compared, which were characterized indirectly by the evolution of the cells concentration, pH value and sulfate ions concentration in solution. The results show that the mixed culture contributed significantly to the raising of leaching rate, which suggests that the mixed culture had a higher sulfur oxidation activity than the pure culture. Meanwhile, the results also indicate that the changes of parameters characterizing the sulfur oxidation activity of thermophilic archaea are often influenced by many factors, so it is hard to reflect accurately the specific sulfur oxidation activities among the different sulfur-oxidizing microbes when bioleaching chalcopyrite at different conditions. Accordingly, an efficient method to characterize microbial sulfur oxidation activity appears to be desirable.

Comparison of rumen archaeal diversity in adult and elderly yaks(Bos grunniens)using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing

This study was conducted to investigate the phylogenetic diversity of archaea in the rumen of adult and elderly yaks. Six domesticated female yaks, 3 adult yaks （（5.3±0.6） years old）, and 3 elderly yaks （（10.7±0.6） years old）, were used for the rumen contents collection. Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology was applied to examine the archaeal composition of rumen contents. A total of 92 901 high-quality archaeal sequences were analyzed, and these were assigned to 2 033 operational taxonomic units （OTUs）. Among these, 974 OTUs were unique to adult yaks while 846 OTUs were unique to elderly yaks; 213 OTUs were shared by both groups. At the phylum level, more than 99% of the obtained OTUs belonged to the Euryarchaeota phylum. At the genus level, the archaea could be divided into 7 archaeal genera. The 7 genera （i.e., Methanobrevibacter, Methanobacterium, Methanosphaera, Thermogymnomonas, Methanomicrobiu, Meth- animicrococcus and the unclassified genus） were shared by all yaks, and their total abundance accounted for 99% of the rumen archaea. The most abundant archaea in elderly and adult yaks were Methanobrevibacterand Thermogymnomonas, respectively. The abundance of Methanobacteria （class）, Methanobacteriales （order）, Methanobacteriaceae （family）, and Methanobrevibacter （genus） in elderly yaks was significantly higher than in adult yaks. In contrast, the abundance of Ther-mogymnomonas in elderly yaks was 34% lower than in adult yaks, though the difference was not statistically significant. The difference in abundance of other archaea was not significant between the two groups. These results suggested that the structure of archaea in the rumen of yaks changed with age. This is the first study to compare the phytogenetic differences of rumen archaeal structure and composition using the yak model.

Weaning methods affect ruminal methanogenic archaea composition and diversity in Holstein calves

The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of different weaning methods on the ruminal methanogenic archaea composition and diversity in Holstein calves.Thirty-six newborn Holstein bull calves were assigned to 1 of 3 treatments:(1)conventional weaning(d 56)and fed a high proportion of solid feed(CWS);(2)conventional weaning(d 56)and fed a high proportion of liquid feed(CWL);(3)early weaning(d 42)and fed with a high proportion of solid feed(EWS).High-throughput sequencing of the methyl coenzyme M reductase(mcr A)gene,which encodes theα-subunit of methyl coenzyme M reductase-the enzyme that catalyzes the final step in methanogenesis was used to determine the composition and diversity of rumen methanogens.No significant difference(P>0.05)was observed for operational taxonomic units(OTUs)or richness indices,but diversity indices increased(P<0.05)for calves fed high dietary solids.Predominant families across the three treatments were Methanobacteriaceae,Thermoplasmataceae and Methanomassiliicoccaceae.Calves in the EWS treatment had a higher(P<0.05)relative abundance of Methanobrevibacter sp.strain AbM4 and Methanosphaera stadtmanae,while calves in the CWL treatment had a higher(P<0.05)abundance of Methanosphaera sp.strain SM9.A positive(P<0.05)relationship was identified between butyrate and Methanobrevibacter sp.strain AbM4.In conclusion,the composition and diversity of methanogens in the rumen of Holstein calves varied under the different weaning methods.This study identified a positive relationship between butyrate and Methanobrevibacter sp.strain AbM4,potentially reflecting correlations between ruminal fermentation variables and methanogenesis function.These in-depth analyses provide further understanding of weaning methods for intensified production systems.

Comparison of Fecal Methanogenic Archaeal Community Between Erhualian and Landrace Pigs Using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis and Real-Time PCR Analysis

Erhualian and Landrace breeds are typical genetically obese and lean pigs, respectively. To compare the fecal methanogenic Archaeal community between these two pig breeds, fecal samples from different growth phase pigs were collected and used for PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） with two primer pairs （344fGC/519r and 519f/915rGC） and real-time PCR analysis. Results showed that a better separation and higher quality of bands pattern were obtained in DGGE proifles using primers 344fGC/519r as compared with primers 519f/915rGC. Sequencing of DGGE bands showed that the predominant methanogens in the feces of Erhualian and Landrace pigs belonged to Methanobrevibacter spp. and Methanosphaera spp. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that there was no signiifcant difference in the numbers of fecal total methanogens between Erhualian and Landrace pigs;however, pig growth phase affected the numbers of 16S rRNA genes of total methanogens and Methanobrevibacter smithii. Dissociation curves of methyl coenzyme-M reductase subunit A （mcrA） gene fragments ampliifed with real-time PCR showed all samples possessed a single peak at 82＆#176;C, which might be associated with M. smithii. Samples from the same growth phase of each breed showed good replicative dissociation curves. The results suggest that the growth phase （including diet factor） other than genotype of pig may affect the fecal methanogenic Archaeal community of pigs.

Relatedness between catalytic effect of activated carbon and passivation phenomenon during chalcopyrite bioleaching by mixed thermophilic Archaea culture at 65°C

The relatedness between catalytic effect of activated carbon and passivation phenomenon during chalcopyrite bioleachingby mixed thermophilic Archaea culture(Acidianus brierleyi,Metallosphaera sedula,Acidianus manzaensis and Sulfolobusmetallicus)at65°C was studied.Leaching experiments showed that the addition of activated carbon could significantly promote thedissolution of chalcopyrite for both bioleaching and chemical leaching.The results of synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction,ironL-edge and sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy indicated that activated carbon could change thetransition path of electrons through galvanic interactions to form more readily dissolved secondary mineral chalcocite at a low redoxpotential(?400mV)and then enhanced the copper dissolution.Jarosite accumulated immediately in the initial stage of bioleachingwith activated carbon but copper dissolution was not hindered.However,much jarosite precipitated on the surface of chalcopyrite inthe late stage of bioleaching,which might account for the decrease of copper dissolution rate.More elemental sulfur(S0)was alsodetected with additional activated carbon but the mixed thermophilic Archaea culture had a great sulfur oxidation activity,thus S0waseliminated and seemed to have no significant influence on the dissolution of chalcopyrite.

Shifts in community structure and function of ammoniaoxidizing archaea in biological soil crusts along a revegetation chronosequence in the Tengger Desert

Metagenomic studies have demonstrated the existence of ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA) and revealed they are responsible for ammoxidation in some extreme environments. However, the changes in compositional structure and ammonia-oxidation capacity of AOA communities in biological soil crusts(BSCs) of desert ecosystems remain poorly understood.Here, we utilized Illumina MiSeq sequencing and microbial functional gene array(GeoChip 5.0) to assess the above changes along a 51-year revegetation chronosequence in the Tengger Desert, China. The results showed a significant difference in AOA-community richness between 5-year-old BSCs and older ones. The most dominant phylum during BSC development was Crenarchaeota, and the corresponding species were ammonia-oxidizing_Crenarchaeote and environmental_samples_Crenarchaeota. Network analysis revealed that the positive correlations among dominant taxa increased, and their cooperation was reinforced in AOA communities during BSC succession. Redundancy analysis showed that the dominant factor influencing the change in AOA-community structure was soil texture. GeoChip 5.0 indicated that the amoA gene abundances of AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB) were basically the same, demonstrating that AOA and AOB played an equally important role during BSCs development. Our study of the long-term succession of BSC demonstrated a persistent response of AOA communities to revegetation development in desert ecosystems.

Adsorption and leaching behaviors of chalcopyrite by two extreme thermophilic archaea

The adsorption and leaching of chalcopyrite by two extreme thermophilic archaea(A.brierleyi and S.metallicus)and their mixture were studied.The results revealed that the chalcopyrite leaching rate of S.metallicus was slightly higher than that of A.brierleyi;the mixed system showed the highest rate.Community structure analysis during the leaching process showed that S.metallicus was maintained in a predominant state.However,the proportion of A.brierleyi in the community increased during leaching.Copper concentrations,which increased faster in the mixed system than in the single-organism systems during later stages,was related to the change of A.brierleyi in the community.Langmuir parameter analysis revealed no competitive adsorption between these two thermophilic archaea.Furthermore,qPCR(quantitative polymerase chain reaction)confirmed that adsorption was promoted between A.brierleyi and S.metallicus during mixed leaching.These findings can improve our understanding of the adsorption behaviors of mixed extreme microbial populations on mineral surfaces.

Isolation and characterization of halophilic bacteria and archaea from salt ponds in Hangu Saltworks, Tianjin, China

A total of 26 isolates were obtained from solar salt ponds of different salinities(100, 150, 200, and 250) in Hangu Saltworks Co. Ltd., Tianjin, China. Phylogenetic analysis of 16 SrRNA gene sequences indicated that five bacteria genera H alomonas, Salinicoccus, Oceanobacillus, Gracibacillus, and Salimicrobium and one archaea genera H alorubrum were present. The genus H alomonas was predominant with eight strains distributed in a salinity range of 100–200, followed by H alorubrum with six strains in salinity 250. Based on the genus and original sampling salinity, eight bacterial and two archaeal isolates were selected for further morphological, physiological, and biochemical characterization. All of the bacterial strains were moderately halophilic with the optimal salinity for growth being either 50 or 100, while two archaeal strains were extremely halophilic with an optimal growth salinity of 200. Additionally, we put forth strain SM.200-5 as a new candidate S alimicrobium species based on the phylogenic analysis of the 16 SrRNA gene sequence and its biochemical characteristics when compared with known related species.

Characterization of halophilic C_50 carotenoid-producing archaea isolated from solar saltworks in Bohai Bay,China

Halophilic archaea comprise the majority of microorganisms found in hypersaline environments. C50 carotenoids accumulated in archaea cells are considered potential biotechnological products and possess a number of biological functions. Ten red colordes were isolated from brine water in a saltem crystaltizer pond of the Hangu Saltworks, China. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the colonies belonged to the extremely halophilic archaea genera Halobacterium and Halorubrum. Two representative strains, Halobacterium strain SP-2 and Halorubrum strain SP-4, were selected for further study on the phenotypic characteristics and effects of salinity and pH on accumulation and composition of pigments in their cells. The archaeal strains were isolated and grown in a culture medium prepared by dissolving yeast extract （10 g/L） and acid-hydrolyzed casein （7.5 g/L） into brine water obtained from a I.ocal salt pond. Their optimum salinity and pH for growth were 250 and 7, respectively, although pigment accumulation （OD490/ mL broth） was highest at pH 8. In addition, at 150-300 salinity, increasing salinity resulted in decreasing pigment accumulation. Analysis of the UV-Vis spectrum, TLC and HLPC chromatograms showed that C50 carotenoid bacterioruberin is the major pigment in both strains.

Bacterial and archaeal communities in deep sea waters near the Ninetyeast Ridge in Indian Ocean

Depth-dependent distribution patterns of bacterial and archaeal communities in deep sea water column around the Ninetyeast Ridge in the Indian Ocean were investigated using 16S rRNA gene profiling.Sampling was conducted at the northern Ninetyeast Ridge(1°59.89′N–9°59.70′S,87°58.90′E–88°00.03′E)from September to November 2016 where samples were collected from the bathyal(1000 m)to bathypelagic depths(>4000 m)in four different stations.A total of 1565405 clean data falling into 6712 bacterial OTUs and 1452727 clean data falling into 806 archaeal OTUs based on 97%similarity level were analyzed.Most of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences were affiliated with Gammaproteobacteria,followed by Alphaproteobacteria and Bacteroidia.The archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences mostly affiliated to Nitrososphaeria(Thaumarchaeota)dominated with relative abundances ranging from 52.68%to 97.2%,followed by Thermoplasmata(Euryarchaeota).Vertical partitioning of bacterial and archaeal communities among different water layers was observed.Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA)and Spearman’s correlations revealed that depth(P=0.003),dissolved oxygen(P=0.019),and nitrite(P=0.033)were the main environmental factors affecting bacterial community structure at genus level in the Ninetyeast Ridge.On the other hand,the first two CCA axes accounted for 74.4%of the explained total variance,it seems that the archaeal communities at genus level were heavily influenced by the environmental variables including depth,dissolved oxygen(DO),nitrite,salinity,phosphate,ammonia,nitrate,and silicate,but none of them exhibited any significant correlation on the structuring(P>0.1).

Nitrification intensity and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in different wetland plant rhizosphere soils

In order to explore the nitrogen removal process in constructed wetlands(CW s),the moisture,ammonia nitrogen(NH4+-N),nitrate nitrogen(NO3"-N)and nitrification intensity in three wetland plant rhizosphere soils(Acorns calamus,Typha orientalis,Iris pseudacorus)were investigated at a relatively normal temperature range of15to25The relative abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB)and ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA)were also achieved using fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH).It is found that T.orientalis achieves the highest nitrification intensity of2.03m g(h?kg)while the second is I.pseudacorrs(1.74m g/(h?kg)),and followed by A.calamus(1.65m g/(h?kg))throughout the experiment.FISH reveals that the abundance of bacteria(1010g_1wet soil)is higher than that of archaea(109g_1wet soil),and AOBare the dominant bacteria in the ammonia oxidation process.The abundance of AOB in te rhizosphere soils from high to low T.orientalis(1.88x1010g"1),I pseudacorus(1.23x1010g1),A.calamus(5.07x109g"1)while the abundance of AOA from high to low ae I.pseudacorus(4.00x109g1),A.calamus(3.52x109g"1),T.orientalis(3.48x109g"1).The study provides valuable evidence of plant selection for nitrogen removal in CWs.

Expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase double-stranded RNA in cucumber has no apparent effect on the diversity of rhizosphere archaea

The expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase （mapk） double-stranded RNA in cucumber is effective in controlling infestations of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. However, little is known about the ecological effects of transgenic plants. Here, we analyzed the diversity of 16S rDNA genes derived from the rhizosphere archaea of transgenic cucumber plants as an indicator of ecological change. A total of 17 and 18 operational taxonomic units were detected in the rhizospheres of non-transgenic cucumber and mapk dsRNA-expressing plants, respectively. No significant difference was observed between the two groups according to Shannon and Simpson indices. In soil samples of the two rhizospheres, the dominant group was Crenarchaeota at the phylum level, with Staphylothermus, Methanococcus, Pyrodictium and Sulfolobus the abundant taxa at the genus level. These results suggest that expressing mapk double-stranded （ds） RNA in cucumber has no apparent effect on the diversity of rhizosphere archaea, and provide powerful evidence for the ecological safety of transgenic cucumber expressing mapk dsRNA.

Archaeal diversity and abundance within different layers of summer sea-ice and seawater from Prydz Bay,Antarctica

Fluorescence in-situ hybridization （FISH） and 16S rRNA gene clone library analyses were used to determine the abundance and diversity of archaea in Prydz Bay, Antarctica. Correlation analysis was also performed to assess links between physicochemical parameters and archaeal abundance and diversity within the sea-ice. Samples of sea-ice and seawater were collected during the 26th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition. The results of FISH showed that archaea were relatively abundant within the top layer of the sea-ice, and correlation analysis suggested that the concentration of 4NH＋ might be one of the main factors underlying this distribution pattern. However, using 16S rRNA gene libraries, archaea were not detected in the top and middle layers of the sea-ice. All archaeal clones obtained from the bottom layer of the sea-ice were grouped into the Marine Group I Crenarchaeota while the archaeal clones from seawater were assigned to Marine Group I Crenarchaeota, Marine Group II Euryarchaeota, and Marine Group III Euryarchaeota. Overall, the ifndings of this study showed that the diversity of archaea in the sea-ice in Prydz Bay was low.

Alteration of Intestinal Archaeal Community Composition in Broilers with Different Growth Rates

The gastrointestinal tract, as the major digestive and absorbing organ, plays an important role in chicken growth. Numerous studies have been undertaken to investigate the gut bacterial community in broilers, but little is known about the archaeal community composition. To improve our understanding of the composition of intestinal archaea and the relationship between archaea and chicken growth, a feeding trial was conducted with 10 000 Ross 308 chicks in a commercial production facility under standard management. At 38 d of age, 15 birds with the highest body weight （ H group）, 15 birds with average body weight （ M group）, and 15 birds with the lowest body weight （ L group） were selected among 600 healthy male individuals. Cecal archaeal community was detected based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. As a result, 3 321 229 archaeal sequences were clustered into 1 281 operational taxonomic units （OTUs） and classified into three phyla （Crenarchaeola, Euryarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota） and six known genera ： Natronomonas, Halolamina, Salinarchaeum, Cenarchaeum, Candidatus, Nitrosoarchaeum and Nitrososphaera. The alpha indices showed that, the richness of archaea in L group was the highest, and followed by that in M group and H group, while the archaea in H group were more diverse, followed by those in M group and L group. However, the archaeal composition in all chicken samples was similar, with the vast majority of the sequences belonging to Cenarchaeum, and only a few belonging to the other five genera.

The Archaea Community Associated with Lava-Formed Gotjawal Forest Soil in Jeju, Korea

The abundance and diversity of archaeal assemblages were analyzed in soils collected from Gyorae Gotjawal forest, Jeju, Korea. Gotjawal soil refers to soil derived from a lava-formed forest, characterized by high organic matter content, fertility, and poor rocky soil. Using domain-specific primers, archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences were PCR amplified for clone library construction, and a total of 185 archaeal clones were examined. The archaeal clones were affiliated with the phyla Thaumarchaeota (96.2%) and Euryarchaeota (3.8%). The most abundant thaumarchaeal group (90.3% of the clones) was the group I.1b clade, which includes soil ammonia-oxidizing archaea. The unique characteristics of Gotjawal soil, including basalt morphology, vegetation, and groundwater aquifer penetration, may be reflected in the archaeal community composition. Further study is necessary to understand the unique factors of Gotjawal soils that influence archaeal abundance, composition, and diversity.

Archaea Diversity of Five Hot Springs in Lushan from Henan

There are five hot springs named separately SHANGT,ZHONGT,WENT,XIAT and SHENT in Lushan County,Pingdingshan City,Henan Province.The archaeal diversity of the five hot springs was investigated and analyzed.16 S rD NA v4-5 genes of archaea were sequenced by Illumina Hisiq2500 PE250 technology.The numbers of sample sequences and OTUs were sorted by using Uparse,Mothur,SILVA,MUSCLE and Qiime software.Finally,the archaeal abundance and diversity in the five hot springs were analyzed.87993,67326,44400,48611 and 48495 effective reads have been obtained from SHANGT,ZHONGT,WENT,XIAT and SHENT respectively,and 520,280,678,451 and 437 OTUs have been acquired.The analysis of archaeal classification showed that the archaea from the five hot springs could be classified into 11 phyla,in which Thaumarchaeota accounted for 95.25%and was the dominant archaea.In the genera level,the dominant archaea of the SHANGT,ZHONGT and WENT was Candidatus-Nitrosocaldus,and unidentified-Thaumarchaeota was the dominant archaea in XIAT and SHENT.The results showed that the five hot springs in Lushan are rich in microbial resources.The research provided basic data for further research and utilization of the archaea resources in the five hot springs of Lushan.

Linking bacterial and archaeal community dynamics to related hydrological,geochemical and environmental characteristics between surface water and groundwater in a karstic estuary

Subterranean estuaries(STEs)are characterized by the mixing of terrestrial fresh groundwater and seawater in coastal aquifers.Although microorganisms are important components of coastal groundwater ecosystems and play critical roles in biogeochemical transformations in STEs,limited information is available about how their community dynamics interact with hydrological,geochemical and environmental characteristics in STEs.Here,we studied bacterial and archaeal diversities and distributions with 16S rRNA-based Illumina MiSeq sequencing technology between surface water and groundwater in a karstic STE.Principal-coordinate analysis found that the bacterial and archaeal communities in the areas where algal blooms occurred were significantly separated from those in other stations without algal bloom occurrence.Canonical correspondence analysis showed that nutrients and salinity can explain the patterns of bacterial and archaeal community dynamics.The results suggest that hydrological,geochemical and environmental characteristics between surface water and groundwater likely control the bacterial and archaeal diversities and distributions in STEs.Furthermore,we found that some key species can utilize terrestrial pollutants such as nitrate and ammonia in STEs,indicating that these species(e.g.,Nitrosopumilus maritimus,Limnohabitans parvus and Simplicispira limi)may be excellent candidates for in situ degradation/remediation of coastal groundwater contaminations concerned with the nitrate and ammonia.Overall,this study reveals the coupling relationship between the microbial communities and hydrochemical environments in STEs,and provides a perspective of in situ degradation/remediation for coastal groundwater quality management.