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Heavy metal spill influences bacterial communities in freshwater sediments

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Abstract

Bacteria are highly abundant in freshwater sediments and play a crucial role in biogeochemical cycling. Bacterial assemblage is known to be sensitive to heavy metal pollution. However, the shift in freshwater sediment bacterial community after a sudden exposure to heavy metal spill remains unknown. The present study explored the impact of metal (metalloid) spill on sediment bacterial community in a freshwater reservoir. Although sediment bacterial abundance was relatively insensitive to metal (metalloid) spill, bacterial richness, diversity and community structure displayed considerable temporal variations. In addition, the proportions of Proteobacteria Chloroflexi, Nitrospirae, Acidobacteria and Bacteroidetes drastically declined, while a significant enrichment of Firmicutes was observed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by Guangdong Province Science and Technology Project (2016B020240007) and Basic Scientific Research Business of Central Level Public Welfare Scientific Research Institution (PM-zx703-201803-070).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. South China Institute of Environmental Sciences (SCIES), Ministry of Environment Protection (MEP), Guangzhou, 510655, China

    Qingwei Guo

  2. State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Ningning Li & Shuguang Xie

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  1. Qingwei Guo
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  2. Ningning Li
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  3. Shuguang Xie
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Correspondence to Shuguang Xie.

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Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt.

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Qingwei Guo and Ningning Li contributed equally to this study.

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Guo, Q., Li, N. & Xie, S. Heavy metal spill influences bacterial communities in freshwater sediments. Arch Microbiol 201, 847–854 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-019-01650-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-019-01650-y

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