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Updated: Jul 4, 2026
09:33
An Anaerobic Biosensor Assay for the Detection of Mercury and Cadmium
Published on: December 17, 2018
Acclimation of subsurface microbial communities to mercury
Julia R de Lipthay1, Lasse D Rasmussen, Gunnar Oregaard
1Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
FEMS Microbiology Ecology
|June 5, 2008
Summary
Bacterial communities in contaminated soils show higher mercury tolerance. Subsurface communities adapt rapidly to new mercury exposure, suggesting a key role for IncP-1 plasmids in mercury acclimation across soil depths.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Soil science
- Bacterial genetics
Background:
- Floodplain soils are exposed to mercury contamination.
- Bacterial communities exhibit varying tolerance to heavy metals.
- Mercury resistance can be mediated by mobile genetic elements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mercury acclimation in bacterial communities from different soil depths.
- To assess the role of IncP-1 plasmids in mercury resistance and adaptation.
- To compare mercury tolerance between contaminated and non-contaminated soil bacterial communities.
Main Methods:
- Community DNA extraction from soil samples.
- Detection of IncP-1 trfA genes using molecular techniques.
- Isolation and characterization of mercury-resistance plasmids.
- Exposure experiments to assess bacterial community response to new mercury contamination.
Main Results:
- Bacterial communities from contaminated sites exhibited higher mercury tolerance than those from non-contaminated sites.
- Subsurface bacterial communities showed a high adaptive potential to new mercury exposure.
- IncP-1 trfA genes and mercury-resistance plasmids (IncP-1beta group) were detected in contaminated soils.
- The abundance of mercury-resistant and IncP-1 plasmid-carrying bacteria increased after new mercury exposure.
Conclusions:
- IncP-1 plasmids play a significant role in the acclimation of both surface and subsurface soil microbial communities to mercury.
- Horizontal gene transfer and selection likely contribute to the increased abundance of mercury-resistant populations.
- Subsurface bacterial communities possess a remarkable capacity for adaptation to mercury stress, potentially linked to mercury bioavailability.
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