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Spatio-temporal patterns of major bacterial groups in alpine waters
Remo Freimann1, Helmut Bürgmann2, Stuart E G Findlay3
1Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, Professorship of Genetics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland and Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH-Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Plos One
|November 20, 2014
Summary
Climate change is altering alpine landscapes, impacting stream water. Bacterial communities in glacial (kryal) and groundwater (krenal) streams shift based on water source and geochemistry.
Area of Science:
- Alpine ecology
- Environmental microbiology
- Hydrology
Background:
- Alpine landscapes are sensitive to climate change, with glacial ice loss altering hydrological systems.
- The transition from glacial meltwater (kryal) to groundwater (krenal) dominance in streams affects hyporheic sediments and microbial communities.
- Changes in bacterial communities can significantly impact ecosystem functions in alpine environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess the structure of major bacterial groups in glacial and groundwater-fed alpine streams.
- To identify key physico-chemical variables influencing bacterial community structure under changing hydrological conditions.
- To predict potential shifts in bacterial groups and ecosystem functioning in transforming alpine landscapes.
Main Methods:
- Field sampling across three alpine floodplains during distinct hydrologic periods.
- Quantitative analysis of bacterial community structure in glacial (kryal) and groundwater (krenal) streams.
- Correlation analysis between bacterial groups and measured physico-chemical variables (pH, conductivity, temperature, carbon compounds, phosphorous, nitrate).
Main Results:
- Bacterial community structure is significantly influenced by water source (glacial vs. groundwater) and local geological characteristics.
- Specific bacterial groups like Alpha-, Betaproteobacteria, and Cytophaga-Flavobacteria respond to variations in pH, conductivity, temperature, and carbon compounds.
- Nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrate exhibit distinct influences on particular bacterial groups.
Conclusions:
- Physico-chemical variables, driven by water source and geology, are critical drivers of bacterial community structure in alpine streams.
- Understanding these relationships allows for predictions of future bacterial community shifts in response to ongoing climate change.
- These shifts have implications for ecosystem functioning in rapidly transforming alpine environments.
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