Stochasticity versus determinism: Microbial community assembly patterns under specific conditions in petrochemical activated sludge

The pattern of microbial community assembly in petrochemical sludge is not well-explained. In this study, three kinds of petrochemical activated sludge (AS) from the same seed sludge were investigated to determine their microbial assembly pattern for long-term adaptation. Beta Nearest Taxon Index analysis revealed that the assembly strategies of the abundant and rare operational taxonomic unit (OTU) sub-communities are different for archaeal and bacterial communities. Abundant OTUs preferred deterministic processes, whereas rare OTUs randomly formed due to weak selection. Canonical correspondence analysis/variation partition analysis and Mantel testing results revealed that ammonium, petroleum, and chromium (Cr (VI)) mainly structured the abundant sub-communities. On the other hand, environmental variables, including ammonium, petroleum, and heavy metals, shaped the rare sub-communities. The PICRUSt2 tool was used to predict the functions. Results indicated a greater abundance of microbes harboring the hydrocarbon degradation pathway and heavy-metal-resistant enzymes. Cross-treatment experiments using one type of AS to treat the other two kinds of wastewater were conducted. The results of the cross-treatment experiments and qPCR both suggest the functional adaptation of the microbial community. We revealed selection strategies for the adaptation of bacteria and archaea in AS during environmental changes, providing a theoretical basis for petrochemical wastewater treatment.