DNA Metabarcoding from Microbial Communities Recovered from Stream and Its Potential for Bioremediation Processes

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Ecotoxicology
• Bioremediation

Background:

• Urban waste (UW) management poses environmental challenges due to toxic pollutants.
• Deactivated dumps are significant sources of environmental contamination, impacting water bodies and aquatic life.
• Understanding the microbial ecology of affected aquatic systems is crucial for developing effective remediation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the microbial community composition in sediments of the Arroio Dourado stream, located near a deactivated open-air dump.
• To identify key bacterial taxa involved in the biodegradation of pollutants originating from the landfill.
• To explore potential bioremediation applications based on the identified microbial profiles.

Main Methods:

• Sediment samples were collected from the Arroio Dourado stream.
• 16S rDNA metabarcoding was employed to analyze the bacterial community structure.
• Bioinformatic analyses were performed to classify amplicon sequence variants (ASVs).

Main Results:

• The bacterial community was dominated by acidogenic bacteria from the Acidobacteriota phylum.
• Actinobacteriota, Myxococcota, Chloroflexi, and Desulfobacteriota were less abundant.
• Over 50% of ASVs remained unclassified taxonomically.
• The genus Anaeromyxobacter, known for its metabolic versatility, was found in significant abundance.

Conclusions:

• The microbial profile of Arroio Dourado stream sediments is influenced by proximity to the deactivated dump.
• The presence of Anaeromyxobacter suggests potential for bioremediation of landfill-derived pollutants.
• Further research can focus on developing targeted culture media for identified microbial groups involved in organic compound biodegradation.