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Differences in bacterial community composition, structure and function between sediments in waterways and
Yixin Ma1,2,3, Zulin Hua1,2,3, Peng Wang4,5,6
1Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development On Shallow Lakes, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, People's Republic of China.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
|January 28, 2023
Summary
Ship navigation in plain river networks (PRNs) alters sediment bacterial communities. Physicochemical factors and ship traffic volume, not pollutants, drive these changes, potentially impacting carbohydrate metabolism.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Ecosystem ecology
- Aquatic microbial ecology
Background:
- Bacterial communities are crucial for river ecosystem balance and sensitive to environmental shifts.
- Plain river network areas (PRNs) present unique niches for bacteria due to frequent sediment disturbance from ship navigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of ship navigation on bacterial communities in plain river network sediments.
- To compare bacterial community structure and function between ship-navigated waterways (WS) and non-navigable channels (NS) in the Taihu Lake Basin.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of bacterial community composition, structure, and function using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
- Multivariate statistical analyses (NMDS, ANOSIM, LEfSe) to assess community differences and taxonomic variations.
- Variance partitioning and PICRUSt2 analysis to identify driving factors and functional implications.
Main Results:
- Non-navigable channels (NS) exhibited more diverse and complex bacterial communities than waterways (WS).
- Significant differences in bacterial community structure and taxonomy were observed between WS and NS.
- Physicochemical parameters and ship traffic volume (STV) were primary drivers of bacterial distribution, while pollutants had minor effects.
- Ship navigation may inhibit bacterial carbohydrate metabolism due to changes in pH, ORP, and STV.
Conclusions:
- Ship navigation significantly alters sediment bacterial communities in plain river networks.
- Physicochemical factors and ship traffic volume are key drivers of these alterations, impacting ecosystem stability.
- Understanding these impacts is crucial for managing inland waterway ecosystems.
Keywords:
Bacterial communityBeta-diversity patternFunction predictionHydrodynamic actionMetabolismPollutants
