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Molecular analysis of spatial variation of iron-reducing bacteria in riverine alluvial aquifers of the Mankyeong River

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Abstract

Alluvial aquifers are one of the mainwater resources in many countries. Iron reduction in alluvial aquifers is often a major anaerobic process involved in bioremediation or causing problems, including the release of As trapped in Fe(III) oxide. We investigated the distribution of potential iron-reducing bacteria (IRB) in riverine alluvial aquifers (B1, B3, and B6 sites) at the Mankyeong River, Republic of Korea. Inactive iron reduction zones, the diversity and abundance of IRB can be examined using a clone library and quantitative PCR analysis of 16S rRNA genes. Geobacter spp. are potential IRB in the iron-reducing zone at the B6 (9 m) site, where high Fe(II) and arsenic (As) concentrations were observed. At the B3 (16 m) site, where low iron reduction activity was predicted, a dominant clone (10.6%) was 99% identical in 16S rRNA gene sequence with Rhodoferax ferrireducens. Although a major clone belonging to Clostridium spp. was found, possible IRB candidates could not be unambiguously determined at the B1 (18 m) site. Acanonical correspondence analysis demonstrated that, among potential IRB, only the Geobacteraceae were well correlated with Fe(II) and As concentrations. Our results indicate high environmental heterogeneity, and thus high spatial variability, in thedistribution of potential IRB in the riverine alluvial aquifersnear the Mankyeong River.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 361-763, Republic of Korea

    So-Jeong Kim, Soo-Je Park, In-Tae Cha & Sung-Keun Rhee

  2. KoreaInstitute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Daejeon, 305-350, Republic of Korea

    Dong-Chan Koh & Kyung-Seok Ko

  3. Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the Environment, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Joong-Wook Park

  4. Department of Information & Statistics, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 361-763, Republic of Korea

    Jong-Hwa Na

  5. Faculty of Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 500-757, Republic of Korea

    Yul Roh

  6. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Kunsan National University, Jeonbuk, 573-701, Republic of Korea

    Kangjoo Kim

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Kim, SJ., Koh, DC., Park, SJ. et al. Molecular analysis of spatial variation of iron-reducing bacteria in riverine alluvial aquifers of the Mankyeong River. J Microbiol. 50, 207–217 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-012-1342-z

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