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Ecological assessment of groundwater ecosystems disturbed by recharge systems using organic matter quality, biofilm characteristics, and bacterial diversity

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Abstract

Recharge of aquifers by urban stormwater may trigger significant ecological changes that can be detrimental to the biodiversity and functioning of groundwater ecosystems. Here, the effects of aquifer recharge (AR) on three levels of parameters were investigated: dissolved organic carbon (DOC) quantity and quality, global biofilm characteristics, and diversity changes of bacterial communities. As DOC enrichment by AR can be mitigated by vadose zone (VZ) thickness, three AR sites with thin VZ (< 3 m) and three sites with thick VZ (> 10 m) were selected. For each AR site, clay beads were incubated over a 10-day-long rainy period through wells in recharged and non-recharged groundwaters. Total proteins, dehydrogenase, and hydrolytic activities were monitored from clay beads to assess biofilm development. Bacterial richness on beads was estimated by 16S rRNA-based metabarcoding. AR was found to significantly increase DOC and biodegradable DOC (BDOC) concentrations, biofilm development, and bacterial richness especially in sites with thin VZ. VZ thickness was inversely related to microbial growth indicators and bacterial richness in groundwater, through a control of DOC availability. The proportion of Bacteroidetes 16S rRNA gene reads was higher in recharged groundwater than in non-recharged groundwater, suggesting that this phylum could be used as an indicator of DOC enrichment associated with AR. Quantitative PCR assays for Bacteroides DNA confirmed these trends and showed an enrichment of this bacterial group in DOC-rich aquifer waters. The positive linear relationships between BDOC concentrations and biofilm variables highlighted a strong C-limitation of groundwater impacting bacterial species sorting and activity.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Léa Dantony, Mathilde Pigneret, and Felix Vallier for their support and advice during field and laboratory work and Pierre Marmonier for editing an earlier draft of this manuscript. This work was performed within the framework of the EUR H2O’Lyon (ANR-17-EURE-0018) of Université de Lyon (UdL), within the program “Investissements d'Avenir” operated by the French National Research Agency (ANR).

Funding

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region for Jérémy Voisin’s Ph.D provided grant. This work was supported by l’Agence Nationale de la Recherche [ANR-16-CE32–0006 FROG], Lyon Metropole and Agence de l’Eau Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse within the framework of the experimental observatory for urban hydrology (OTHU, http://www.graie.org/othu) and Rhône Basin LTER (ZABR), and the French national research program for environmental and occupational health of Anses under the terms of project “Iouqmer” EST 2016/1/120.

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  1. Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023, Laboratoire d’Écologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés (LEHNA), 69622, Villeurbanne, France

    Jérémy Voisin, Antonin Vienney & Florian Mermillod-Blondin

  2. Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, VetAgro Sup, CNRS, UMR5557, INRA UMR1418, Laboratoire d’Écologie Microbienne (LEM), Research Team “Bacterial Opportunistic Pathogens and Environment”, 69280, Marcy L’Etoile, France

    Jérémy Voisin, Benoit Cournoyer & Laurence Marjolet

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  1. Jérémy Voisin
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Voisin, J., Cournoyer, B., Marjolet, L. et al. Ecological assessment of groundwater ecosystems disturbed by recharge systems using organic matter quality, biofilm characteristics, and bacterial diversity. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 3295–3308 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06971-5

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