Abstract
We investigated the effects of metals and physicochemical variables on the microbes and their metabolisms in the sediments of Guarapiranga reservoir, a tropical eutrophic-hypereutrophic freshwater reservoir located in a highly urbanized and industrialized area in Brazil. The metals cadmium, copper, and chromium showed minor contribution to changes in the structure, composition, and richness of sediment microbial communities and functions. However, the effects of metals on the microbiota are increased when taken together with physicochemical properties, including the sediment carbon and sulfur, the bottom water electrical conductivity, and the depth of the water column. Clearly, diverse anthropic activities, such as sewage discharge, copper sulfate application to control algal growth, water transfer, urbanization, and industrialization, contribute to increase these parameters and the metals spatially in the reservoir. Microbes found especially in metal-contaminated sites encompassed Bathyarchaeia, MBG-D and DHVEG-1, Halosiccatus, Candidatus Methanoperedens, Anaeromyxobacter, Sva0485, Thermodesulfovibrionia, Acidobacteria, and SJA-15, possibly showing metal resistance or acting in metal bioremediation. Knallgas bacteria, nitrate ammonification, sulfate respiration, and methanotrophy were inferred to occur in metal-contaminated sites and may also contribute to metal removal. This knowledge about the sediment microbiota and metabolisms in a freshwater reservoir impacted by anthropic activities allows new insights about their potential for metal bioremediation in these environments.
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Data availability
All the sequencing data analyzed in this study are available in the NCBI’s Sequence Read Archive, BioProjectID PRJNA690112, accession number SRP301026, experiments SRX9810583, SRX9810576, SRX9810554, SRX9810541, SRX9810538, SRX9810536, SRX9810533, and SRX9810531.
Materials availability
All the sequencing data analyzed in this study are available in the NCBI’s Sequence Read Archive, BioProjectID PRJNA690112, accession number SRP301026, experiments SRX9810583, SRX9810576, SRX9810554, SRX9810541, SRX9810538, SRX9810536, SRX9810533, and SRX9810531.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq), the Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement (CAPES) and the Multiuser Experimental Center from Federal University of ABC.
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This work was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP—process number: 2017/10355–1), with technical training scholarship (process numbers: 2017/19001–8; 2018/20417–7; 2019/23767–1) and student’s scholarship (process number: 2018/19694–6) and by the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq), with master’s scholarship (process number: 167185/2018–7).
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The authors Gabrielle Maria Fonseca Pierangeli, Karine Mirelle Rodrigues da Silva, Lucia Helena Gomes Coelho, and Gustavo Bueno Gregoracci contributed to the study conception and design. Methodology: Gabrielle Maria Fonseca Pierangeli, Karine Mirelle Rodrigues da Silva, Lucia Helena Gomes Coelho, and Gustavo Bueno Gregoracci. Formal analysis and investigation: Gabrielle Maria Fonseca Pierangeli and Karine Mirelle Rodrigues da Silva. Writing—original draft preparation: Gabrielle Maria Fonseca Pierangeli, Lucia Helena Gomes Coelho, Roseli Frederigi Benassi, Mércia Regina Domingues, and Gustavo Bueno Gregoracci; Writing, review, and editing: Lucia Helena Gomes Coelho, Roseli Frederigi Benassi, Mércia Regina Domingues, and Gustavo Bueno Gregoracci; funding acquisition and resources: Roseli Frederigi Benassi; supervision: Lucia Helena Gomes Coelho, Roseli Frederigi Benassi, and Gustavo Bueno Gregoracci. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Pierangeli, G.M.F., da Silva, K.M.R., Coelho, L.H.G. et al. Effects of metal contamination with physicochemical properties on the sediment microbial communities in a tropical eutrophic-hypereutrophic urban reservoir in Brazil. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 54961–54978 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-26114-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-26114-1