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Nonferrous metal (loid) s mediate bacterial diversity in an abandoned mine tailing impoundment

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Abstract

Migration and transformation of toxic metal (loid) s in tailing sites inevitably lead to ecological disturbances and serious threats to the surroundings. However, the horizontal and vertical distribution of bacterial diversity has not been determined in nonferrous metal (loid) tailing ponds, especially in Guangxi China, where the world’s largest and potentially most toxic sources of metal (loid) s are located. Distribution of bacterial communities was stable at horizontal levels. At the surface (0–10 cm), the stability was most attributed to Bacillus and Enterococcus, while bacterial communities at the subsurface (50 cm) were mainly contributed by Nitrospira and Sulfuricella. Variable vertical distribution of bacterial communities has led to the occurrence of specific genera and specific predicted functions (such as transcription regulation factors). Sulfurifustis (a S-oxidizing and inorganic carbon fixing bacteria) genera were specific at the surface, whereas Streptococcus-related genera were found at the surface and subsurface, but were more abundant in the latter depth. Physical-chemical parameters, such as pH, TN, and metal (loid) (As, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn) concentrations were the main drivers of bacterial community abundance, diversity, composition, and metabolic functions. These results increase our understanding of the physical-chemical effects on the spatial distribution of bacterial communities and provide useful insight for the bioremediation and site management of nonferrous metal (loid) tailings.

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Funding

This work is supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation of China (41430106, 41573080, 41720104007, 41711530030, 41711530150) and project of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (S2016G2135). We also acknowledge the support of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS PRC1416, France), a Royal Society Newton Mobility Grant (IE161198), and National Natural Science Foundation International Joint collaboration China-Sweden (41430106).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jianli Liu, Fei Wang & Zifu Li

  2. School of Water Resource and Environment Engineering, Research Center of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jun Yao, Geoffrey Sunahara & Robert Duran

  3. Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, H9X3V9, Quebec, Canada

    Geoffrey Sunahara

  4. Equipe Environnement et Microbiologie, MELODY group, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, IPREM UMR CNRS 5254, BP 1155, 64013, Pau, Cedex, France

    Robert Duran

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  1. Jianli Liu
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Highlights

• Spatial bacterial diversity patterns (horizontal and vertical) in nonferrous mine tailings were determined.

• Migration and transformation of metal (loid) s in tailings can unavoidably disturb the microbial ecological system.

• Variations in vertical patterns were observed on bacterial community structure and metabolic functions.

• Distributions of Sulfurifustis and Streptococcus were significantly different in both surface and subsurface profiles.

• Spatial distributions of communities were correlated with physical-chemical parameters and taxa.

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Liu, J., Yao, J., Sunahara, G. et al. Nonferrous metal (loid) s mediate bacterial diversity in an abandoned mine tailing impoundment . Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 24806–24818 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05092-3

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