Bacterial community structure in freshwater springs infested with the invasive plant species Hydrilla verticillata.

Abstract

The phylogenetic composition and physiological profiles of bacterial communities in freshwater springs were evaluated during the blooming and non-blooming stages of the invasive plant species, Hydrilla verticillata. Community-level physiological profiles (CLPPs) and pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons were used to study potential Hydrilla mediated shifts in the physiological potential and phylogenetic composition of the bacterial community in infested systems. The results of CLPP revealed that the microbes in the Hydrilla invaded sites utilized less substrates during blooming periods than during nonblooming periods of the plant. Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed some relationships between the relative abundances of bacterial taxa and the Biolog substrate utilization pattern. The relative abundance of the identified taxa showed some striking differences based on the blooming status of Hydrilla and to a lesser extent on site variation. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Bacteriodetes, and Verrucomicrobia was generally higher during Hydrilla blooms, while Deltaproteobacteria was generally higher during non-blooming stages of Hydrilla. The detected genera also varied based on the blooming stages of the plant. Based on the findings, it appears that Hydrilla alters the phylogenetic composition and structure of the bacterial community during the blooming stage.