Deciphering the influence of multiple anthropogenic inputs on taxonomic and functional profiles of the microbial communities in Yitong River, Northeast China.

Ying Zhang,Yang Huo,Xianze Wang,Suiyi Zhu,Zhiruo Zhang,Mingxin Huo,Wei Fan

doi:10.1007/s11356-021-18386-2

Abstract

We conducted the analysis of physicochemical parameters, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to explore the impact of human inputs on the bacterioplankton communities within a tributary of the largest river flowing through a megacity in northeast China. Agriculture largely accounted for the alteration of diversity and functions of the microbial communities. Furthermore, nitrate and total phosphorus declined at the reservoir outlet. The WWTP effluent discharge caused a decrease of the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Cyanobacteria, while the impact on the variation of alpha diversity of river microbial community was slight. Carbon fixation and nitrogen cycle varied with the change of land use type. The rare taxa contributed with a predominant role in the response to environmental variables and NH3-N as well as NO3--N were the main environmental factors that drove the shift in the bacterial community. The occurrence of the human-specific fecal indicator was mostly derived from agriculture, and its increase in relative abundance was observed in the WWTP effluent. Thus, our study provides guidance for ecological assessment and management of rivers by revealing the response pattern of river bacterioplankton to multiple types of anthropogenic stressors.

Highlights

The river ecosystem is vital for the persistence of human civilization (Clark et al, 2018)
The maximum concentrations of NO2−-N and NO3−-N were found in the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) effluent in both periods (10.18 mg/L and 12.67 mg/L)
We investigated the response of the bacterioplankton community composition and function to multiple types of anthropogenic inputs, including agriculture, reservoir construction, and WWTP effluent discharge

Summary

Introduction

The river ecosystem is vital for the persistence of human civilization (Clark et al, 2018). As a typical lotic ecosystem, rivers are influenced by climate factors and by the disturbance of anthropogenic effects, such as hydraulic condition, land-use alteration, and wastewater discharge by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) (Garcia-Armisen et al, 2014; Liao et al, 2018; Price et al, 2018; Burdon et al, 2020; Yang and Zhang, 2020). The construction of a reservoir may significantly change hydrological regime and biological activity, and impact the water quality and denitrification effect downstream of the river (Li et al, 2015; Schmadel et al, 2018). Aquaculture and human activities are important sources of fecal pollution, causing potential health risks (Vadde et al, 2019)

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Conclusion