Abstract
Microorganisms play an important role in weathering sulfide minerals worldwide and thrive in metal-rich and extremely acidic environments in acid mine drainage (AMD). Advanced molecular methods provide in-depth information on the microbial diversity and community dynamics in the AMD-generating environment. Although the diversity is relatively low and in general inversely correlated with the acidity, a considerable number of microbial species have been detected and described in AMD ecosystems. The acidophilic microbial communities dominated by iron/sulfur-oxidizing microbes vary widely in their composition and structure across diverse environmental gradients. Environmental conditions affect the microbial community assembly via direct and indirect interactions with microbes, resulting in an environmentally dependent biogeographic pattern. This article summarizes the latest studies to provide a better understanding of the microbial biodiversity and community assembly in AMD environments.
Highlights
Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a widespread environmental problem caused by the oxidative dissolution of metal sulfide minerals [1]
We summarize our current understanding about the microbial diversity and illustrate how microbial community assembly is affected, that is, how microbial communities vary along diverse environmental gradients in AMD-generating environments
The recent efforts significantly increased our knowledge of the microbial diversity and community function in AMD ecosystems [29,47]
Summary
Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a widespread environmental problem caused by the oxidative dissolution of metal sulfide minerals [1]. The taxonomic and functional distributions of microbial communities have been explored associating with both the environmental heterogeneity and spatial gradients [24,29], providing an insightful view about the biogeographic pattern of microbial communities in AMD ecosystems. Such in-depth understanding of the microbial community assembly benefits the applications in bioleaching and bioremediation of abandoned mine tailings [30,31]. We summarize our current understanding about the microbial diversity and illustrate how microbial community assembly is affected, that is, how microbial communities vary along diverse environmental gradients in AMD-generating environments
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