The Evaluation of Bacterial Abundance and Functional Potentials in the Three Major Watersheds, Located in the Hot Spring Zone of the Tatun Volcano Group Basin, Taiwan.

Viji Nagarajan,Jung-Sheng Chen,Hsin-Chi Tsai,Bing-Mu Hsu,Cheng-Wei Fan,Bashir Hussain,Aslia Asif

doi:10.3390/microorganisms10030500

Viji Nagarajan, Jung-Sheng Chen + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10030500

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Abstract

The Tatun Volcanic Group (TVG), located in northern Taiwan, is characterized by acidic hot springs where the outflow of the hot springs may affect the properties of the associated lotic water bodies. We investigated the bacterial diversity and functional profiles of the Peihuang (PHC), HuangGang (HGC), and Nanhuang Creeks (NHC) located in the TVG basin using 16S rRNA gene sequencing coupled with statistical analyses. Water samples were collected from various streams of the creeks for two months of the year. The NHC showed the highest diversity, richness, and a unique number of phyla, which was followed by the HGC. A reduced number of phyla and a lower diversity was noticed in the PHC. The NHC was found to be abundant in the genera Armatimonas, Prosthecobacter, Pirellula, and Bdellovibrio, whereas the HGC was rich in Thiomonas, Acidiphilium, Prevotella, Acidocella, Acidithiobacillus, and Metallibacterium. The PHC was abundant in Thiomonsa, Legionella, Acidocella, and Sulfuriferula. The samples did not show any strong seasonal variations with the bacterial diversity and abundance; however, the relative abundance of each sampling site varied within the sampling months. The iron transport protein- and the sulfur metabolism-related pathways were predicted to be the key functions in all the creeks, whereas the heavy metal-related functions, such as the cobalt/nickel transport protein and the cobalt–zinc–cadmium efflux system were found to be abundant in the HGC and PHC, respectively. The abundance of Bdellovibrio in the NHC, Diplorickettsia in the HGC, and Legionella in the PHC samples indicated a higher anthropogenic impact over the creek water quality. This study provides the data to understand the distinct bacterial community structure, as well as the functional potentials of the three major watersheds, and helps the knowledge of the impact of the physicochemical properties of the TVG hot springs upon the watersheds.

Highlights

Hot springs are considered extreme environments because of their unique geochemical characteristics [1,2]
Among the three experimental groups, a higher number of Amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were noted in the Nanhuang Creeks (NHC) (n = 2498), followed by the HGC (n = 1454), while the lowest number of ASVs was recorded in the PHC (n = 746)
Numerous studies have been conducted on the hydrogeochemical characteristics of the Tatun Volcanic Group (TVG) hot springs, our study is the first attempt to elucidate the influence of hot springs on the bacterial community structure of the proximal water bodies

Summary

Introduction

Hot springs are considered extreme environments because of their unique geochemical characteristics [1,2]. They are mostly associated with high volcanic activity sites and are heated by geothermal energy [3]. Microorganisms play a key role in the biogeochemical cycling of major elements [6] in hot spring-associated ecosystems; it is important to examine their microbial community structure. Hot springs in river basins may be channeled directly into proximal lotic water bodies, such as rivers and creeks. This results in hot water mixing with the river water, altering their physicochemical characteristics and microbiota [9]. The water bodies harbor hot spring-native microbial populations, along with introduced potential pathogens [10,11], due to anthropogenic influences

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