The seasonal variation of microbial communities in drinking water sources in Shanghai

Abstract

Microorganisms play an important role in the ecology, quality, and safety of bodies of water, particularly those used as potable water sources. It is essential to investigate the diversity of the microbial communities in water sources and explore the relationship between microorganisms, algae, and environmental factors. In this study, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to investigate the seasonal variation and diversity of the microbial community in a Shanghai water source. Moreover, this study analyzed the influence of water quality in combination with environmental factors on the microbial community. The results showed that the changing trend among algae was mainly Cyanobacteria in summer and Bacillariophyta in winter. The abundance of Cyanobacteria and Actinobacteria showed an opposite trend, while the abundance of Actinomyces and Ilumatobacter maintained the same trend, which was opposite to that of Bacillariophyta. The relative abundance of β-Proteobacteria was the highest in July, with higher nutrient concentrations leading to the higher relative abundance of β-Proteobacteria. Some algae-lysing bacteria play a key role in the decay and degradation of algae. The redundancy analysis showed that permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen, and nitric nitrogen were the main factors affecting the microbial community in the water source. As such, this study may help optimize the microbial control, provide data for the assessment of the environmental and ecological quality of the water, improve water safety and eutrophication pre-control, and further our knowledge regarding the water production process in this water source.