Distribution and seasonal variability in the benthic eukaryotic community of Río Tinto (SW, Spain), an acidic, high metal extreme environment

Aguilera, Ángeles; Zettler, Erik R.; Gómez, Felipe; Amaral‐Zettler, Linda; Rodríguez, Núria; Amils, Ricardo

doi:10.1016/j.syapm.2007.05.003

Cited by 105 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Other studies of iron-enriched streams indicated that bacteria also play an important role in deterring the development of algal communities (48). A similar transition of biofilm communities in acidic streams in Río Tinto was previously described (5).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

“…Identification of algae and heterotrophic protists was carried out to the lowest possible taxonomic level by direct microscopic observation of different phenotypic features based on previous studies of the eukaryotic communities in acid environments (2,3,4,5,6,29) as well as by the use of identification keys for algae (10), freshwater plankton (13), protozoa (26), euglenoid flagellates (27), Euglenophyta (50), Protoctista (33), and diatoms (39). A Zeiss Axioscope 2 phase-contrast microscope was used in this work.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Geomicrobiology of La Zarza-Perrunal Acid Mine Effluent (Iberian Pyritic Belt, Spain)

González-Toril

Aguilera

Souza-Egipsy

et al. 2011

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Effluent from La Zarza-Perrunal, a mine on the Iberian Pyrite Belt, was chosen to be geomicrobiologically characterized along a 1,200-m stream length. The pH at the origin was 3.1, which decreased to 1.9 at the final downstream sampling site. The total iron concentration showed variations along the effluent, resulting from (i) significant hydrolysis and precipitation of Fe(III) (especially along the first reach of the stream) and (ii) concentration induced by evaporation (mostly in the last reach). A dramatic increase in iron oxidation was observed along the course of the effluent [from Fe(III)/Fe total ‫؍‬ 0.11 in the origin to Fe(III)/Fe total ‫؍‬ 0.99 at the last sampling station]. A change in the O 2 content along the effluent, from nearly anoxic at the origin to saturation with oxygen at the last sampling site, was also observed. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity throughout the effluent was determined by microscopy and 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing. Sulfatereducing bacteria (Desulfosporosinus and Syntrophobacter) were detected only near the origin. Some ironreducing bacteria (Acidiphilium, Acidobacterium, and Acidosphaera) were found throughout the river. Ironoxidizing microorganisms (Leptospirillum spp., Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, and Thermoplasmata) were increasingly detected downstream. Changes in eukaryotic diversity were also remarkable. Algae, especially Chlorella, were present at the origin, forming continuous, green, macroscopic biofilms, subsequently replaced further downstream by sporadic Zygnematales filaments. Taking into consideration the characteristics of this acidic extreme environment and the physiological properties and spatial distribution of the identified microorganisms, a geomicrobiological model of this ecosystem is advanced.The peculiar ecology and physiology of extremophiles and the environments in which they develop have intrigued microbiologists since their discovery. The biotechnological potential of their unusual properties make their study of great interest (32,34,37,41). Environments with extremely low pH values do not abound. They are mainly associated with two phenomena: volcanic and hydrothermal activities (hot sulfur springs, mud spots, etc.) and metal mining activities (16). The second category is especially interesting, because, in general, the extreme low pH of the habitat is a consequence of microbial metabolism (18) and not a condition imposed by the system, as is the case in many other extreme environments (e.g., high temperature, ionic strength, radiation, and pressure). Acidophilic chemolithotrophic microorganisms present in these environments have the potential to accelerate the oxidation and dissolution reactions of metal sulfides, resulting in acidic waters with high concentrations of sulfate and heavy metals (35).These acidic waters are known as acid mine drainage (AMD), and they are a serious environmental problem in the province of Huelva (southwestern Spain). These acidic solutions emerge from mine portals, waste-rock piles, and/or tailings fr...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

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confidence: 99%

Geomicrobiology of La Zarza-Perrunal Acid Mine Effluent (Iberian Pyritic Belt, Spain)

González-Toril

Aguilera

Souza-Egipsy

et al. 2011

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…These studies have shown rapid shifts in community structure in response to changes in environmental conditions. Several studies have also compared seasonal differences of microbial eukaryote communities (Massana et al, 2004;Romari and Vaulot, 2004;Lepere et al, 2006;Medlin et al, 2006;Aguilera et al, 2007;Countway et al, 2010;Nolte et al, 2010;Piwosz and Pernthaler, 2010;Edgcomb et al, 2011;Orsi et al, 2011), although most of these reports spanned relatively short timescales (p1-2 years). Multiyear comparisons that capture interannual changes of microbial eukaryotes have focused largely on bloom-forming conspicuous phytoplankton taxa such as diatoms and dinoflagellates using traditional microscopical methods (Venrick, 1998;Kim et al, 2009;Hinder et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monthly to interannual variability of microbial eukaryote assemblages at four depths in the eastern North Pacific

et al. 2013

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The monthly, seasonal and interannual variability of microbial eukaryote assemblages were examined at 5 m, the deep chlorophyll maximum, 150 m and 500 m at the San Pedro Ocean Time-series station (eastern North Pacific). The depths spanned transitions in temperature, light, nutrients and oxygen, and included a persistently hypoxic environment at 500 m. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism was used for the analysis of 237 samples that were collected between September 2000 and December 2010. Spatiotemporal variability patterns of microeukaryote assemblages indicated the presence of distinct shallow and deep communities at the SPOT station, presumably reflecting taxa that were specifically adapted for the conditions in those environments. Community similarity values between assemblages collected 1 month apart at each depth ranged between B20% and B84% (averages were B50-59%). The assemblage at 5 m was temporally more dynamic than deeper assemblages and also displayed substantial interannual variability during the first B3 years of the study. Evidence of seasonality was detected for the microbial eukaryote assemblage at 5 m between January 2008 and December 2010 and at 150 m between September 2000 and December 2003. Seasonality was not detected for assemblages at the deep chlorophyll a maximum, which varied in depth seasonally, or at 500 m. Microbial eukaryote assemblages exhibited cyclical patterns in at least 1 year at each depth, implying an annual resetting of communities. Substantial interannual variability was detected for assemblages at all depths and represented the largest source of temporal variability in this temperate coastal ecosystem.

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“…The RT flows 100 km through the world's largest pyritic belt and is distinct from other extremely acidic, iron-rich sites in that both chemolithotrophy and phototrophy drive the metabolic machinery of this environment. As a consequence, bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes often occur in abundance (Ló pez-Archilla and Amils, 1999;Amaral-Zettler et al, 2002;González-Toril et al, 2003b;Aguilera et al, 2007). Furthermore, it is an ancient ecosystem and geological evidence suggests that the microbial communities that exist there today are similar to those that existed millions of years ago (Fernández-Remolar et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial community structure across the tree of life in the extreme Río Tinto

et al. 2010

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Understanding biotic versus abiotic forces that shape community structure is a fundamental aim of microbial ecology. The acidic and heavy metal extreme Río Tinto (RT) in southwestern Spain provides a rare opportunity to conduct an ecosystem-wide biodiversity inventory at the level of all three domains of life, because diversity there is low and almost exclusively microbial. Despite improvements in high-throughput DNA sequencing, environmental biodiversity studies that use molecular metrics and consider entire ecosystems are rare. These studies can be prohibitively expensive if domains are considered separately, and differences in copy number of eukaryotic ribosomal RNA genes can bias estimates of relative abundances of phylotypes recovered. In this study we have overcome these barriers (1) by targeting all three domains in a single polymerase chain reaction amplification and (2) by using a replicated sampling design that allows for incidencebased methods to extract measures of richness and carry out downstream analyses that address community structuring effects. Our work showed that combined bacterial and archaeal richness is an order of magnitude higher than eukaryotic richness. We also found that eukaryotic richness was highest at the most extreme sites, whereas combined bacterial and archaeal richness was highest at less extreme sites. Quantitative community phylogenetics showed abiotic forces to be primarily responsible for shaping the RT community structure. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed co-occurrence of obligate symbionts and their putative hosts that may contribute to biotic forces shaping community structure and may further provide a possible mechanism for persistence of certain low-abundance bacteria encountered in the RT.

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Distribution and seasonal variability in the benthic eukaryotic community of Río Tinto (SW, Spain), an acidic, high metal extreme environment

Cited by 105 publications

References 29 publications

Geomicrobiology of La Zarza-Perrunal Acid Mine Effluent (Iberian Pyritic Belt, Spain)

Geomicrobiology of La Zarza-Perrunal Acid Mine Effluent (Iberian Pyritic Belt, Spain)

Monthly to interannual variability of microbial eukaryote assemblages at four depths in the eastern North Pacific

Microbial community structure across the tree of life in the extreme Río Tinto

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