Impact of salinity origin on microbial communities in saline springs within the Illinois Basin, USA

Abstract

Saline springs within the Illinois Basin result from the discharge of deepseated evaporated seawater (brine) and likely contain diverse and complex microbial communities that are poorly understood. In this study, seven saline/mineral springs with different geochemical characteristics and salinity origins were investigated using geochemical and molecular microbiological analyses to reveal the composition of microbial communities inhabiting springs and their key controlling factors. The 16S rRNA sequencing results demonstrated that each spring harbours a unique microbial community influenced by its geochemical properties and subsurface conditions. The microbial communities in springs that originated from Cambrian/Ordovician strata, which are deep confined units that have limited recharge from overlying formations, share a greater similarity in community composition and have a higher species richness and more overlapped taxa than those that originated from shallower Pennsylvanian strata, which are subject to extensive regional surface and groundwater recharge. The microbial distribution along the spring flow paths at the surface indicates that 59.8%-94.2% of total sequences in sedimentary samples originated from spring water, highlighting the role of springs in influencing microbiota in the immediate terrestrial environment. The results indicate that the springs introduce microbiota with a high biodiversity into surface terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems, potentially affecting microbial reservoirs in downstream ecosystems.

Thiothrix and Sulfurovum genera dominate bacterial mats in Slovak cold sulfur springs

“…Contrarily, this is the first evidence of the Sulfurovum genus constituting a large part of the microbiota of Slovak sulfur springs. Several studies suggested the Sulfurovum genus represents the primary producer of different sulfur-rich environments, similarly, the Thiothrix species are considered to be a typical part of sulfur-oxidizing microbial communities in sulfur-rich habitats, probably due to their potential to colonize a geochemically wider range of environments [ 70 , 71 , 84 ]. Generally, Thiothrix species tend to colonize oxygenated habitats with lower sulfide levels in cold sulfur springs.…”