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Impact of storm events on the structure of a stream microbiome
Citation:
Molina, M., K. Bradshaw, AND K. Wong. Impact of storm events on the structure of a stream microbiome. International Society for Microbial Ecology, Montreal, CANADA, August 21 - 26, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
Presented at the International Society for Microbial Ecology, August 21-26 in Montreal, Canada
Description:
The microbial structural and/or functional state in a stream community is assumed to be in relative stasis until a perturbation (e.g., runoff event with entrained pollutants) affects the community structure and its functional state. Quantifying these changes and resolving the speed at which the microbial community is affected by stressors can create an index of microbial condition or a resilience index. In this work, we used metagenomics analysis to measure the shift in microbial community structure in response to rain events of various intensities. Water samples were collected at the South Fork Broad River (SFBR), and Big Clouds Creek (BCC), GA throughout different flow stages using automatic samplers. The 16SRNA was amplified from each sample and sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq Platform. The data was combined with hydro meteorological, chemical, and other biological measurements, to establish key relationships between the microbial taxa and environmental stressors impacting the watershed. The highest diversity index was observed in samples collected during the falling limb (FL) of the hydrograph, while lowest diversity was observed during base flow (BF). Operational taxonomic unit (OTU) abundance was also highest during FL, while peak flow (PF) samples were the least abundant. Betaproteobacteria was the most abundant class across stream stages, with Deltaproteobacteria present only during FL. Our results demonstrate the impact of storms events on the structure of the stream microbiome and provides insights on the recovery potential of the system after disturbance.
