Arsenic speciation, the abundance of arsenite-oxidizing bacteria and microbial community structures in groundwater, surface water, and soil from a gold mine

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Publication Details

Author list: Sonthiphand P., Kraidech S., Polart S., Chotpantarat S., Kusonmano K., Uthaipaisanwong P., Rangsiwutisak C., Luepromchai E.

Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group

Publication year: 2021

Volume number: 56

Issue number: 7

Start page: 769

End page: 785

Number of pages: 17

ISSN: 1093-4529

eISSN: 1532-4117

URL: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85106517702&doi=10.1080%2f10934529.2021.1927421&partnerID=40&md5=1985a8e4212f2fac57b0b05c8cecf838

Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)

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Abstract

The arsenic speciation, the abundance of arsenite-oxidizing bacteria, and microbial community structures in the groundwater, surface water, and soil from a gold mining area were explored using the PHREEQC model, cloning-ddPCR of the aioA gene, and high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, respectively. The analysis of the aioA gene showed that arsenite-oxidizing bacteria retrieved from groundwater, surface water, and soil were associated with Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria. In groundwaters from the mining area, there were relatively high ratios of aioA/total 16S rRNA gene copies and the dominance of As5+, which suggested the presence and activity of arsenite-oxidizing bacteria. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the majority of the soil and surface water microbiomes were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi, whereas the groundwater microbiomes were dominated exclusively by Betaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria. Geochemical factors influencing the microbial structure in the groundwater were As, residence time, and groundwater flowrate, while those showing a positive correlation to the microbial structure in the surface water were TOC, ORP, and DO. This study provides insights into the groundwater, surface water, and soil microbiomes from a gold mine and expands the current understanding of the diversity and abundance of arsenite-oxidizing bacteria, playing a vital role in global As cycling. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Keywords

aioA gene, arsenite-oxidizing bacteria, gold mine