Microbial Communities Associated With Passive Acidic Abandoned Coal Mine Remediation
Acid mine drainage (AMD) is an environmental issue that can be characterized by either acidic or circumneutral pH and high dissolved metal content in contaminated waters. It is estimated to affect roughly 3000 miles of waterways within the state of Pennsylvania, with half being acidic and half being...
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doaj-0a0a27f136b5424089aa9724bf5474712020-11-25T00:28:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2019-08-011010.3389/fmicb.2019.01955410022Microbial Communities Associated With Passive Acidic Abandoned Coal Mine RemediationTruc Ly0Justin R. Wright1Nicholas Weit2Christopher J. McLimans3Nikea Ulrich4Vasily Tokarev5Michelle M. Valkanas6Nancy Trun7Shawn Rummel8Christopher J. Grant9Regina Lamendella10Regina Lamendella11Department of Biology, Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA, United StatesWright Labs LLC., Huntingdon, PA, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA, United StatesWright Labs LLC., Huntingdon, PA, United StatesDepartment of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, United StatesDepartment of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, United StatesTrout Unlimited, Arlington, VA, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA, United StatesWright Labs LLC., Huntingdon, PA, United StatesAcid mine drainage (AMD) is an environmental issue that can be characterized by either acidic or circumneutral pH and high dissolved metal content in contaminated waters. It is estimated to affect roughly 3000 miles of waterways within the state of Pennsylvania, with half being acidic and half being circumneutral. To negate the harmful effects of AMD, ∼300 passive remediation systems have been constructed within the state of Pennsylvania. In this study, we evaluated the microbial community structure and functional capability associated with Middle Branch passive remediation system in central PA. Sediment and water samples were collected from each area within the passive remediation system and its receiving stream. Environmental parameters associated with the remediation system were found to explain a significant amount of variation in microbial community structure. This study revealed shifts in microbial community structure from acidophilic bacteria in raw AMD discharge to a more metabolically diverse set of taxa (i.e., Acidimicrobiales, Rhizobiales, Chthoniobacteraceae) toward the end of the system. Vertical flow ponds and the aerobic wetland showed strong metabolic capability for sulfur redox environments. These findings are integral to the understanding of designing effective passive remediation systems because it provides insight as to how certain bacteria [sulfate reducing bacteria (SRBs) and sulfur oxidizing bacteria (SOBs)] are potentially contributing to a microbially mediated AMD remediation process. This study further supports previous investigations that demonstrated the effectiveness of SRBs in the process of removing sulfate and heavy metals from contaminated water.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01955/fullacid mine drainagesulfate reducing bacteriapassive remediation systemshotgun-metagenomics16S rRNA |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Truc Ly Justin R. Wright Nicholas Weit Christopher J. McLimans Nikea Ulrich Vasily Tokarev Michelle M. Valkanas Nancy Trun Shawn Rummel Christopher J. Grant Regina Lamendella Regina Lamendella |
spellingShingle |
Truc Ly Justin R. Wright Nicholas Weit Christopher J. McLimans Nikea Ulrich Vasily Tokarev Michelle M. Valkanas Nancy Trun Shawn Rummel Christopher J. Grant Regina Lamendella Regina Lamendella Microbial Communities Associated With Passive Acidic Abandoned Coal Mine Remediation Frontiers in Microbiology acid mine drainage sulfate reducing bacteria passive remediation system shotgun-metagenomics 16S rRNA |
author_facet |
Truc Ly Justin R. Wright Nicholas Weit Christopher J. McLimans Nikea Ulrich Vasily Tokarev Michelle M. Valkanas Nancy Trun Shawn Rummel Christopher J. Grant Regina Lamendella Regina Lamendella |
author_sort |
Truc Ly |
title |
Microbial Communities Associated With Passive Acidic Abandoned Coal Mine Remediation |
title_short |
Microbial Communities Associated With Passive Acidic Abandoned Coal Mine Remediation |
title_full |
Microbial Communities Associated With Passive Acidic Abandoned Coal Mine Remediation |
title_fullStr |
Microbial Communities Associated With Passive Acidic Abandoned Coal Mine Remediation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Microbial Communities Associated With Passive Acidic Abandoned Coal Mine Remediation |
title_sort |
microbial communities associated with passive acidic abandoned coal mine remediation |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Microbiology |
issn |
1664-302X |
publishDate |
2019-08-01 |
description |
Acid mine drainage (AMD) is an environmental issue that can be characterized by either acidic or circumneutral pH and high dissolved metal content in contaminated waters. It is estimated to affect roughly 3000 miles of waterways within the state of Pennsylvania, with half being acidic and half being circumneutral. To negate the harmful effects of AMD, ∼300 passive remediation systems have been constructed within the state of Pennsylvania. In this study, we evaluated the microbial community structure and functional capability associated with Middle Branch passive remediation system in central PA. Sediment and water samples were collected from each area within the passive remediation system and its receiving stream. Environmental parameters associated with the remediation system were found to explain a significant amount of variation in microbial community structure. This study revealed shifts in microbial community structure from acidophilic bacteria in raw AMD discharge to a more metabolically diverse set of taxa (i.e., Acidimicrobiales, Rhizobiales, Chthoniobacteraceae) toward the end of the system. Vertical flow ponds and the aerobic wetland showed strong metabolic capability for sulfur redox environments. These findings are integral to the understanding of designing effective passive remediation systems because it provides insight as to how certain bacteria [sulfate reducing bacteria (SRBs) and sulfur oxidizing bacteria (SOBs)] are potentially contributing to a microbially mediated AMD remediation process. This study further supports previous investigations that demonstrated the effectiveness of SRBs in the process of removing sulfate and heavy metals from contaminated water. |
topic |
acid mine drainage sulfate reducing bacteria passive remediation system shotgun-metagenomics 16S rRNA |
url |
https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01955/full |
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