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Shifts in microbial community composition and function in the acidification of a lead/zinc mine tailings
Author(s) -
Chen Linxing,
Li Jintian,
Chen Yating,
Huang Linan,
Hua Zhengshuang,
Hu Min,
Shu Wensheng
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/1462-2920.12114
Subject(s) - tailings , thiobacillus , acidithiobacillus , environmental chemistry , sulfur , microbial population biology , biology , acid mine drainage , proteobacteria , bioleaching , chemistry , 16s ribosomal rna , bacteria , biochemistry , gene , organic chemistry , acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans , copper , genetics
Summary In an attempt to link the microbial community composition and function in mine tailings to the generation of acid mine drainage, we simultaneously explored the geochemistry and microbiology of six tailings collected from a lead/zinc mine, i.e. primary tailings ( T 1), slightly acidic tailings ( T2 ), extremely acidic tailings ( T 3, T 4 and T 5) and orange‐coloured oxidized tailings ( T6 ). Geochemical results showed that the six tailings (from T 1 to T 6) likely represented sequential stages of the acidification process of the mine tailings. 16 S r RNA pyrosequencing revealed a contrasting microbial composition between the six tailings: P roteobacteria‐ related sequences dominated T 1– T 3 with relative abundance ranging from 56 to 93%, whereas F erroplasma‐ related sequences dominated T 4– T 6 with relative abundance ranging from 28 to 58%. Furthermore, metagenomic analysis of the microbial communities of T 2 and T 6 indicated that the genes encoding key enzymes for microbial carbon fixation, nitrogen fixation and sulfur oxidation in T 2 were largely from T hiobacillus and A cidithiobacillus , M ethylococcus capsulatus , and T hiobacillus denitrificans respectively; while those in T 6 were mostly identified in A cidithiobacillus and L eptospirillum , A cidithiobacillus and L eptospirillum , and A cidithiobacillus respectively. The microbial communities in T 2 and T 6 harboured more genes suggesting diverse metabolic capacities for sulfur oxidation/heavy metal detoxification and tolerating low pH respectively.