Open AccessProkaryotic and Viral Community Composition of Freshwater Springs in Florida, USA
Author(s) -
Kema Malki,
Karyna Rosario,
Natalie A. Sawaya,
Anna J. Székely,
Michael J. Tisza,
Mya Breitbart
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
mbio
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.562
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 2161-2129
pISSN - 2150-7511
DOI - 10.1128/mbio.00436-20
Subject(s) - aquifer , bacteroidetes , biology , groundwater , ecology , freshwater ecosystem , microbial population biology , metagenomics , spring (device) , phylum , abundance (ecology) , watershed , bacterial virus , ecosystem , 16s ribosomal rna , bacteria , bacteriophage , geology , gene , paleontology , genetics , escherichia coli , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , computer science , mechanical engineering , engineering
Aquifer systems may hold up to 40% of the total microbial biomass on Earth. However, little is known about the composition of microbial communities within these critical freshwater ecosystems. Here, we took advantage of Florida’s first-magnitude springs (the highest spring classification based on water discharge), each discharging at least 246 million liters of water each day from the Floridan aquifer system (FAS), to investigate prokaryotic and viral communities from the aquifer. The FAS serves as a major source of potable water in the Southeastern United States, providing water for large cities and citizens in three states. Unfortunately, the health of the FAS and its associated springs has declined in the past few decades due to nutrient loading, increased urbanization and agricultural activity in aquifer recharge zones, and saltwater intrusion. This is the first study to describe the prokaryotic and viral communities in Florida’s first-magnitude springs, providing a baseline against which to compare future ecosystem change.