6533b7d7fe1ef96bd1267b25
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Bacterial community structure along the subtidal sandy sediment belt of a high Arctic fjord (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard Islands)
Luigi MichaudMaria PapaleEmilio De DomenicoCarmen RizzoAnu MikkonenAngelina Lo GiudiceAntonella ConteStefano Amalfitanosubject
0301 basic medicineWater massEnvironmental EngineeringFjordmicrobial community compositioncoastal sands03 medical and health sciencesEnvironmental Chemistryta219Glacial periodMeltwaterglacial inputsWaste Management and Disposalgeographygeography.geographical_feature_categoryCommunityion PGM sequencingCommunity structureSedimentGlacierPollution030104 developmental biologyOceanographyCoastal sands Glacial inputs Ion PGM sequencing Microbial community composition Prokaryotic abundance Environmental Engineering Environmental Chemistry Waste Management and Disposal PollutionGeologyprokaryotic abundancedescription
Open fjords are subject to contrasting environmental conditions, owing to meltwater glacial inputs, terrestrial runoff, and marine water mass exchanges, which are exacerbated by anthropogenic and climate perturbations. Following a slope-dependent water circulation, the subtidal sandy sediment belt regulates the convergent transport of nutrients downward the fjord depths, and the effective entrapment of suspended particles and microorganisms. In this study, we aimed at testing how glacial and seawater inputs may influence the bacterial community structure of subtidal sand deposits in the Kongsfjorden. Through total and viable cell counting and an amplicon sequencing approach, we found relevant differences in bacterial community structure along the glacio-marine sampling transect. Viable and high nucleic acid content (HNA) cells represented an important fraction of the total community, generally decreasing toward the glacier front. Besides the predominance of Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Parcubacteria, the bacterial community structure was likely affected by the glacial activity in the inner fjord, with the occurrence of distinctive phylotypes belonging to Gemmatimonadates, Nitrospirae, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi. Overall, our outcomes highlighted that exploring the bacterial community distribution and structure can provide new insights into the active role of sand deposits in coastal cold environments.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-01-01 | Science of the Total Environment |