Subsurface microbial communities as a tool for characterizing regional-scale groundwater flow.

Autor: Merino N; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, United States. Electronic address: merino4@llnl.gov., Jackson TR; Nevada Water Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Boulder City, NV 89005, United States., Campbell JH; Department of Natural Sciences, Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO 64468, United States., Kersting AB; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, United States., Sackett J; Division of Earth and Ecosystems Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV 89119, United States; Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV 89119, United States; School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154, United States., Fisher JC; Division of Earth and Ecosystems Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV 89119, United States; Biology Department, Indiana University Northwest, Gary, IN 46408, United States., Bruckner JC; Division of Earth and Ecosystems Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV 89119, United States., Zavarin M; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, United States., Hamilton-Brehm SD; Division of Earth and Ecosystems Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV 89119, United States; Department of Microbiology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States., Moser DP; Division of Earth and Ecosystems Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV 89119, United States; Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV 89119, United States. Electronic address: Duane.Moser@dri.edu.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2022 Oct 10; Vol. 842, pp. 156768. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Jun 21.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156768
Abstrakt: Subsurface microbial community distribution patterns are influenced by biogeochemical and groundwater fluxes and may inform hydraulic connections along groundwater-flow paths. This study examined the regional-scale microbial community of the Death Valley Regional Flow System and evaluated whether subsurface communities can be used to identify groundwater-flow paths between recharge and discharge areas. Samples were collected from 36 sites in three groundwater basins: Pahute Mesa-Oasis Valley (PMOV), Ash Meadows (AM), and Alkali Flat-Furnace Creek Ranch (AFFCR). Microbial diversity within and between communities varied by location, and communities were separated into two overall groups that affiliated with the AM and PMOV/AFFCR basins. Network analysis revealed patterns between clusters of common microbes that represented groundwaters with similar geochemical conditions and largely corroborated hydraulic connections between recharge and discharge areas. Null model analyses identified deterministic and stochastic ecological processes contributing to microbial community assemblages. Most communities were more different than expected and governed by dispersal limitation, geochemical differences, or undominating processes. However, certain communities from sites located within or near the Nevada National Security Site were more similar than expected and dominated by homogeneous dispersal or selection. Overall, the (dis)similarities between the microbial communities of DVRFS recharge and discharge areas supported previously documented hydraulic connections between: (1) Spring Mountains and Ash Meadows; (2) Frenchman and Yucca Flat and Amargosa Desert; and (3) Amargosa Desert and Death Valley. However, only a portion of the flow path between Pahute Mesa and Oasis Valley could be supported by microbial community analyses, likely due to well-associated artifacts in samples from the two Oasis Valley sites. This study demonstrates the utility of combining microbial data with hydrologic, geologic, and water-chemistry information to comprehensively characterize groundwater systems, highlighting both strengths and limitations of this approach.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Published by Elsevier B.V.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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