Adaption of microbial communities to the hostile environment in the Doce River after the collapse of two iron ore tailing dams
Adriana Giongo, Luiz Gustavo dos Anjos Borges, Letícia Marconatto, Pâmela de Lara Palhano, María Pilar Serbent, Eduardo Moreira-Silva, Tiago Siqueira, Caroline Thaís Martinho, Rosália Barili, Lisiê Valéria Paz, Letícia Isabela Moser, Carolina De Marco Veríssimo, Marcelo Ketzer, Renata Medina‐Silva
Abstract
from Doce River were analyzed for 16S and 18S rRNA-based amplicon sequencing, along with microbial isolation, chemical and mineralogical analyses. Samples were collected one month and thirteen months after the collapse. Prokaryotic communities from mud shifted drastically over time (33% Bray-Curtis similarity), while water samples were more similar (63% Bray-Curtis similarity) in the same period. After 12 months, mud samples remained with high levels of heavy metals and a reduction in the diversity of microeukaryotes was detected. Amoebozoans increased in mud samples, reaching 49% of microeukaryote abundance, with Discosea and Lobosa groups being the most abundant. The microbial communities' structure in mud samples changed adapting to the new environment condition. The characterization of microbial communities and metal-tolerant organisms from such impacted environments is essential for understanding the ecological consequences of massive anthropogenic impacts and strategies for the restoration of contaminated sites such as the Doce River.