This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Feris, K. P. Articles by Holben, W. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Feris, K. P. Articles by Holben, W. E. Agricola Articles by Feris, K. P. Articles by Holben, W. E.

Determining Rates of Change and Evaluating Group-Level Resiliency Differences in Hyporheic Microbial Communities in Response to Fluvial Heavy-Metal Deposition

Microbial Ecology Program, Division of Biological Sciences,¹ Department of Geology, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812²

Received 14 October 2003/ Accepted 19 March 2004

Prior field studies by our group have demonstrated a relationship between fluvial deposition of heavy metals and hyporheic-zone microbial community structure. Here, we determined the rates of change in hyporheic microbial communities in response to heavy-metal contamination and assessed group-level differences in resiliency in response to heavy metals. A controlled laboratory study was performed using 20 flowthrough river mesocosms and a repeated-measurement factorial design. A single hyporheic microbial community was exposed to five different levels of an environmentally relevant metal treatment (0, 4, 8, 16, and 30% sterilized contaminated sediments). Community-level responses were monitored at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks via denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and quantitative PCR using group-specific primer sets for indigenous populations most closely related to the -, ß-, and -proteobacteria. There was a consistent, strong curvilinear relationship between community composition and heavy-metal contamination (R² = 0.83; P < 0.001), which was evident after only 7 days of metal exposure (i.e., short-term response). The abundance of each phylogenetic group was negatively affected by the heavy-metal treatments; however, each group recovered from the metal treatments to a different extent and at a unique rate during the course of the experiment. The structure of hyporheic microbial communities responded rapidly and at contamination levels an order of magnitude lower than those shown to elicit a response in aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages. These studies indicate that hyporheic microbial communities are a sensitive and useful indicator of heavy-metal contamination in streams.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Kourtev, P. S., Nakatsu, C. H., Konopka, A. (2006). Responses of the Anaerobic Bacterial Community to Addition of Organic C in Chromium(VI)- and Iron(III)-Amended Microcosms. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 628-637 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Nakatsu, C. H., Carmosini, N., Baldwin, B., Beasley, F., Kourtev, P., Konopka, A. (2005). Soil Microbial Community Responses to Additions of Organic Carbon Substrates and Heavy Metals (Pb and Cr). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 7679-7689 [Abstract] [Full Text]