Geology and land use shape nitrogen and sulfur cycling groundwater microbial communities in Pacific Island aquifers

Resource-constrained island populations have thrived in Hawai'i for over a millennium, but now face aggressive new challenges to fundamental resources, including the security and sustainability of water resources. Characterizing the microbial community in groundwater ecosystems is a powerful ap...

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Published in:ISME Communications 2023-06, Vol.3 (1), p.58-58
Main Authors: Watson, Sheree J, Arisdakessian, Cédric, Petelo, Maria, Keliipuleole, Kekuʻiapōiula, Tachera, Diamond K, Okuhata, Brytne K, Dulai, Henrietta, Frank, Kiana L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acinetobacter
Aquifers
Bioremediation
Denitrification
Drinking water
Ecosystem services
Ecosystems
Geochemistry
Geology
Groundwater
Human influences
Hydrogeology
Land management
Land use
Land use planning
Microbial activity
Microbiomes
Microorganisms
Nitrates
Nitrogen
Oxidation
Oxidizing agents
Populations
rRNA 16S
Sewage
Sewage disposal
Sulfur
Surface water
Sustainability
Volcanoes
Water quality
Water resources
Watersheds
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Summary:Resource-constrained island populations have thrived in Hawai'i for over a millennium, but now face aggressive new challenges to fundamental resources, including the security and sustainability of water resources. Characterizing the microbial community in groundwater ecosystems is a powerful approach to infer changes from human impacts due to land management in hydrogeological complex aquifers. In this study, we investigate how geology and land management influence geochemistry, microbial diversity and metabolic functions. We sampled a total of 19 wells over 2-years across the Hualālai watershed of Kona, Hawai'i analyzing geochemistry, and microbial communities by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Geochemical analysis revealed significantly higher sulfate along the northwest volcanic rift zone, and high nitrogen (N) correlated with high on-site sewage disposal systems (OSDS) density. A total of 12,973 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASV) were identified in 220 samples, including 865 ASVs classified as putative N and sulfur (S) cyclers. The N and S cyclers were dominated by a putative S-oxidizer coupled to complete denitrification (Acinetobacter), significantly enriched up to 4-times comparatively amongst samples grouped by geochemistry. The significant presence of Acinetobacter infers the bioremediation potential of volcanic groundwater for microbial-driven coupled S-oxidation and denitrification providing an ecosystem service for island populations dependent upon groundwater aquifers.
ISSN:2730-6151
2730-6151
DOI:10.1038/s43705-023-00261-5