The use of next-generation sequencing to distinguish microbial communities under the influence of different land use in groundwater ecosystems

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Abstract

Groundwater comprises 94 % of the usable freshwater and is the most significant freshwater resource. An important ecological function is their contact to surface aquatic ecosystems, which for their part are dependent on the communication with aquifers. Most groundwater ecosystems are of pristine quality and thus characterized as oligotrophic environments with low energy yield, activity, growth, and reproduction. There, microbes are the most abundant organisms. Their metabolic functions substantially contribute to purification of groundwater, being considered as a significant ecosystem service. Anthropogenic activities, on the other hand, can strongly influence the structure and composition of these communities, as alterations within these fragile micro-habitats may turn into environmental stress and give a selective advantage for more resistant species. The entailed changes in the structure of groundwater species communities, are associated with the degradation of groundwater quantity and quality. Despite an increasing awareness of this problematic, current assessment methods for groundwater ecosystems are based on the analysis of abiotic parameters only and insufficient to detect changes of the microbe communities and thus ecosystem functioning. Against this background, the present study intends to render information about effects of environmental stress at different levels of biological organization. By use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) we targeted species identification for microbe communities sampled from aquifers and springs under different degrees of land use impact. Differences in community structure were analyzed and interpreted against the concentration of abiotic substances as a measure of stress on biota. First results show that sampling areas can be differentiated according to the land use factor, whereas patterns of community structure on a smaller scale within sampling areas remain inconsistent.

Speakers from the University of Münster

Karczewski, Karsten	Department of Limnology
Meyer, Elisabeth Irmgard	Department of Limnology
Riss, Hans-Wolfgang	Department of Limnology