Diversity and biogenesis contribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria in arsenic-contaminated soils from realgar deposits

Zhu, Xianbin; Chen, Liyuan; Pan, Hongzhong; Wang, Lei; Zhang, Xun; Wang, Dan

Diversity and biogenesis contribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria in arsenic-contaminated soils from realgar deposits

2022

Microbial sulfate reduction, a vital mechanism for microorganisms living in anaerobic, sulfate-rich environments, is an essential aspect of the sulfur biogeochemical cycle. However, there has been no detailed investigation of the diversity and biogenesis contribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria in arsenic-contaminated soils from realgar deposits. To elucidate this issue, soil samples from representative abandoned realgar deposits were collected. Microcosm assays illustrated that all three samples (2–1, 2–2, and 2–3) displayed efficient sulfate and As(V)-respiring activities. Furthermore, a total of 28 novel sequence variants of dissimilatory sulfite reductase genes and 2 new families of dsrAB genes were successfully identified. A novel dissimilatory sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfotomaculum sp. JL1, was also isolated from soils, and can efficiently respiratory reduce As(V) and sulfate in 4 and 5 days, respectively. JL1 can promote the generation of yellow precipitates in the presence of multiple electron acceptors (both contain sulfate and As(V) in the cultures), which indicated the biogenesis contribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria to the realgar mine. Moreover, this area had unique microbial communities; the most abundant populations belonged to the phyla Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteriota, which were attributed to the unique geochemistry characteristics, such as total organic carbon, total As, NO₃⁻, and SO₄²⁻. The results of this study provide new insight into the diversity and biogenesis contributions of sulfate-reducing bacteria in arsenic-contaminated soils from realgar deposits.

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