Journal
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
Volume 703, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134915
Keywords
Zebra mussels; DNA sequencing; Microbial communities; Microbial source tracking; Bioaccumulation; Pathogens
Categories
Funding
- Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center, through the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are invasive, filter-feeding, bivalves that have disrupted the ecology of thousands of freshwater biomes across North America. Due to their efficient filter-feeding activity, zebra mussels (ZMs) and other bivalves are extensively used to detect chemical contamination in waterways. In this study, we evaluated whether water and sediment serve as major sources of ZM tissue-associated microbiota, and whether ZMs serve as a reservoir for potentially pathogenic microbes in aquatic systems. High-throughput DNA sequencing of 16S rRNA gene was done to characterize the microbial community structure in 472 environmental samples, comprising ZMs, sediment, and the water column, collected from 15 lakes during the summer and fall months. Sequence analyses, done using the SourceTracker program, predicted that water and sediment contributed up to 91 and 86%, respectively, to the structure of microbiota within ZMs, and that mussels from the same site showed nearly identical source microbiota profiles. The relatively high local source contribution suggests that the microbiota in ZM tissue has the potential to reflect biological contamination and this phenomenon can be used to monitor microbial water quality. A preferential enrichment of several taxa was also observed in ZM tissues, including potential pathogenic groups such as Aeromonas, Enterobacteriaceae, and Pseudomonas. Taken together, our results contribute to an improved understanding of ZMs as a sentinel species in aquatic habitats and its potential impact to water quality management. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available