Conditions that promote the formation of black bloom in aquatic microcosms and its effects on sediment bacteria related to iron and sulfur cycling

Black bloom occurs frequently in eutrophic waters. We investigated the conditions promoted the formation of black bloom via in-situ measurement in two aquaticmicrocosms and the effects of black bloom on the bacterial community composition. Although larger changes in dissolved oxygen (DO) were detected in the Hydrilla verticillata-dominated microcosm over the 90-day simulation, black bloom occurred more readily in the phytoplankton-dominated than macrophyte-dominated microcosm under conditions of O-2 depletion and temperature above 30 degrees C. The sediment bacterial community composition shifted after black bloom; the relative abundance of Thiobacillus and Sideroxydans, which oxidize iron (Fe) and sulfur (S), decreased by 47% and 48%, respectively, in the phytoplankton-dominated microcosm and by 18% and 20% in the macrophyte-dominated microcosm. By contrast, Desulfatiglans increased by 13% and 19%, respectively, after black bloom. Furthermore, inter-taxa correlations remarkably changed according to co-occurrence network analysis. Thirty-six different taxa from the phylum to the genus level were identified as biomarkers of sediments collected before and after the black bloom event. Most of these biomarkers are related to Fe/S cycling in aquatic ecosystems. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Black blooms are common in eutrophic waters, with phytoplankton-dominated microcosms more prone to their formation. Following a black bloom event, there are notable shifts in sediment bacterial community composition, with changes in the relative abundance of specific bacteria.