Impact of salinity origin on microbial communities in saline springs within the Illinois Basin, USA

• Published in: Environmental microbiology Vol. 24; no. 12; pp. 6112 - 6127
• Main Authors: Zhao, Linduo, Shao, Hongbo, Zhang, Li, Panno, Samuel V., Kelly, Walton R., Lin, Tzu‐Yu, Liu, Wen‐Tso, Flynn, Theodore M., Berger, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.12.2022; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Aquatic ecosystems; basins; Biodiversity; Brines; Cambrian; Cambrian period; Chemical analysis; Community composition; community structure; Composition; Ecosystems; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Flow paths; Geochemistry; Groundwater; Groundwater - microbiology; Groundwater recharge; Harbors; Harbours; Illinois; Microbial activity; microbial communities; Microbiology; Microbiomes; Microbiota; Microbiota - genetics; Microorganisms; Mineral springs; Ordovician; Ordovician period; Pennsylvanian period; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA 16S; Salinity; Salinity effects; Seawater; Seawater - microbiology; Sediment samples; Species richness; spring; Spring water; Terrestrial environments; Water analysis; Water springs; United States > US; Illinois
• ISSN: 1462-2912; 1462-2920; 1462-2920
• DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16241

Saline springs within the Illinois Basin result from the discharge of deep‐seated evaporated seawater (brine) and likely contain diverse and complex microbial communities that are poorly understood. In this study, seven saline/mineral springs with different geochemical characteristics and salinity origins were investigated using geochemical and molecular microbiological analyses to reveal the composition of microbial communities inhabiting springs and their key controlling factors. The 16S rRNA sequencing results demonstrated that each spring harbours a unique microbial community influenced by its geochemical properties and subsurface conditions. The microbial communities in springs that originated from Cambrian/Ordovician strata, which are deep confined units that have limited recharge from overlying formations, share a greater similarity in community composition and have a higher species richness and more overlapped taxa than those that originated from shallower Pennsylvanian strata, which are subject to extensive regional surface and groundwater recharge. The microbial distribution along the spring flow paths at the surface indicates that 59.8%–94.2% of total sequences in sedimentary samples originated from spring water, highlighting the role of springs in influencing microbiota in the immediate terrestrial environment. The results indicate that the springs introduce microbiota with a high biodiversity into surface terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems, potentially affecting microbial reservoirs in downstream ecosystems.