Metagenomics-Based Microbial Ecological Community Threshold and Indicators of Anthropogenic Disturbances in Estuarine Sediments.
Environ Sci Technol
; 58(1): 780-794, 2024 Jan 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38118133
ABSTRACT
Assessing the impacts of cumulative anthropogenic disturbances on estuarine ecosystem health is challenging. Using spatially distributed sediments from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) in southern China, which are significantly influenced by anthropogenic activities, we demonstrated that metagenomics-based surveillance of benthic microbial communities is a robust approach to assess anthropogenic impacts on estuarine benthic ecosystems. Correlational and threshold analyses between microbial compositions and environmental conditions indicated that anthropogenic disturbances in the PRE sediments drove the taxonomic and functional variations in the benthic microbial communities. An ecological community threshold of anthropogenic disturbances was identified, which delineated the PRE sediments into two groups (H and L) with distinct taxa and functional traits. Group H, located nearshore and subjected to a higher level of anthropogenic disturbances, was enriched with pollutant degraders, putative human pathogens, fecal pollution indicators, and functional traits related to stress tolerance. In contrast, Group L, located offshore and subjected to a lower level of anthropogenic disturbances, was enriched with halotolerant and oligotrophic taxa and functional traits related to growth and resource acquisition. The machine learning random forest model identified a number of taxonomic and functional indicators that could differentiate PRE sediments between Groups H and L. The identified ecological community threshold and microbial indicators highlight the utility of metagenomics-based microbial surveillance in assessing the adverse impacts of anthropogenic disturbances in estuarine sediments, which can assist environmental management to better protect ecosystem health.
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Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Ecossistema
/
Microbiota
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Environ Sci Technol
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China
País de publicação:
Estados Unidos