Urbanization Altered Bacterial and Archaeal Composition in Tidal Freshwater Wetlands Near Washington DC, USA, and Buenos Aires, Argentina
Urbanization Altered Bacterial and Archaeal Composition in Tidal Freshwater Wetlands Near Washington DC, USA, and Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Date
2019-03-06
Authors
Gonzalez Mateu, Martina
Park, Cedric Evan
McAskill, Cullen Patrick
Baldwin, Andrew H.
Yarwood, Stephanie A.
Advisor
Citation
Gonzalez Mateu, M.; Park, C.E.; McAskill, C.P.; Baldwin, A.H.; Yarwood, S.A. Urbanization Altered Bacterial and Archaeal Composition in Tidal Freshwater Wetlands Near Washington DC, USA, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Microorganisms 2019, 7, 72. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7030072
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Abstract
Urban expansion causes coastal wetland loss, and environmental stressors associated
with development can lead to wetland degradation and loss of ecosystem services. This study
investigated the effect of urbanization on prokaryotic community composition in tidal freshwater
wetlands. Sites in an urban, suburban, and rural setting were located near Buenos Aires, Argentina,
and Washington D.C., USA.We sampled soil associated with two pairs of functionally similar plant
species, and used Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to examine changes in prokaryotic
communities. Urban stressors included raw sewage inputs, nutrient pollution, and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons. Prokaryotic communities changed along the gradient (nested PerMANOVA,
Buenos Aires: p = 0.005; Washington D.C.: p = 0.001), but did not differ between plant species within
sites. Indicator taxa included Methanobacteria in rural sites, and nitrifying bacteria in urban sites, and
we observed a decrease in methanogens and an increase in ammonia-oxidizers from rural to urban
sites. Functional profiles in the Buenos Aires communities showed higher abundance of pathways
related to nitrification and xenobiotic degradation in the urban site. These results suggest that changes
in prokaryotic taxa across the gradient were due to surrounding stressors, and communities in urban
and rural wetlands are likely carrying out different functions.
Notes
Partial funding for Open Access provided by the UMD Libraries' Open Access Publishing Fund.