Urban Impacts on Surface Water Microbiome in the Lower Portneuf River Valley Watershed
Additional Funding Sources
This project is supported by a 2018-2019 STEM Undergraduate Research Grant from the Idaho State Board of Education Higher Education Research Council Strategic Initiatives, and by Idaho State University.
Abstract
Rapid urbanization within the last several decades has affected the Earth’s biosphere, including microbial ecosystems. One example is the release of various pollutants, both abiotic and biotic, into the aquatic environment by urban stormwater runoff. Common abiotic pollutants include elevated nutrient loads from domestic wastewater effluent and/or septic tank leaking, drug compounds from antimicrobial medication use, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs); they represent an ecological driving force on the micro-biosphere. Common biotic pollutants include microbiota associated with humans and their pets as well as genetic material of those microorganisms. Together, these abiotic and biotic pollutants could have profound impacts on microbial communities in the aquatic environment. Specifically, the increasing presence of antimicrobial compounds and other PPCPs may promote genomic augmentation within microbial communities residing in hotspots that leads to a decrease in microbial susceptibility to antibiotics. This study aims to use the lower Portneuf River valley watershed as a natural laboratory to examine impacts of the City of Pocatello, Idaho on surface water microbial communities. Water samples were collected along an urban impact gradient across the Pocatello Creek watershed, a tributary of the Portneuf River. Total environmental DNA was extracted from 20 surface water samples. Metagenomic analysis was conducted on bacterial 16S rRNA genes for profiling microbial community structure and predicting community function. Conventional PCR was performed to identify the presence of 19 antibiotic resistance genes, 3 different mobile genetic elements, and 2 biomarkers indicating human and dog specific fecal pollution. Real-time PCR was conducted to quantitatively assess the occurrence of selected resistance genes, nitrogen cycling related microbial groups, and the dog fecal pollution biomarker. These nested microbiome analyses, in conjunction with water chemistry data, offered a better understanding of urban impacts on surface water microbiome, water quality, and potential public health issues at the watershed level.
Urban Impacts on Surface Water Microbiome in the Lower Portneuf River Valley Watershed
Rapid urbanization within the last several decades has affected the Earth’s biosphere, including microbial ecosystems. One example is the release of various pollutants, both abiotic and biotic, into the aquatic environment by urban stormwater runoff. Common abiotic pollutants include elevated nutrient loads from domestic wastewater effluent and/or septic tank leaking, drug compounds from antimicrobial medication use, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs); they represent an ecological driving force on the micro-biosphere. Common biotic pollutants include microbiota associated with humans and their pets as well as genetic material of those microorganisms. Together, these abiotic and biotic pollutants could have profound impacts on microbial communities in the aquatic environment. Specifically, the increasing presence of antimicrobial compounds and other PPCPs may promote genomic augmentation within microbial communities residing in hotspots that leads to a decrease in microbial susceptibility to antibiotics. This study aims to use the lower Portneuf River valley watershed as a natural laboratory to examine impacts of the City of Pocatello, Idaho on surface water microbial communities. Water samples were collected along an urban impact gradient across the Pocatello Creek watershed, a tributary of the Portneuf River. Total environmental DNA was extracted from 20 surface water samples. Metagenomic analysis was conducted on bacterial 16S rRNA genes for profiling microbial community structure and predicting community function. Conventional PCR was performed to identify the presence of 19 antibiotic resistance genes, 3 different mobile genetic elements, and 2 biomarkers indicating human and dog specific fecal pollution. Real-time PCR was conducted to quantitatively assess the occurrence of selected resistance genes, nitrogen cycling related microbial groups, and the dog fecal pollution biomarker. These nested microbiome analyses, in conjunction with water chemistry data, offered a better understanding of urban impacts on surface water microbiome, water quality, and potential public health issues at the watershed level.
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