scholarly journals Effect of Re-acidification on Buffalo Grass Rhizosphere and Bulk Microbial Communities During Phytostabilization of Metalliferous Mine Tailings

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linnea K. Honeker ◽  
Catherine F. Gullo ◽  
Julia W. Neilson ◽  
Jon Chorover ◽  
Raina M. Maier
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Buffalo Grass

scholarly journals Significance of Microbial Communities and Interactions in Safeguarding Reactive Mine Tailings by Ecological Engineering

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (23) ◽  
pp. 8201-8208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan N̆ancucheo ◽  
D. Barrie Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Heterotrophic Bacteria ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Ecological Engineering ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Redox Potentials ◽  
Mine Waters ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTPyritic mine tailings (mineral waste generated by metal mining) pose significant risk to the environment as point sources of acidic, metal-rich effluents (acid mine drainage [AMD]). While the accelerated oxidative dissolution of pyrite and other sulfide minerals in tailings by acidophilic chemolithotrophic prokaryotes has been widely reported, other acidophiles (heterotrophic bacteria that catalyze the dissimilatory reduction of iron and sulfur) can reverse the reactions involved in AMD genesis, and these have been implicated in the “natural attenuation” of mine waters. We have investigated whether by manipulating microbial communities in tailings (inoculating with iron- and sulfur-reducing acidophilic bacteria and phototrophic acidophilic microalgae) it is possible to mitigate the impact of the acid-generating and metal-mobilizing chemolithotrophic prokaryotes that are indigenous to tailing deposits. Sixty tailings mesocosms were set up, using five different microbial inoculation variants, and analyzed at regular intervals for changes in physicochemical and microbiological parameters for up to 1 year. Differences between treatment protocols were most apparent between tailings that had been inoculated with acidophilic algae in addition to aerobic and anaerobic heterotrophic bacteria and those that had been inoculated with only pyrite-oxidizing chemolithotrophs; these differences included higher pH values, lower redox potentials, and smaller concentrations of soluble copper and zinc. The results suggest that empirical ecological engineering of tailing lagoons to promote the growth and activities of iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria could minimize their risk of AMD production and that the heterotrophic populations could be sustained by facilitating the growth of microalgae to provide continuous inputs of organic carbon.

scholarly journals Vegetation drives the structure of active microbial communities on an acidogenic mine tailings deposit

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10109
Author(s):  
Vanessa Gagnon ◽  
Michaël Rodrigue-Morin ◽  
Julien Tremblay ◽  
Jessica Wasserscheid ◽  
Julie Champagne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Rhizosphere Soil ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Vegetation Density ◽  
Mine Site ◽  
Soil Microbial

Plant-microbe associations are increasingly recognized as an inextricable part of plant biology and biogeochemistry. Microbes play an essential role in the survival and development of plants, allowing them to thrive in diverse environments. The composition of the rhizosphere soil microbial communities is largely influenced by edaphic conditions and plant species. In order to decipher how environmental conditions on a mine site can influence the dynamics of microbial communities, we characterized the rhizosphere soil microbial communities associated with paper birch, speckled alder, and spruce that had naturally colonized an acidogenic mine tailings deposit containing heavy metals. The study site, which had been largely undisturbed for five decades, had highly variable vegetation density; with some areas remaining almost barren, and others having a few stands or large thickets of mature trees. Using Illumina sequencing and ordination analyses (redundancy analysis and principal coordinate analysis), our study showed that soil bacterial and fungal community structures correlated mainly with vegetation density, and plant species. Tailings without any vegetation were the most different in bacterial community structure, compared to all other areas on the mine site, as well as an adjacent natural forest (comparison plot). The bacterial genera Acidiferrobacter and Leptospirillum were more abundant in tailings without vegetation than in any of the other sites, while Bradyrhizobium sp. were more abundant in areas of the tailings deposit having higher vegetation density. Frankia sp. is equally represented in each of the vegetation densities and Pseudomonas sp. present a greater relative abundance in boreal forest. Furthermore, alder rhizosphere showed a greater relative abundance of Bradyrhizobium sp. (in comparison with birch and spruce) as well as Haliangium sp. (in comparison with birch). In contrast, fungal community structures were similar across the tailings deposit regardless of vegetation density, showing a greater relative abundance of Hypocrea sp. Tailings deposit fungal communities were distinct from those found in boreal forest soils. Alder rhizosphere had greater relative abundances of Hypocrea sp. and Thelephora sp., while birch rhizosphere were more often associated with Mollisia sp. Our results indicate that, with increasing vegetation density on the mine site, the bacterial communities associated with the individual deciduous or coniferous species studied were increasingly similar to the bacterial communities found in the adjacent forest. In order to properly assess and restore disturbed sites, it is important to characterize and understand the plant-microbe associations that occur since they likely improve plant fitness in these harsh environments.

Microbial communities in low permeability, high pH uranium mine tailings: characterization and potential effects

2013 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 1671-1686 ◽  
Author(s):  
V.F. Bondici ◽  
J.R. Lawrence ◽  
N.H. Khan ◽  
J.E. Hill ◽  
E. Yergeau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Uranium Mine ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
High Ph

scholarly journals Ecological restoration alters microbial communities in mine tailings profiles

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Li ◽  
Zhongjun Jia ◽  
Qingye Sun ◽  
Jing Zhan ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Mine Tailings

A peek in the micro-sized world: a review of design principles, engineering tools, and applications of engineered microbial community

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-409
Author(s):  
Baizhen Gao ◽  
Rushant Sabnis ◽  
Tommaso Costantini ◽  
Robert Jinkerson ◽  
Qing Sun
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Environmental Remediation ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
New Gene ◽  
Global Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Synthetic Microbial Communities

Microbial communities drive diverse processes that impact nearly everything on this planet, from global biogeochemical cycles to human health. Harnessing the power of these microorganisms could provide solutions to many of the challenges that face society. However, naturally occurring microbial communities are not optimized for anthropogenic use. An emerging area of research is focusing on engineering synthetic microbial communities to carry out predefined functions. Microbial community engineers are applying design principles like top-down and bottom-up approaches to create synthetic microbial communities having a myriad of real-life applications in health care, disease prevention, and environmental remediation. Multiple genetic engineering tools and delivery approaches can be used to ‘knock-in' new gene functions into microbial communities. A systematic study of the microbial interactions, community assembling principles, and engineering tools are necessary for us to understand the microbial community and to better utilize them. Continued analysis and effort are required to further the current and potential applications of synthetic microbial communities.

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