Environmental Biotechnology

Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458 Vol. 11 No. 1, Issue of January 15, 2008
© 2008 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile Received January 19, 2007 / Accepted July 9, 2007
DOI: 10.2225/vol11-issue1-fulltext-6
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Diversity of bacterial communities in acid mine drainage from the Shen-bu copper mine, Gansu province, China

Yu Yang#
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering
Central South University
Changsha 410083, Hunan, China
Tel: 86 0731 8877216
Fax: 86 0731 8710804
E-mail: csyangyu@gmail.com

Wuyang Shi
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering
Central South University
Changsha 410083, Hunan, China
Tel: 86 0731 8877216
Fax: 86 0731 8710804
E-mail: lvlv311@gmail.com

Minxi Wan
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering
Central South University
Changsha 410083, Hunan, China
Tel: 86 0731 8877216
Fax: 86 0731 8710804
E-mail: wanminxi@gmail.com

Yanfei Zhang
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering
Central South University
Changsha 410083, Hunan, China
Tel: 86 0731 8877216
Fax: 86 0731 8710804
E-mail: zhangyanfeicsu@gmail.com

Lihong Zou
Key Laboratory of Biohydrometallergy
Ministry of Education
Central South University
Changsha 410083, Hunan, China
Tel: 86 0731 8877216
Fax: 86 0731 8710804
E-mail: susanzou2@yahoo.com.cn

Jufang Huang
Key Laboratory of Biohydrometallergy
Ministry of Education
Central South University
Changsha 410083, Hunan, China
Tel: 86 0731 8877216
Fax: 86 0731 8710804
E-mail: huangjufang@csu.edu.cn

Guanzhou Qiu#
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering
Central South University
Changsha 410083, Hunan, China
Tel: 86 0731 8877216
Fax: 86 0731 8710804
E-mail:biocsu@126.com

Xueduan Liu*#
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering
Central South University
Changsha 410083, Hunan, China
Tel: 86 0731 8877216
Fax: 86 0731 8710804
E-mail: xueduanliu@sina.com

*Corresponding author

Financial support: This work was supported by Chinese Science Foundation for Distinguished Group (No.50621063) and National Basic Research Program (973 Program) of P.R.China (No. 2004CB619201).

Keywords: acid mine drainage, amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis, microbial communities.

Present address: #Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410083, Hunan, China.

Abbreviations:

AMD: acid mine drainage
ARDRA: amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis
OTUs: operational taxonomic units
PCA: principal component analysis
PCR: polymerase chain reaction

Abstract   Full Text

This study presents bacterial population analyses of microbial communities inhabiting three sites of acid mine drainage (AMD) in the Shen-bu copper mine, Gansu Province, China. These sites were located next to acid-leached chalcopyrite slagheaps that had been abandoned since 1995. The pH values of these samples with high concentrations of metals ranged from 2.0 to 3.5. Amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) was used to characterize the bacterial population by amplifying the 16S rRNA gene of microorganisms. A total of 39 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained from the three samples and sequenced from 384 clones. Sequence data and phylogenetic analyses showed that two dominant clones (JYC-1B, JYC-1D) in sample JYC-1 represented 69.5% of the total clones affiliated with Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (γ-Proteobacteria), and the most dominant clones of JYC-2 and JYC-3 were affiliated with Caulobacter crescentus (α-Protebacteria). At the level of bacterial divisions, differences in the relative incidence of particular phylogenetic groups among the three samples and discrepancies in physicochemical characteristics suggested that the physico-chemical characteristics had an influence on phylogenetic diversity. Furthermore, the relationships between the discrepancies of physicochemical characteristics and the diversity of the bacteria communities in the three samples suggested that the biogeochemical properties, pH and concentration of soluble metal, could be key factors in controlling the structure of the bacterial population.

Supported by UNESCO / MIRCEN network