US EPA

2088477 

Journal Article 

Depth-resolved abundance and diversity of arsenite-oxidizing bacteria in the groundwater of Beimen, a blackfoot disease endemic area of southwestern Taiwan 

Das, S; Kar, S; Jean, J-S; Rathod, J; Chakraborty, S; Liu, H-S; Bundschuh, J 

2013 

1 

Water Research
ISSN: 0043-1354
EISSN: 1879-2448 

Elsevier 

47 

19 

6983-6991 

English 

24169515 

10.1016/j.watres.2013.07.049 

WOS:000329274900005 

https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0043135413008348
Exit
 

The role of arsenite oxidizers in natural attenuation of arsenic pollution necessitates studies on their abundance and diversity in arsenic-contaminated aquifers. In this study, most probable number-polymerase chain reaction (MPN-PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was applied to monitor depth-wise abundance and diversity of aerobic arsenite oxidizers in arsenic-enriched groundwater of Beimen, southwestern Taiwan. The results revealed that the abundance of arsenite oxidizers ranged from 0.04 to 0.22, and the lowest ratio was observed in the most arsenic-enriched and comparatively more reduced groundwater (depth 200 m) of Beimen 1. The highest ratio was observed in the less arsenic-enriched and less reduced groundwater (depth 60 m) of Beimen 2B. DGGE profiles showed a shift in diversity of arsenite oxidizers, consisting of members of the Betaproteobacteria (61%), Alphaproteobacteria (28%) and Gammaproteobacteria (11%), depending on mainly arsenic concentration and redox level in groundwater. Groundwater with the lowest arsenic and highest dissolved oxygen at Beimen 2B harbored 78% of the arsenite oxidizers communities, while groundwater with the highest arsenic and lowest dissolved oxygen at Beimen 1 and Beimen-Jinhu harbored 17 and 22% of arsenite oxidizers communities, respectively. Pseudomonas sp. was found only in groundwater containing high arsenic at Beimen 1 and Beimen-Jinhu, while arsenite oxidizers belonging to Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria were dominated in groundwater containing low arsenic.