1. Genome-Resolved Metagenomic Analysis of Groundwater: Insights into Arsenic Mobilization in Biogeochemical Interaction Networks
- Author
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Wei Xiu, Min Wu, Sophie L. Nixon, Jonathan R. Lloyd, Naji M. Bassil, Ruixuan Gai, Tianjing Zhang, Zhan Su, and Huaming Guo
- Subjects
Nitrates ,Environmental Chemistry ,Ferrous Compounds ,General Chemistry ,Ferric Compounds ,Groundwater ,Oxidation-Reduction ,Water Pollutants, Chemical ,Arsenic - Abstract
High-arsenic (As) groundwaters, a worldwide issue, are critically controlled by multiple interconnected biogeochemical processes. However, there is limited information on the complex biogeochemical interaction networks that cause groundwater As enrichment in aquifer systems. The western Hetao basin was selected as a study area to address this knowledge gap, offering an aquifer system where groundwater flows from an oxidizing proximal fan (low dissolved As) to a reducing flat plain (high dissolved As). The key microbial interaction networks underpinning the biogeochemical pathways responsible for As mobilization along the groundwater flow path were characterized by genome-resolved metagenomic analysis. Genes associated with microbial Fe(II) oxidation and dissimilatory nitrate reduction were noted in the proximal fan, suggesting the importance of nitrate-dependent Fe(II) oxidation in immobilizing As. However, genes catalyzing microbial Fe(III) reduction (
- Published
- 2022