Microbiota of a seepage face at the mouth of a subterranean estuary: diversity, distribution and substrate dependence

Abstract

Subterranean estuaries, i.e., the mixing zone between terrestrial groundwater and recirculated seawater, host a wide range of microbiota. Here, field campaigns were conducted at the mouth of the subterranean estuary at the Sanggou Bay (Shandong Province, China) over four consecutive seasons at a seepage face (0–20 cm depth). The diversity of benthic microbiome was characterized via 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metagenomics, combined with physic-chemical parameters, e.g., organic carbon, total nitrogen and sulfate contents in sediments. During spring, the dominant species were assigned to the phylum Proteobacteria. Important opportunistic species was assigned to Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The key components were identified to be species of the genera Pseudoalteromonas, Colwellia and Sphingobium, indicating the involvement of sediment microbiota in the degradation of sedimentary organic carbon, particularly that of pelagic origin, e.g., phytoplankton detritus and bivalve pseudo-feces. During spring, the microbial community was statistically similar along the depth profiles and among the three sampled stations. Similar spatial distributions were obtained in the remaining seasons. By contrast, the dominant species assemblages varied significantly among seasons, with key genera being Thioprofundum and Nitrosopumilus during summer and autumn and Thioprofundum and Ilumatobacter during winter. Network analysis revealed a seasonal shift in benthic nitrogen and sulfur metabolism associated with these variations in microbial community composition. Overall, our findings suggested that macro elements derived from pelagic inputs, particularly detrital phytoplankton, shaped the microbial community compositions at the seepage face, resulting in significant seasonal variations, while the influence of terrestrial materials transported by groundwater on the sediment microbiota at the seepage face found to be minor