Long-Term Contaminant Exposure Alters Functional Potential and Species Composition of Soil Bacterial Communities in Gulf Coast Prairies.

ABSTRACT: Environmental pollution is a persistent threat to coastal ecosystems worldwide, adversely affecting soil microbiota. Soil microbial communities perform critical functions in many coastal processes, yet they are increasingly subject to oil and heavy metal pollution. Here, we assessed how small-scale contamination by oil and heavy metal impacts the diversity and functional potential of native soil bacterial communities in the gulf coast prairie dunes of a barrier island in South Texas along the northern Gulf of Mexico. We analyzed the bacterial community structure and their predicted functional profiles according to contaminant history and examined linkages between species diversity and functional potential. Overall, contaminants altered bacterial community compositions without affecting ric

SUBMITTER: Lumibao CY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11279120 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature