Spatial heterogeneity of microbial community structure and its environmental drivers in surface sediments of Erhai Lake.

ABSTRACT: As a crucial plateau freshwater lake in Yunnan Province, China, Erhai Lake exhibits distinct environmental heterogeneity driven by its unique watershed characteristics and human activities, significantly influencing sediment microbial communities. This study investigated the spatial relationships between environmental factors and microbial community structures in surface sediments from the eastern, western, and northern shores using redundancy analysis (RDA) and Spearman correlation analysis. Results revealed that pH, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total organic carbon (TOC), and redox potential (Eh) were key drivers of microbial community divergence. The western shore, with the highest TP, TOC, and nitrogen levels, displayed elevated microbial diversity dominated by Proteobac

SUBMITTER: Xiang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12410724 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature