Seasons and vertical dynamics influence community composition in a flooded and abandoned mica mine.

ABSTRACT: Artificial lakes formed from past mining activities represent unique but underexplored ecosystems that support diverse microbial communities. This study examined how seasonal variation and depth influence bacterial, archaeal, and microeukaryotic assemblages in the stratified water column of the Blackburn mine (Outaouais, Quebec, Canada). Water and biofilm samples were collected by technical divers from the surface to 52 m during spring, summer, and autumn of 2021-2022, and analysed by 16S/18S rRNA gene sequencing. Seasonal changes had little effect on physicochemical parameters but strongly shaped microbial community composition, together with depth. Archaeal taxa displayed greater stability across depths compared to bacteria and eukaryotes. Oxygen profiles defined three ecological zones:

SUBMITTER: Lhoste E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12831461 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature