Spatial and temporal dynamics of the microbial community in the Hanford unconfined aquifer.

ABSTRACT: Pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA genes was used to study temporal dynamics of groundwater bacteria and archaea over 10 months within three well clusters separated by ~30 m and located 250 m from the Columbia River on the Hanford Site, WA. Each cluster contained three wells screened at different depths ranging from 10 to 17 m that differed in hydraulic conductivities. Representative samples were selected for analyses of prokaryotic 16S and eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene copy numbers. Temporal changes in community composition occurred in all nine wells over the 10-month sampling period. However, there were particularly strong effects near the top of the water table when the seasonal rise in the Columbia River caused river water intrusion at the top of the aquifer. The occurrence and disappearan

SUBMITTER: Lin X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3498919 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature