Assessing the microbial community and functional genes in a vertical soil profile with long-term arsenic contamination.

ABSTRACT: Arsenic (As) contamination in soil and groundwater has become a serious problem to public health. To examine how microbial communities and functional genes respond to long-term arsenic contamination in vertical soil profile, soil samples were collected from the surface to the depth of 4 m (with an interval of 1 m) after 16-year arsenic downward infiltration. Integrating BioLog and functional gene microarray (GeoChip 3.0) technologies, we showed that microbial metabolic potential and diversity substantially decreased, and community structure was markedly distinct along the depth. Variations in microbial community functional genes, including genes responsible for As resistance, carbon and nitrogen cycling, phosphorus utilization and cytochrome c oxidases were detected. In particular, changes

SUBMITTER: Xiong J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3511582 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature