Successional dynamics and alternative stable states in a saline activated sludge microbial community over 9 years.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Microbial communities in both natural and applied settings reliably carry out myriads of functions, yet how stable these taxonomically diverse assemblages can be and what causes them to transition between states remains poorly understood. We studied monthly activated sludge (AS) samples collected over 9 years from a full-scale wastewater treatment plant to answer how complex AS communities evolve in the long term and how the community functions change when there is a disturbance in operational parameters.

Results

Here, we show that a microbial community in activated sludge (AS) system fluctuated around a stable average for 3 years but was then abruptly pushed into an alternative stable state by a simple transient disturbance (bleaching). While the taxonomic compos

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8495973 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature