Marker microbiome clusters are determined by operational parameters and specific key taxa combinations in anaerobic digestion

Susanne Theuerl; Johanna Klang; Monika Heiermann; Jo De Vrieze

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2018.04.111

Marker microbiome clusters are determined by operational parameters and specific key taxa combinations in anaerobic digestion

Bioresour Technol. 2018 Sep:263:128-135. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.04.111. Epub 2018 Apr 30.

Authors

Susanne Theuerl¹, Johanna Klang², Monika Heiermann³, Jo De Vrieze⁴

Affiliations

¹ Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy e.V. (ATB), Department Bioengineering, Max-Eyth-Allee 100, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany. Electronic address: susanne.theuerl@googlemail.com.
² Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy e.V. (ATB), Department Bioengineering, Max-Eyth-Allee 100, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany.
³ Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy e.V. (ATB), Department Technology Assessment and Substance Cycles, Max-Eyth-Allee 100, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany.
⁴ Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium.

PMID: 29738975
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.04.111

Abstract

In this study, microbiomes of 36 full-scale anaerobic digesters originated from 22 different biogas plants were compared by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis. Regarding the differences in microbial community composition, a weighting of the environmental parameters could be derived from higher to lower importance as follows: (i) temperature, (ii) TAN and NH₃ concentrations and conductivity, and (iii) the chemical composition of the supplied feedstocks. Biotic interactions between specific bacterial and archaeal community arrangements were revealed, whereby members of the phyla Bacteroidetes and Cloacimonetes combined with the archaeal genus Methanothrix dominated the conversion of homogeneous feedstocks, such as waste water sludge or industrial waste. As most of the detected TRFs were only found in a certain number of anaerobic digestion plants, each plant develops its unique microbiome. The putative rare species, the specialists, are potentially hidden drivers of microbiome functioning as they provide necessary traits under, e.g., process-inconvenient conditions.

Keywords: Biogas; Microbiome cluster; Operational parameters; Specific key taxa combination; TRFLP.

MeSH terms

Anaerobiosis
Biofuels*
Bioreactors*
Microbiota*
Sewage

Substances

Biofuels
Sewage