Microbiome assembly mechanism and functional potential in enhanced biological phosphorus removal system enriched with Tetrasphaera-related polyphosphate accumulating organisms

Hui Wang; Limin Lin; Lu Zhang; Ping Han; Feng Ju

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.116494

Microbiome assembly mechanism and functional potential in enhanced biological phosphorus removal system enriched with Tetrasphaera-related polyphosphate accumulating organisms

Environ Res. 2023 Sep 15:233:116494. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116494. Epub 2023 Jun 23.

Authors

Hui Wang¹, Limin Lin², Lu Zhang², Ping Han³, Feng Ju⁴

Affiliations

¹ Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, Zhejiang Province, China; Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310030, Zhejiang Province, China; Center of Synthetic Biology and Integrated Bioengineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310030, Zhejiang Province, China.
² Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310030, Zhejiang Province, China; Center of Synthetic Biology and Integrated Bioengineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310030, Zhejiang Province, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310030, Zhejiang Province, China; Center of Synthetic Biology and Integrated Bioengineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310030, Zhejiang Province, China; Institute of Advanced Technology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, 310024, China; Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, 310024, Zhejiang Province, China. Electronic address: jufeng@westlake.edu.cn.

PMID: 37356531
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116494

Abstract

Tetrasphaera-related polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) are the key functional guilds for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems. Their biomass enrichment can be enhanced by the nitrification inhibitor allylthiourea (ATU). However, the underlying assembly mechanism and the functional potential of the EBPR microbiome regulated by ATU are unclear. This study investigates the effect of ATU on microbiome assembly and functional potential by closely following the microbiota dynamics in an EBPR system enriched with Tetrasphaera-related PAOs for 288-days before, during and after ATU addition. The results showed that ATU addition increased microbiota structural similarity and compositional convergence, and enhanced determinism in the assembly of EBPR microbiome. During exposure to ATU, Tetrasphaera-related PAOs were governed by homogeneous selection and the dominant species revealed by 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis shifted from clade III to clade I. Meanwhile, ATU supply promoted significant enrichment of functional genes involved in phosphate transport (pit) and polyphosphate synthesis and degradation (ppk1 and ppk2), whereas both Nitrosomonas and ammonia monooxygenase-encoding genes (amoA/B/C) assignable to this group of nitrifying bacteria decreased. Moreover, ATU addition relieved the significant abundance correlation between filamentous bacteria Ca. Promineofilum and denitrifying Brevundimonas (FDR-adjusted P < 0.01), damaging their potential synergic or cooperative interactions, thus weakening their competitiveness against Tetrasphaera-related PAOs. Notably, ATU withdrawn created opportunistic conditions for the unexpected explosive growth and predominance of Thiothrix filaments, leading to a serious bulking event. Our study provides new insights into the microbial ecology of Tetrasphaera-related PAOs in EBPR system, which could guide the establishment of an efficient microbiota for EBPR.

Keywords: Allylthiourea; Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR); Functional profiling; Microbiome assembly; Tetrasphaera.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Actinomycetales* / genetics
Actinomycetales* / metabolism
Bacteria / genetics
Bacteria / metabolism
Bioreactors
Phosphorus*
Phylogeny
Polyphosphates / metabolism
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
Sewage / microbiology

Substances

Phosphorus
Polyphosphates
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
Sewage