Spatial and temporal distribution of the microbial community structure in the receiving rivers of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River under the influence of different wastewater types

Rui Bian; Shier Huang; Xiaofeng Cao; Weixiao Qi; Jianfeng Peng; Huijuan Liu; Xinghua Wu; Chong Li; Jiuhui Qu

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132835

Spatial and temporal distribution of the microbial community structure in the receiving rivers of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River under the influence of different wastewater types

J Hazard Mater. 2024 Jan 15:462:132835. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132835. Epub 2023 Oct 21.

Authors

Rui Bian¹, Shier Huang², Xiaofeng Cao², Weixiao Qi³, Jianfeng Peng², Huijuan Liu², Xinghua Wu⁴, Chong Li⁴, Jiuhui Qu⁵

Affiliations

¹ Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China; Yangtze Eco-Environment Engineering Research Center, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing 100038, China.
² Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
³ Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: wxqi@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.
⁴ Yangtze Eco-Environment Engineering Research Center, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing 100038, China.
⁵ Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.

PMID: 37879279
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132835

Abstract

The gradual intensification of human activity has caused severe negative impacts on the ecosystems of the Yangtze River Basin. Treated effluents still affect the environment and health of receiving rivers, particularly in terms of microbial community structure. However, relatively few studies have been conducted on the differences in the effects of wastewater types on microbial community structure. Three sampling campaigns (237 samples) were conducted in the Nanjing and Wuhan sections of the Yangtze River Basin. Our results showed that the microbial community structure differed significantly among the water periods and could recover to its original state at > 500 m downstream of the outfall. The diversity of the receiving rivers under the influence of industrial wastewater was higher than that of the other wastewater types, although the number of taxa was lower than that of other wastewater types. Cyanobium_PCC-6307 and Rhodoferax were screened for biomarkers in samples affected by domestic and industrial wastewater, respectively. Although different kinds of wastewater influenced the microbial community structure, environmental factors, and geographical distance were still the main drivers. This study suggests that treated wastewater still poses a risk to ecosystems and highlights the importance of effective management strategies for assessing ecosystem health.

Keywords: Biomarker; Industrial wastewater; Microbial community structure; Wastewater-receiving river; Yangtze River.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

China
Environmental Monitoring
Humans
Microbiota*
Rivers / chemistry
Wastewater
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Wastewater
Water Pollutants, Chemical