Microbial communities change along the 300 km length of the Grand River for extreme high-and low-flow regimes
Issued Date
2024-07-01
Resource Type
ISSN
00084166
eISSN
14803275
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85198347471
Journal Title
Canadian Journal of Microbiology
Volume
70
Issue
7
Start Page
289
End Page
302
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Canadian Journal of Microbiology Vol.70 No.7 (2024) , 289-302
Suggested Citation
Virgin T.L., Sonthiphand P., Coyotzi S., Hall M.W., Venkiteswaran J.J., Elgood R.J., Schiff S.L., Neufeld J.D. Microbial communities change along the 300 km length of the Grand River for extreme high-and low-flow regimes. Canadian Journal of Microbiology Vol.70 No.7 (2024) , 289-302. 302. doi:10.1139/cjm-2023-0092 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/99730
Title
Microbial communities change along the 300 km length of the Grand River for extreme high-and low-flow regimes
Author's Affiliation
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
The Grand River watershed is the largest catchment in southern Ontario. The river’s northern and southern sections are influenced by agriculture, whereas central regions receive wastewater effluent and urban runoff. To characterize in-river microbial communities, as they relate to spatial and environmental factors, we conducted two same-day sampling events along the entire 300 km length of the river, representing contrasting flow seasons (high flow spring melt and low flow end of summer). Through high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, we assessed the relationship between river microbiota and spatial and physicochemical variables. Flow season had a greater impact on communities than spatial or diel effects and profiles diverged with distance between sites under both flow conditions, but low-flow profiles exhibited higher beta diversity. High-flow profiles showed greater species richness and increased presence of soil and sediment taxa, which may relate to increased input from terrestrial sources. Total suspended solids, dissolved inorganic carbon, and distance from headwaters significantly explained microbial community variation during the low-flow event, whereas conductivity, sulfate, and nitrite were significant explanatory factors for spring melt. This study establishes a baseline for the Grand River’s microbial community, serving as a foundation for modeling the microbiology of anthropogenically impacted freshwater systems affected by lotic processes.