Environmental Microbiology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92-019, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
Environ Pollut. 2010 Aug;158(8):2738-45. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2010.04.013.
We investigated the absorption rates of zinc, copper and lead in freshwater biofilm and assessed whether biofilm bacterial populations are affected by exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of these metals in flow chamber microcosms. Metals were rapidly accumulated by the biofilm and then retained for at least 14 days after transfer to uncontaminated water. Changes in bacterial populations were assessed by Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA) and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Significant differences in bacterial community structure occurred within only three days of exposure to metals and remained detectable at least 14 days after transfer to uncontaminated water. The rapid uptake of stormwater-associated metals and their retention in the biofilm highlight the potential role of biofilms in the transfer of metals to organisms at higher trophic levels. The sensitivity of stream biofilm bacterial populations to metal exposure supports their use as an indicator of stream ecological health.
我们研究了锌、铜和铅在淡水生物膜中的吸收速率，并评估了在流动室微宇宙中，生物膜细菌种群是否会受到环境相关浓度这些金属暴露的影响。金属被生物膜迅速吸收，然后在转移到未污染的水中至少 14 天后仍被保留。通过自动核糖体基因间间隔区分析（ARISA）和 16S rRNA 基因克隆文库来评估细菌种群的变化。在接触金属后的仅三天内，细菌群落结构发生了显著差异，并且在转移到未污染的水中至少 14 天后仍可检测到这些差异。暴雨水相关金属的快速吸收及其在生物膜中的保留突出了生物膜在将金属转移到更高营养级别的生物体中的潜在作用。溪流生物膜细菌种群对金属暴露的敏感性支持将其用作溪流生态健康的指示剂。
