Disruption and recovery of river planktonic community during and after the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China

Abstract

During the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, large amounts of anti-coronavirus chemicals, such as antiviral drugs and disinfectants were discharged into the surrounding aquatic ecosystem, causing potential ecological damage. Here, we investigated plankton in the Wuhan reaches of the Yangtze River, before, during, and after COVID-19, with the river reaches of three adjacent cities sampled for comparison. During the COVID-19, planktonic microbial density declined significantly. Correspondingly, the eukaryotic and prokaryotic community compositions and functions shifted markedly, with increasing abundance of chlorine-resistant organisms. Abundance of antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factor genes, and bacteria containing both genes increased by 2.3-, 2.7-, and 7.9-fold, respectively, compared to other periods. After COVID-19, all measured plankton community compositional and functional traits recovered in the Yangtze River.