China’s most typical nonferrous organic-metal facilities own specific microbial communities

Abstract

The diversity and function of microorganisms have yet to be explored at non-ferrous metal mining facilities (NMMFs), which are the world’s largest and potentially most toxic sources of co-existing metal(loid)s and flotation reagents (FRs). The diversity and inferred functions of different bacterial communities inhabiting two types of sites (active and abandoned) in Guangxi province (China) were investigated for the first time. Here we show that the structure and diversity of bacteria correlated with the types of mine sites, metal(loid)s, and FRs concentrations; and best correlated with the combination of pH, Cu, Pb, and Mn. Combined microbial coenobium may play a pivotal role in NMMFs microbial life. Arenimonas, specific in active mine sites and an acidophilic bacterium, carries functions able to cope with the extreme conditions, whereas Latescibacteria specific in abandoned sites can degrade organics. Such a bacterial consortium provides new insights to develop cost-effective remediation strategies of co-contaminated sites that currently remain intractable for bioremediation.