Shift of bacterial community structure along different coastal reclamation histories in Jiangsu, Eastern China

Abstract

Tideland reclamation has drastic effects on coastal ecosystem involved in soil microorganisms. However, the knowledge regarding temporal variations of microbial community along reclamation chronosequence and their environmental variable predictor is still poorly known. Using Illumina sequencing, we qualified bacterial community composition in soils collected from one tideland and four reclamation stages, i.e. 2-year, 7-year, 19-year and 39-year in Jiangsu, Eastern China. Across all samples, the dominant groups were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidete, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes and Chloroflexi. Reclamation activity and its histories greatly altered bacterial community structure, and only 0.28% of phylotypes were shared by five soils. Specially, some typical marine bacteria (Gaetulibacter, Alcanivorax ...) disappeared in reclamation soils, while other groups (Niabella, Flavisolibacter...) were gradually eminent. Generally, bacterial diversity and richness increased with reclamation histories. Bacterial community was correlated with most of soil physico-chemical properties. Amongst, mean weight diameter of soil aggregates (MWD) was detected as a primary factor predicting bacterial community composition. Together, our results indicated that effects of reclamation on bacterial community varied with diked histories, and MWD was a major factor predicting bacterial community during progressive reclamation. These findings offer predicting case study for understanding the impact of reclamation and its histories on microbial community in a coastal ecosystem.