Integrating geochemistry and metagenomics reveals spatially specific microbial signatures in a recovering stream

Authors

• Paul G. Helfrich, Laboratory Exploring Geobiochemical Engineering and Natural Dynamics (LEGEND), Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT 59701; Earth Science and Engineering PhD Program, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT 59701; Department of Biology, University of Mary, Bismarck, ND 58501; Department of Biology, University of Montana Western, Dillon, MT 59725
• Eva Andrade-Barahona, Laboratory Exploring Geobiochemical Engineering and Natural Dynamics (LEGEND), Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT 59701; Earth Science and Engineering PhD Program, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT 59701
• Johnathan Feldman, Laboratory Exploring Geobiochemical Engineering and Natural Dynamics (LEGEND), Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT 59701
• Isaiah Robertson, Laboratory Exploring Geobiochemical Engineering and Natural Dynamics (LEGEND), Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT 59701; Department of Soil and Crop Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
• Jordan Foster, Laboratory Exploring Geobiochemical Engineering and Natural Dynamics (LEGEND), Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT 59701
• Renee Hofacker, Laboratory Exploring Geobiochemical Engineering and Natural Dynamics (LEGEND), Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT 59701
• Gavin Dahlquist Selking, Laboratory Exploring Geobiochemical Engineering and Natural Dynamics (LEGEND), Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT 59701
• Cody S. Sheik, Biology Department and Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota–Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812
• Alysia Cox, Laboratory Exploring Geobiochemical Engineering and Natural Dynamics (LEGEND), Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT 59701; School of Geosciences, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504; Department of Geosciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812

Abstract

Mining-associated metal contamination is widespread across North American waterways. Paired microbial-geochemical surveys provide useful insights into ecological restoration in mining-impacted areas. We utilized 19 shotgun metagenomes from a recovering stream to examine connections between microbial community dynamics and aqueous geochemistry. Integrating microbial ecology with geochemical habitat data revealed highly site- and season-specific microbial community dynamics across the area. Spatially distinct storm- and wastewater-driven copper, sulfate, and potassium inputs shaped community composition and heterogeneity. All sites exhibited high seasonally driven community turnover. Comparisons against other impacted rivers indicated depressed diversity across the area comparable to other recovering systems. This study emphasizes anthropogenic controls on microbial ecology and provides new insights into mining’s legacy in the American West.


La contaminación por metales vinculada a la minería afecta de manera generalizada a los causes de agua en Norteamérica. Los estudios combinados de microbiología y geoquímica proporcionan información valiosa para la restauración ecológica en áreas impactadas por la minería. Analizamos 19 metagenomas tipo escopeta (shotgun) de un arroyo en recuperación para explorar las conexiones entre la dinámica de las comunidades microbianas y la geoquímica acuosa. La integración de la ecología microbiana con los datos geoquímicos del hábitat reveló dinámicas comunitarias altamente específicas según el sitio y la estación en toda el área. Los aportes de cobre, sulfato y potasio, impulsados por tormentas y aguas residuales en ubicaciones espaciales distintas, moldearon la composición y la heterogeneidad de las comunidades. Todos los sitios mostraron una elevada rotación comunitaria estacional. Las comparaciones con otros ríos afectados indicaron una disminución en la diversidad en toda el área, comparable a la de otros sistemas en recuperación. Este estudio enfatiza el control antropogénico sobre la ecología microbiana y proporciona nuevas perspectivas sobre el legado de la minería en el oeste estadounidense.

Recommended Citation

Helfrich, Paul G.; Andrade-Barahona, Eva; Feldman, Johnathan; Robertson, Isaiah; Foster, Jordan; Hofacker, Renee; Dahlquist Selking, Gavin; Sheik, Cody S.; and Cox, Alysia (2026) "Integrating geochemistry and metagenomics reveals spatially specific microbial signatures in a recovering stream," Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 86: No. 2, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol86/iss2/3