RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Bacterial diversity along a 2600 km river continuum
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 010041
DO 10.1101/010041
A1 Domenico Savio
A1 Lucas Sinclair
A1 Umer Z. Ijaz
A1 Philipp Stadler
A1 Alfred P. Blaschke
A1 Georg H. Reischer
A1 Guenter Blöschl
A1 Robert L. Mach
A1 Alexander K.T. Kirschner
A1 Andreas H. Farnleitner
A1 Alexander Eiler
YR 2014
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2014/12/22/010041.abstract
AB The bacterioplankton diversity in large rivers has thus far been undersampled, despite the importance of streams and rivers as components of continental landscapes. Here, we present a comprehensive dataset detailing the bacterioplankton diversity along the midstream of the Danube River and its tributaries. Using 16S rRNA-gene amplicon sequencing, our analysis revealed that bacterial richness and evenness gradually declined downriver in both the free-living and particle-associated bacterial communities. These shifts were also supported by beta diversity analysis, where the effects of tributaries were negligible in regards to the overall variation. In addition, the river was largely dominated by bacteria that are commonly observed in freshwaters. Dominated by the acI lineage, the freshwater SAR11 (LD12) and the Polynucleobacter group, typical freshwater taxa increased in proportion downriver and were accompanied by a decrease in soil and groundwater bacteria. Based on the River Continuum Concept, we explain these taxonomic patterns and the accompanying changes in alpha and beta diversity by the physical structure and chemical conditions coupled with the hydrologic cycle along the length of the river.