Description of microbial community structure of sediments from the Daliao River water system and its estuary (NE China) by application of fluorescence in situ hybridization

The Daliao River watershed, an important industrial base of China, has been heavily influenced by anthropogenic activities. Microbes in sediments play an important role in recycling of organics and nutrients, and knowledge of the microbial composition and community structure in river sediments can help us to understand the contribution of microorganisms to environmental processes and their response to environmental perturbation. In this study, 11 surface sediment samples and 1 core sediment sample were collected from the Daliao River water system and its estuary, and their microbial abundance and community compositions were investigated using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Results showed that total cell numbers in surface sediments from different locations ranged from 4.2 × 10⁸ to 16.2 × 10⁸ cells cm⁻³. Domain bacteria represented 58–82% with α-, β-, and γ-proteobacteria as the major subgroups summing up to 40%. Total cell numbers along the core sediment profile ranged from 7.9 × 10⁸ to 20.1 × 10⁸ cells cm⁻³, with relatively higher total cell numbers in the upper (0–6 cm) and middle (21–30 cm) layers. In the core sediment, domain bacteria represented 62–85% and archaea 1.0–11.8%. α-, β- and γ-Proteobacteria were three major phylogenetic groups of bacteria in the core sediment also with γ-proteobacteria as the most abundant subgroup accounting for 9.8–40.8% of total cells.