Diversity of Eukaryotic Microorganisms in the Drainage Waters of a Coal Open-Cast Mine
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Diversity of Eukaryotic Microorganisms in the Drainage Waters of a Coal Open-Cast Mine E. V. Gruzdeva, *, A. V. Beletskya, V. V. Kadnikova, A. V. Mardanova, M. V. Ivanovb, O. V. Karnachukb, and N. V. Ravina a
Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071 Russia bDepartment of Plant Physiology and Biotechnology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, 634050 Russia *е-mail: [email protected] Received April 23, 2020; revised May 8, 2020; accepted May 30, 2020
Abstract—The composition of the microbiome of acid drainage water of a quarry used for the mining of brown coal was studied. The water had a pH of 5.15 and contained 1.4 g/L of sulfate. Unlike acid mine drainage associated with mining of sulfide ores, the content of iron and heavy metals was low. Molecular analysis of the microbial community was performed by high-throughput sequencing of the 18S and 16S rRNA gene fragments. Most eukaryotic sequences belonged to the fungal phylum Basidiomycota; members of the Chytridiomycota were also found. Basidiomycetes of the family Sporidiobolaceae were the predominant group, as was previously reported for acid mine drainage waters. Among the minor groups, protozoa (Alveolata and Amoebozoa) and green algae (Chlamydomonas) were found. The dominant group of prokaryotes was the genus Acidiphilium (Alphaproteobacteria); betaproteobacteria of the genera Sulfuriferula and Thiomonas were also found. Keywords: acidophiles, eukaryotic microorganisms, acid mine drainage, biodiversity DOI: 10.1134/S0026261720050100
Minerals mining results in formation of large volumes of mine drainage water. A classical example of such wastes occurring worldwide are acid mine drainages (AMD), which are produced due to oxidation of sulfide minerals in the presence of oxygen. AMDassociated ecosystems are characterized by low pH, resulting in solubilization of metals. While pH of AMD may reach 1 and even less, it is usually within the range from 3 to 5. As a rule, AMD are formed at the sites of sulfide ore recovery due to oxidation of residual sulfides of the waste, especially pyrite (FeS2) and pyrrhotite (Fen–Sn + 1). AMD formation is also an issue for coal mining, since coal may contain pyrite. In some regions acidic waste of coal mines cause serious environmental issues (Niсomrat et al., 2006; Brantner and Senko, 2014). Alkaline or neutral mine drainage waters may occur due to: (1) low content of sulfide minerals; (2) presence of monosulfides, rather than pyrite; (3) large size of pyrite crystals, preventing its oxidation; (4) neutralization of produced acid by carbonate or silicate minerals; (5) neutralization of the acid by alkaline groundwater; (6) no contact between sulfide minerals and circulating water; (7) absence of oxygen under reducing conditions, etc. (Banks et al., 2002). The organisms capable of growth in AMD are of interest in several respects. First, these are basic stud-
ies of the mechanisms of adaptation to low pH an high metal levels. It should be noted that the b
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