Physico-Chemical Quality and Physiological Profiles of Microbial Communities in Freshwater Systems of Mega Manila, Philippines

Marie Christine M. Obusan, Arizaldo E. Castro (), Ren Mark D. Villanueva, Margareth Del E. Isagan, Jamaica Ann A. Caras and Jessica F. Simbahan
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Marie Christine M. Obusan: Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems Laboratory, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
Arizaldo E. Castro: Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems Laboratory, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
Ren Mark D. Villanueva: Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems Laboratory, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
Margareth Del E. Isagan: Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems Laboratory, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
Jamaica Ann A. Caras: Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems Laboratory, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
Jessica F. Simbahan: Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems Laboratory, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines

Data, 2023, vol. 8, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Studying the quality of freshwater systems and drinking water in highly urbanized megalopolises around the world remains a challenge. This article reports data on the quality of select freshwater systems in Mega Manila, Philippines. Water samples collected between 2020 and 2021 were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters and microbial community metabolic fingerprints, i.e., carbon substrate utilization patterns (CSUPs). The detection of arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) was carried out using standard chromatography- and spectroscopy-based protocols. Physiological profiles were determined using the Biolog EcoPlate™ system. Eight samples were free of heavy metals, and none contained PAHs or OCPs. Fourteen samples had high microbial activity, as indicated by average well color development (AWCD) and community metabolic diversity (CMD) values. Community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) revealed that (1) samples clustered as groups according to shared CSUPs, and (2) microbial communities in non-drinking samples actively utilized all six substrate classes compared to drinking samples. The data reported here can provide a baseline or a comparator for prospective quality assessments of drinking water and freshwater sources in the region. Metabolic fingerprinting using CSUPs is a simple and cheap phenotypic analysis of microbial communities and their physiological activity in aquatic environments.

Keywords: drinking water; heavy metals; emerging pollutants; microbial communities; water quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C8 C80 C81 C82 C83 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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