Salinity as a Determinant Structuring Microbial Communities in Coastal Lakes

Sylwia Lew, Katarzyna Glińska-Lewczuk, Paweł Burandt, Klaudia Kulesza, Szymon Kobus and Krystian Obolewski
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Sylwia Lew: Department of Microbiology and Mycology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego Str. 1a, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Katarzyna Glińska-Lewczuk: Department of Water Management and Climatology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Łódzki Sq. 2, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Paweł Burandt: Department of Water Management and Climatology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Łódzki Sq. 2, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Klaudia Kulesza: Department of Microbiology and Mycology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego Str. 1a, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Szymon Kobus: Department of Water Management and Climatology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Łódzki Sq. 2, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Krystian Obolewski: Department of Hydrobiology, Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Powstańców Wielkopolskich Str. 10, 85-090 Bydgoszcz, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: The response of bacterioplankton structure to salinity level in coastal lakes ( n = 9) along the southern Baltic Sea coastline was studied. In terms of mean salinity levels (0.2–5.2 PSU), the lakes represented freshwater, transitional, and brackish types. Results showed that salinity determines the spatial and seasonal distribution patterns of microorganisms in costal lakes. Increased salinity contributed to a significant decline in total bacterial numbers (TBN). The TBN was lowest in brackish lakes in autumn (4 × 10 6 cells/mL) and highest in freshwater lakes in summer (7.11 × 10 6 cells/mL). The groups of Proteobacteria are appropriate bioindicators in any classifications of coastal ecosystems, particularly at low-haline stress. Alpha - and Gamma - subclasses of Proteobacteria are identifiers for brackish habitats, while Betaproteobacteria , due to their intolerance to haline stress, prefer freshwater habitats. Counts of euryhaline Actinobacteria , the dominant group of bacterioplankton (31.8%), decreased significantly with increased salinity. Actinobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria were identifiers of transitional lakes. C ytophaga-Flavobacteria showed affinity with freshwater ecosystems, but this relation was not statistically significant ( p > 0.05). The bacteria groups correlated with other physico-chemical parameters of water, such as oxygenation ( Actinobacteria ) or organic carbon ( Betaproteobacteria , Deltaproteobacteria ). The impact of hydrological connectivity and salt-water interference on the microbiota structure and biogeochemistry of coastal waters should be considered in the assessment of the ecological status of coastal lakes.

Keywords: microbial communities; salinity; coastal lakes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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