Ice Melt-Induced Variations of Structural and Functional Traits of the Aquatic Microbial Community along an Arctic River (Pasvik River, Norway)

• Published in: Water
• Main Authors: Maria Papale, Carmen Rizzo, Gabriella Caruso, Stefano Amalfitano, Giovanna Maimone, Stefano Miserocchi, Rosabruna La Ferla, Paul Eric Aspholm, Franco Decembrini, Filippo Azzaro, Antonella Conte, Marco Graziano, Alessandro Ciro Rappazzo, Angelina Lo Giudice, Maurizio Azzaro
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2021
• Subjects: microbial abundance; microbial activities; prokaryotic biomass; bacterial diversity; Arctic River; ice melting conditions; Arctic; Norway; Pasvik; Climate change
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/w13162297

The effects of climate change-induced ice melting on the microbial communities in different glacial-fed aquatic systems have been reported, but seasonal dynamics remain poorly investigated. In this study, the structural and functional traits of the aquatic microbial community were assessed along with the hydrological and biogeochemical variation patterns of the Arctic Pasvik River under riverine and brackish conditions at the beginning (May = Ice-melt (−)) and during the ice-melting season (July = Ice-melt (+)). The microbial abundance and morphometric analysis showed a spatial diversification between the riverine and brackish stations. Results highlighted different levels of microbial respiration and activities with different carbon and phosphorous utilization pathways, thus suggesting an active biogeochemical cycling along the river especially at the beginning of the ice-melting period. At Ice-melt (−), Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria were dominant in riverine and brackish stations, respectively. Conversely, at Ice-melt (+), the microbial community composition was more homogeneously distributed along the river (Gammaproteobacteria > Alphaproteobacteria > Bacteroidetes). Our findings provide evidence on how riverine microbial communities adapt and respond to seasonal ice melting in glacial-fed aquatic ecosystems.