High-Resolution Microbial Community Succession of Microbially Induced Concrete Corrosion in Working Sanitary Manholes

Journal Article · Fri Mar 06 00:00:00 EST 2015 · PLoS ONE

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0116400· OSTI ID:1904028

Ling, Alison L. ^[1]; Robertson, Charles E. ^[2]; Harris, J. Kirk ^[3]; Frank, Daniel N. ^[3]; Kotter, Cassandra V. ^[3]; Stevens, Mark J. ^[3]; Pace, Norman R. ^[2]; Hernandez, Mark T. ^[2]

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1. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); OSTI
2. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
3. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States). School of Medicine

Microbially-induced concrete corrosion in headspaces threatens wastewater infrastructure worldwide. Models for predicting corrosion rates in sewer pipe networks rely largely on information from culture-based investigations. In this study, the succession of microbes associated with corroding concrete was characterized over a one-year monitoring campaign using rRNA sequence-based phylogenetic methods. New concrete specimens were exposed in two highly corrosive manholes (high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide gas) on the Colorado Front Range for up to a year. Community succession on corroding surfaces was assessed using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of 16S bacterial rRNA amplicons and Sanger sequencing of 16S universal rRNA clones. Microbial communities associated with corrosion fronts presented distinct succession patterns which converged to markedly low α-diversity levels (< 10 taxa) in conjunction with decreasing pH. The microbial community succession pattern observed in this study agreed with culture-based models that implicate acidophilic sulfur-oxidizer Acidithiobacillus spp. in advanced communities, with two notable exceptions. Early communities exposed to alkaline surface pH presented relatively high α-diversity, including heterotrophic, nitrogen-fixing, and sulfur-oxidizing genera, and one community exposed to neutral surface pH presented a diverse transition community comprised of less than 20% sulfur-oxidizers.

• Research Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• OSTI ID: 1904028
• Journal Information: PLoS ONE, Journal Name: PLoS ONE Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 10; ISSN 1932-6203
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
DNA cloning
bacteria
corrosion
extremophiles
hydrogen
phylogenetics
ribosomal RNA
sulfides