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Title: Response of Aquatic Bacterial Communities to Hydraulic Fracturing in Northwestern Pennsylvania: A Five-Year Study

Abstract

© 2018 The Author(s). Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing extraction procedures have become increasingly present in Pennsylvania where the Marcellus Shale play is largely located. The potential for long-term environmental impacts to nearby headwater stream ecosystems and aquatic bacterial assemblages is still incompletely understood. Here, we perform high-throughput sequencing of the 16 S rRNA gene to characterize the bacterial community structure of water, sediment, and other environmental samples (n = 189) from 31 headwater stream sites exhibiting different histories of fracking activity in northwestern Pennsylvania over five years (2012-2016). Stream pH was identified as a main driver of bacterial changes within the streams and fracking activity acted as an environmental selector for certain members at lower taxonomic levels within stream sediment. Methanotrophic and methanogenic bacteria (i.e. Methylocystaceae, Beijerinckiaceae, and Methanobacterium) were significantly enriched in sites exhibiting Marcellus shale activity (MSA+) compared to MSA- streams. This study highlighted potential sentinel taxa associated with nascent Marcellus shale activity and some of these taxa remained as stable biomarkers across this five-year study. Identifying the presence and functionality of specific microbial consortia within fracking-impacted streams will provide a clearer understanding of the natural microbial community's response to fracking and inform in situ remediation strategies.

Authors:
 [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [1]; ORCiD logo [3];  [3];  [1];  [1]
  1. Juniata College, Hungtingdon, PA (United States). Department of Biology
  2. Wright Labs LLC, Huntingdon, PA (United States)
  3. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Biosciences Division
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1471862
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1479459
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725; AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 8; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; 58 GEOSCIENCES

Citation Formats

Ulrich, Nikea, Kirchner, Veronica, Drucker, Rebecca, Wright, Justin R., McLimans, Christopher J., Hazen, Terry C., Campa, Maria F., Grant, Christopher J., and Lamendella, Regina. Response of Aquatic Bacterial Communities to Hydraulic Fracturing in Northwestern Pennsylvania: A Five-Year Study. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-23679-7.
Ulrich, Nikea, Kirchner, Veronica, Drucker, Rebecca, Wright, Justin R., McLimans, Christopher J., Hazen, Terry C., Campa, Maria F., Grant, Christopher J., & Lamendella, Regina. Response of Aquatic Bacterial Communities to Hydraulic Fracturing in Northwestern Pennsylvania: A Five-Year Study. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23679-7
Ulrich, Nikea, Kirchner, Veronica, Drucker, Rebecca, Wright, Justin R., McLimans, Christopher J., Hazen, Terry C., Campa, Maria F., Grant, Christopher J., and Lamendella, Regina. Mon . "Response of Aquatic Bacterial Communities to Hydraulic Fracturing in Northwestern Pennsylvania: A Five-Year Study". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23679-7. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1471862.
@article{osti_1471862,
title = {Response of Aquatic Bacterial Communities to Hydraulic Fracturing in Northwestern Pennsylvania: A Five-Year Study},
author = {Ulrich, Nikea and Kirchner, Veronica and Drucker, Rebecca and Wright, Justin R. and McLimans, Christopher J. and Hazen, Terry C. and Campa, Maria F. and Grant, Christopher J. and Lamendella, Regina},
abstractNote = {© 2018 The Author(s). Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing extraction procedures have become increasingly present in Pennsylvania where the Marcellus Shale play is largely located. The potential for long-term environmental impacts to nearby headwater stream ecosystems and aquatic bacterial assemblages is still incompletely understood. Here, we perform high-throughput sequencing of the 16 S rRNA gene to characterize the bacterial community structure of water, sediment, and other environmental samples (n = 189) from 31 headwater stream sites exhibiting different histories of fracking activity in northwestern Pennsylvania over five years (2012-2016). Stream pH was identified as a main driver of bacterial changes within the streams and fracking activity acted as an environmental selector for certain members at lower taxonomic levels within stream sediment. Methanotrophic and methanogenic bacteria (i.e. Methylocystaceae, Beijerinckiaceae, and Methanobacterium) were significantly enriched in sites exhibiting Marcellus shale activity (MSA+) compared to MSA- streams. This study highlighted potential sentinel taxa associated with nascent Marcellus shale activity and some of these taxa remained as stable biomarkers across this five-year study. Identifying the presence and functionality of specific microbial consortia within fracking-impacted streams will provide a clearer understanding of the natural microbial community's response to fracking and inform in situ remediation strategies.},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-018-23679-7},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 8,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Mon Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Shale gas development has limited effects on stream biology and geochemistry in a gradient-based, multiparameter study in Pennsylvania
journal, February 2020

  • Mumford, Adam C.; Maloney, Kelly O.; Akob, Denise M.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 117, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1911458117

Shale gas development has limited effects on stream biology and geochemistry in a gradient-based, multiparameter study in Pennsylvania
journal, February 2020

  • Mumford, Adam C.; Maloney, Kelly O.; Akob, Denise M.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 117, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1911458117

Surface Water Microbial Community Response to the Biocide 2,2-Dibromo-3-Nitrilopropionamide, Used in Unconventional Oil and Gas Extraction
journal, August 2019

  • Campa, Maria Fernanda; Techtmann, Stephen M.; Ladd, Mallory P.
  • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 85, Issue 21
  • DOI: 10.1128/aem.01336-19

Surface Water Microbial Community Response to the Biocide 2,2-Dibromo-3-Nitrilopropionamide, Used in Unconventional Oil and Gas Extraction
journal, August 2019

  • Campa, Maria Fernanda; Techtmann, Stephen M.; Ladd, Mallory P.
  • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 85, Issue 21
  • DOI: 10.1128/aem.01336-19

Unconventional Oil and Gas Energy Systems: An Unidentified Hotspot of Antimicrobial Resistance?
journal, October 2019

  • Campa, Maria Fernanda; Wolfe, Amy K.; Techtmann, Stephen M.
  • Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol. 10
  • DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02392