Formation of the phosphate-resistant communities of microalgae and bacteria in the subpolar waters

Abstract

The decrease of the available phosphorus reserves has a detrimental effect on agriculture and other industrial sectors. Various microorganisms are used in biotechnology for bioremoval of the inorganic phosphate from wastewaters, with the following application as biofertilizers for agricultural crops production. Both associations and monocultures of microalgae, cyanobacteria, and heterotrophic bacteria are able to accumulate high concentrations of phosphorus in their cells and are useful microorganisms for biotechnological phosphorus uptake. Communities of microorganisms formed in water bodies near tailing sites of the apatite mines were investigated. We studied the communities formed in the Lake Bolshaya Imandra (Murmansk Oblast, Karelia, Russia), in the tailing pond, as well as in a temporary pond (puddle); in total, five samples were studied. The morphological characteristics and the taxonomic composition of the samples were studied by light microscopy and DNA metabarcoding. Among bacteria, representatives of the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were identified as dominants; bacteria of the phylum Bacteroidetes were less present. The results revealed a high degree of similarity of communities in terms of taxonomic structure at the genus level, which indicates the formation of common unique conditions in this region. The smallest variety was noted in the temporary puddle pond, which indicates less stability of the community formed in it.