Response of aquatic microbial communities and bioindicator modelling of hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water

ABSTRACT The response of microbial communities to releases of hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water (PW) may influence ecosystem functions. However, knowledge of the effects of PW spills on freshwater microbiota is limited. Here, we conducted two separate experiments: 16S rRNA gene sequen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:FEMS microbiology ecology 2020-05, Vol.96 (5), p.1
Main Authors: Zhong, Cheng, Nesbø, Camilla L, Goss, Greg G, Lanoil, Brian D, Alessi, Daniel S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic environment
Aquatic microbiology
Bioindicators
Cell viability
Computer simulation
Ecological function
Ecology
Environmental aspects
Fresh water
Gene sequencing
Hydraulic fracturing
Indicator species
Microbial activity
Microbial colonies
Microbiological research
Microbiology
Microbiomes
Microbiota
Microorganisms
Modelling
Oil wells
Relative abundance
rRNA 16S
Spills
Taxa
Water
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Summary:ABSTRACT The response of microbial communities to releases of hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water (PW) may influence ecosystem functions. However, knowledge of the effects of PW spills on freshwater microbiota is limited. Here, we conducted two separate experiments: 16S rRNA gene sequencing combined with random forests modelling was used to assess freshwater community changes in simulated PW spills by volume from 0.05% to 50%. In a separate experiment, live/dead cell viability in a freshwater community was tested during exposure to 10% PW by volume. Three distinct patterns of microbial community shifts were identified: (i) indigenous freshwater genera remained dominant in 5% PW. Microbial taxa including less abundant genera such as Cellvibrio were potential bioindicators for the degree of contamination with PW. Additionally, live cells were quickly damaged by adding 10% PW, but cell counts recovered in the following days. Our study shows that the responses of freshwater microbiota vary by spill size, and these responses show promise as effective fingerprints for PW spills in aquatic environments. The first study to examine the effect of field-collected flowback and produced water, generated by hydraulic fracturing of shale gas wells, on the microbial ecology of freshwater systems.
ISSN:1574-6941
0168-6496
1574-6941
DOI:10.1093/femsec/fiaa068