Microbial diversity in acid mineral bioleaching systems of dongxiang copper mine and Yinshan lead-zinc mine

To understand the composition and structure of microbial communities in acid mineral bioleaching systems, the molecular diversity of 16S rDNA genes was examined using a PCR-based cloning approach. A total of 31 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were obtained from the four samples taken from four different bioleaching sites in Yinshan lead-zinc mine and Dongxiang copper mine in Jiangxi Province, China. The percentages of overlapping OTUs between sites ranged from 22.2 to 50.0%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the bacteria present at the four bioleaching sites fell into six divisions, alpha-Proteobacteria (1.1%), beta-Proteobacteria (2.3%), gamma-Proteobacteria (30.8%), Firmicutes (15.4%), Actinobacteria (0.3%) and Nitrospira (50.1%). Organisms of genera Leptospirillum, Acidithiobacillus, and Sulfobacillus, which were in Nitrospira, gamma-Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes divisions, respectively, were the most dominant. The results of principal component analysis based on the six phylogenetic divisions and biogeochemical data indicated that the microbial community structure of a site was directly related to the biogeochemical characteristic of that site. It follows therefore that sites with similar biogeochemical characteristics were comprised of similar microbial community structures. The results in our study also suggest that the elements copper and arsenic appear to be the key factors affecting the compositions and structures of microbial community in the four bioleaching sites.