Version 1
: Received: 4 June 2024 / Approved: 5 June 2024 / Online: 5 June 2024 (10:27:36 CEST)
How to cite:
Caruso, G.; Rappazzo, A. C.; Maimone, G.; Zappalà, G.; Zaborska, A. Svalbard Fjord Sediments as a Hot-Spot of Functional Diversity and a Reservoir of Antibiotic Resistance (AREX Cruise 2021). Preprints2024, 2024060262. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0262.v1
Caruso, G.; Rappazzo, A. C.; Maimone, G.; Zappalà, G.; Zaborska, A. Svalbard Fjord Sediments as a Hot-Spot of Functional Diversity and a Reservoir of Antibiotic Resistance (AREX Cruise 2021). Preprints 2024, 2024060262. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0262.v1
Caruso, G.; Rappazzo, A. C.; Maimone, G.; Zappalà, G.; Zaborska, A. Svalbard Fjord Sediments as a Hot-Spot of Functional Diversity and a Reservoir of Antibiotic Resistance (AREX Cruise 2021). Preprints2024, 2024060262. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0262.v1
APA Style
Caruso, G., Rappazzo, A. C., Maimone, G., Zappalà, G., & Zaborska, A. (2024). Svalbard Fjord Sediments as a Hot-Spot of Functional Diversity and a Reservoir of Antibiotic Resistance (AREX Cruise 2021). Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0262.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Caruso, G., Giuseppe Zappalà and Agata Zaborska. 2024 "Svalbard Fjord Sediments as a Hot-Spot of Functional Diversity and a Reservoir of Antibiotic Resistance (AREX Cruise 2021)" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0262.v1
Abstract
The benthic matrix acts as a key natural archive where the memory of long-term timescale environmental changes is recorded. Some ecological and chemical features of fjord sediments were explored during the AREX cruise carried out in the Svalbard archipelago in summer 2021. The activity rates of the enzymes leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), beta-glucosidase (GLU) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) and community-level physiological profiles (CLPP) were studied with the aim of determining the functional diversity of the benthic microbial community, while bacterial isolates were screened for their susceptibility to antibiotic molecules in order to explore the role of these extreme environments as potential reservoirs of antibiotic resistance. Enzyme activity rates were obtained by fluorogenic substrates, CLPP by Biolog Ecoplates; antibiotic susceptibility assays were performed through the standard disk diffusion method. Spatial trends observed in the functional profiles of the microbial community suggested the variability in the microbial community composition, presumably related to the patchy distribution of organic substrates. Complex Carbon sources, carbohydrates and amino acids were the organic polymers preferentially metabolized by the microbial community. Multiple resistance to ampicillin, clindamycin and gentamycin was detected in all the sampled sediments, excepting in the southern Hornsund area, stressing the role of sediments as a potential reservoir of chemical wastes ascribable to antibiotic residuals. This study provides new insights on the health status of fjord sediments of West Spitsbergen applying a dual ecological and biochemical approach. Microbial communities in the fjord sediments showed globally a good functional diversity, suggesting their versatility to rapidly react to changing conditions.
Keywords
sediments; heterotrophic bacteria; carbon substrates utilization profiles; antibiotic resistance; Svalbard fjords; functional diversity; health status
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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