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Niche Differentiation of Biofilm Microorganisms in a Full-scale Municipal Drinking Water Distribution System in China and Their Implication for Biofilm Control

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Abstract

Biofilms on the inner surface of a drinking water distribution system (DWDS) affect water quality and stability. Understanding the niche differentiation of biofilm microbial communities is necessary for the efficient control of DWDS biofilms. However, biofilm studies are difficult to conduct in the actual DWDS because of inaccessibility to the pipes buried underground. Taking the opportunity of infrastructure construction and relevant pipeline replacement in China, biofilms in a DWDS (a water main and its branch pipes) were collected in situ, followed by analysis on the abundances and community structures of bacterial and archaeal using quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing, respectively. Results showed that archaea were detected only in the biofilms of the water main, with a range of 9.4×103~1.1×105 copies/cm2. By contrast, bacteria were detected in the biofilms of branch pipes and the distal part of the water main, with a range of 8.8×103~9.6×106 copies/cm2. Among the biofilm samples, the archaeal community in the central part of the water main showed the highest richness and diversity. Nitrosopumilus was found to be predominant (86.22%) in the biofilms of the proximal part of the water main. However, Methanobrevibacter (87.15%) predominated in the distal part of the water main. The bacterial community of the water main and branch pipes was primarily composed of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria at the phylum level, respectively. Regardless of archaea or bacteria, only few operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (<0.5% of total OTUs) were shared by all the biofilms, indicating the niche differentiation of biofilm microorganisms. Moreover, the high Mn content in the biofilms of the distal sampling location (D3) in the water main was linked to the predominance of Bacillus. Functional gene prediction revealed that the proportion of infectious disease-related genes was 0.44–0.67% in the tested biofilms. Furthermore, functional genes related to the resistance of the bacterial community to disinfections and antibiotics were detected in all the samples, that is, glutathione metabolism-relating genes (0.14–0.65%) and beta-lactam resistance gene (0.01–0.05%). The results of this study indicate the ubiquity of archaea and bacteria in the biofilms of water main and branch pipes, respectively, and pipe diameters could be a major influencing factor on bacterial community structure. In the water main, the key finding was the predominant existence of archaea, particularly Nitrosopumilus and methanogen. Hence, their routine monitoring and probable influences on water quality in pipelines with large diameter should be given more attention. Besides, since Mn-related Bacillus and suspected pathogenic Enterococcus were detected in the biofilm, supplementation of disinfectant may be a feasible strategy for inhibiting their growth and ensuring water quality. In addition, the monitoring on their abundance variation could help to determine the frequency and methods of pipeline maintenance.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 52000032); the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (grant number 2023J01933); and Fuzhou Water Supply Co., Ltd. and Fuzhou Water Quality Monitoring Co., Ltd. (grant number GY-H-21258).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Safe and Energy-saving Engineering Technology for Urban Water Supply and Drainage System, School of Ecological Environment and Urban Construction, Fujian University of Technology, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350118, People’s Republic of China

    Jia Niu, Daogan Chen, Chenghao Shang, Wuqiang Zeng, **anliang Zheng, Ziyi Chen & Xupu Du

  2. Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, People’s Republic of China

    Liang **ao & **aochen Chen

  3. Fuzhou Water Supply Company, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350001, People’s Republic of China

    Yue Wang

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  1. Jia Niu
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  2. Daogan Chen
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  3. Chenghao Shang
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Contributions

J N conceived, performed research, and wrote the paper. D C analyzed data and wrote the paper. C S and L X performed research and analyzed data. Y W collected and analyzed data. W Z, X Z, Z C, and X D prepared material and performed research. X C conceived research and wrote the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to **aochen Chen.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the GenBank databases under the accession numbers SRR17325760 to SRR17325763; SRR18477630 to SRR18477634.

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Niu, J., Chen, D., Shang, C. et al. Niche Differentiation of Biofilm Microorganisms in a Full-scale Municipal Drinking Water Distribution System in China and Their Implication for Biofilm Control. Microb Ecol 86, 2770–2780 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-023-02274-y

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