1 Microbial communities and the interaction with heavy metals (and metaloids); impact and adaptations

LIMA, A; URBIETA, M. S.; DONATI, E. R.

Heavy metals in the environment: microorganisms and bioremediation

CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group

Lugar: Florida; Año: 2018; p. 3 - 14

It is known that heavy metals can have a strong impact on microbial diversity affecting community structure as well as metabolic activity. However, there are microbial species capable of growing at high concentrations of certain heavy metals and metalloids, either by an intrinsic tolerance or because they posses genetically determined resistance mechanisms. The study of such changes in microbial community composition as well as the tolerant species it fundamental to understand the impact of heavy metals contamination. To do this, different techniques has been used, from the traditional and quite inefficient culture dependent methods to the modern meta-omics approach. Finally we present a study case, were we show the adaptation of to increasing concentrations of arsenite and arsenate of three different microbial consortia obtained from an environmental sample with low arsenic content