Metagenomics Analysis to Investigate the Microbial Communities and Their Functional Profile During Cyanobacterial Blooms in Lake Varese

• Isabella Sanseverino ^[1] ; Patrizia Pretto ^[2] ; Diana Conduto António ^[1] ; Armin Lahm ^[3] ; Chiara Facca ^[4] ; Robert Loos ^[1] ; Helle Skejo ^[1] ; Andrea Beghi ^[5] ; Franca Pandolfi ^[5] ; Pietro Genoni ^[5] ; Teresa Lettieri ^[1]
  1. [1] European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027, Ispra, VA, Italy
  2. [2] Biosearch Ambiente Srl, Via Tetti Gai 59, 10091, Alpignano, TO, Italy
  3. [3] Bioinformatics Project Support, P.za S.M. Liberatrice 18, 00153, Roma, Italy
  4. [4] Department of Environmental Science, Informatics and Statistics, University Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Via Torino 155, 301702, Mestre, VE, Italy
  5. [5] ARPA, Agenzia Regionale Per La Protezione Dell’Ambiente Della Lombardia, Via Ippolito Rosellini 17, 20124, Milano, Italy

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• Localización: Microbial ecology, ISSN-e 1432-184X, ISSN 0095-3628, Vol. 83, Nº. 4, 2022, págs. 850-868
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Toxic cyanobacterial blooms represent a natural phenomenon caused by a mass proliferation of photosynthetic prokaryotic microorganisms in water environments. Bloom events have been increasingly reported worldwide and their occurrence can pose serious threats to aquatic organisms and human health. In this study, we assessed the microbial composition, with a focus on Cyanobacteria, in Lake Varese, a eutrophic lake located in northern Italy. Water samples were collected and used for obtaining a 16S-based taxonomic profile and performing a shotgun sequencing analysis. The phyla found to exhibit the greatest relative abundance in the lake included Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteriota and Bacteroidota. In the epilimnion and at 2.5 × Secchi depth, Cyanobacteria were found to be more abundant compared to the low levels detected at greater depths. The blooms appear to be dominated mainly by the species Lyngbya robusta, and a specific functional profile was identified, suggesting that distinct metabolic processes characterized the bacterial population along the water column. Finally, analysis of the shotgun data also indicated the presence of a large and diverse phage population.