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Microorganisms
Volume 13
Issue 2
10.3390/microorganisms13020433
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Article

Metagenomic Insights into the Abundance of Iron-Reducing Microorganisms in a Petroleum-Contaminated Iron-Rich Aquifer

by
He Di
1,2,3,4,
Min Zhang
1,3,*,
Zhuo Ning
1,3,
Changli Liu
1,3,4,
Ze He
1,3,
Shuaiwei Wang
1,3,
Siyu Kong
1,3,
Shuang Gan
1,3,
Weichao Sun
1,3,
Zhe Xu
1,3 and
Jinjin Ti
1,3
1
Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050061, China
2
School of Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100086, China
3
Key Laboratory of Groundwater Remediation of Hebei Province & China Geological Survey, Zhengding 050083, China
4
Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Ecological Geological Processes, Xiamen 361021, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2025, 13(2), 433; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020433
Submission received: 3 January 2025 / Revised: 14 February 2025 / Accepted: 15 February 2025 / Published: 17 February 2025
(This article belongs to the Topic Transport, Transformation and Cycling of Elements in Water and Soil and Their Response to Human Activities)
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Abstract

In petroleum-contaminated aquifers, iron (III) serves as an electron acceptor, enabling microbial degradation of organic matter. While previous studies have focused on iron reduction and organic matter degradation under laboratory conditions, research on iron-associated microorganisms in petroleum-contaminated aquifers is limited. To explore the diversity and distribution of such microorganisms in natural settings, this study used metagenomic analysis of an iron-rich, petroleum-contaminated aquifer. Sixteen groundwater samples from both pollution source and background areas were collected for species annotation and functional gene identification. Results show more than 7000 species were identified as iron-reducing microorganisms (IRMs), including several previously well-characterized iron-reducing species (e.g., Geobacter luticola and Geobacter sulfurreducens). However, the majority of IRMs were not found in existing iron-reducing microbial databases. Some of them, such as Sulfurospirillum sp. and Extensimonas perlucida, could be taxonomically classified at the species level, while most were only annotated as unclassified bacteria. In the contamination source zone, these microorganisms proliferated extensively, which led to hydrocarbon degradation predominantly driven by iron reduction in the aquifer. This study enhances our understanding of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms and supports the management of petroleum-contaminated sites.
Keywords: petroleum pollution; iron-reducing microorganisms (IRMs); metagenomics; hydrocarbon degradation; environmental remediation petroleum pollution; iron-reducing microorganisms (IRMs); metagenomics; hydrocarbon degradation; environmental remediation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Di, H.; Zhang, M.; Ning, Z.; Liu, C.; He, Z.; Wang, S.; Kong, S.; Gan, S.; Sun, W.; Xu, Z.; et al. Metagenomic Insights into the Abundance of Iron-Reducing Microorganisms in a Petroleum-Contaminated Iron-Rich Aquifer. Microorganisms 2025, 13, 433. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020433

AMA Style

Di H, Zhang M, Ning Z, Liu C, He Z, Wang S, Kong S, Gan S, Sun W, Xu Z, et al. Metagenomic Insights into the Abundance of Iron-Reducing Microorganisms in a Petroleum-Contaminated Iron-Rich Aquifer. Microorganisms. 2025; 13(2):433. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020433

Chicago/Turabian Style

Di, He, Min Zhang, Zhuo Ning, Changli Liu, Ze He, Shuaiwei Wang, Siyu Kong, Shuang Gan, Weichao Sun, Zhe Xu, and et al. 2025. "Metagenomic Insights into the Abundance of Iron-Reducing Microorganisms in a Petroleum-Contaminated Iron-Rich Aquifer" Microorganisms 13, no. 2: 433. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020433

APA Style

Di, H., Zhang, M., Ning, Z., Liu, C., He, Z., Wang, S., Kong, S., Gan, S., Sun, W., Xu, Z., & Ti, J. (2025). Metagenomic Insights into the Abundance of Iron-Reducing Microorganisms in a Petroleum-Contaminated Iron-Rich Aquifer. Microorganisms, 13(2), 433. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020433

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