Metals alter membership but not diversity of a headwater stream microbiome

We sought to determine if microbiome diversity and membership were affected by metal contamination in a manner similar to what has been observed for stream macroinvertebrates, and if so, identify candidate microbial taxa to be used to indicate metal stress in stream ecosystems. To address this, we evaluated microbiome membership from sediments at multiple sites within the principal drainage of an EPA superfund site near the headwaters of the Upper Arkansas River, Leadville, CO.