Characterization of microbial communities in seven differential wetlands

Wetlands represent key ecosystems due to their remarkable biodiversity, ecological functions and multiple ecosystem services provided. In Colombia, there are 31,702 wetlands, 13 of these located in Bogotá, capital of the country. Despite the fundamental socioecological support of these aquatic ecosystems, a tremendous loss and degradation of these ecosystems has been observed due to anthropogenic perturbations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the status of seven Bogotá wetlands with different anthropogenic interference by measuring organoleptic, physicochemical, and microbiological parameters, using commercial kits, highly sensitive equipment, and next-generation sequencing of the 16S- and 18S-rRNA genes. Our findings describe the status of seven wetlands in Bogotá-Colombia where the microbial analysis indicated the lack of water quality in all of them. Additionally, some profiles in the composition of the microbial communities, joint with certain physicochemical characteristics, may represent an insight of the environmental dynamics, where Beta proteobacteria such as Malikia represent a potential keystone in aquatic ecosystems impacted by wastewater effluent discharges; the presence of nitrates and phosphates explain the abundance of bacteria capable of oxidizing these compounds such as Polynucleobacter. Moreover, the presence of specific prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms such as Clostridium, Cryptococcus, Candida, and Naegleria reported in one or more of the wetlands here assessed could represent a possible pathogenic risk for human and animal health. This study performed for the first time a complete evaluation of seven Bogotá wetlands, where our findings emphasize the importance of maintaining a continuous monitoring of these water bodies given its remarkable ecological importance and potential spill-over of several pathogens to humans and animals.