Phylogenetic analysis of bacterial community composition in sediment contaminated with multiple heavy metals from the Xiangjiang River in China

► We report sediment bacterial communities in the Xiangjiang River. ► We examine ecological impact of heavy metals on bacterial community. ► Heavy metal pollution affected sediment microbial community diversity. ► Moderate polluted sediment sample has the largest species diversity. ► Microbial richness and evenness are not linear relations with metals.