Abundance and diversity of copper resistance genes cusA and copA in microbial communities in relation to the impact of copper on Chilean marine sediments

► Copper resistance genes are more abundant in the contaminated sediment. ► copA gene is more abundant than cusA gene in the contaminated sediment. ► Increase of copper changes genetic structure of copper resistance genes. ► Synthesis of new copper-resistance proteins in the impacted site is hypothesized.