Intertidal zonation affects diversity and functional potentials of bacteria in surface sediments: A case study of the Golden Bay mangrove, China

The combined effects of intertidal zonation and mangrove vegetation on benthic bacterial communities and ecological functions were studied. MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and PICRUSt predictive functional profiles were used to investigate the diversity, community structure and potential metabolic functions of benthic bacteria in surface sediments of a mangrove ecosystem. Compared with the lower intertidal zone, bacterial alpha diversity and richness were significantly higher in the upper intertidal zone and highly associated with sediment organic matter. The upper zone was occupied by higher proportions of heterotrophic bacteria involved in the degradation of organic compounds. These included Desulfobacterales, Anaerolineae and Acidobacteria, while the proportion of Rhodobacterales and Xenococcaceae was greatly increased in the lower zone. No significant difference of either alpha diversity or community composition was found between rhizosphere and bulk sediments, except that higher relative proportions of Rhizobiales and Actinobacteria occurred in rhizosphere sediments. The shift in bacterial community structure was mainly driven by changes in sediment Pb and NH4+ concentrations. Among the major carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycling processes examined, higher potentials of cellulose and hemicellulose degradation, dissimilatory sulfate reduction, and nitrate or nitrite reduction occurred in the upper intertidal zone. Assimilatory sulfate reduction and sulfur oxidation potentials were higher in the root-associated sediments than in the bulk sediments. This study indicated that intertidal zonation was more important than root effects in modulating benthic bacterial diversity and functional potentials in a mangrove ecosystem.