Elevated levels of arsenic (As) in aquifers of South East Asia have caused diverse health problems affecting millions of people who drink As-rich groundwater and consume various contaminated agriculture products. The biogeochemical cycling and mobilization/immobilization of As from its mineral-bound phase is controlled by pH, oxic/anoxic conditions, and different microbial processes. The increased As flux generated from ongoing biogeochemical processes in the subsurface in turn affects the in situ microbial communities. This study analyzes how the indigenous arsenite-oxidizing bacteria combat As stress by various biophysical alterations and self-adaptation mechanisms. Fifteen arsenite-oxidizing bacterial strains were isolated and identified using a polyphasic approach. The bacterial strains isolated from these aquifers belong predominantly to arsenite-oxidizing bacterial groups. Of these, the membrane-bound phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) were characterized in seven selected bacterial isolates grown at different concentrations of As(III) in the medium. One of the significant findings of this study is how the increase in external stress can induce alteration of membrane PLFAs. The change in fatty acid saturation and alteration of their steric conformation suggests alteration of membrane fluidity due to change in As-related stress. However, different bacterial groups can have different degrees of alteration that can affect sustainability in As-rich aquifers of the Bengal Delta Plain.@en

High arsenic (As) content in the fertile delta plains of West Bengal has been widely reported since the 1990s. The shallow gray sand aquifers (GSA) deposited during the Holocene, are more commonly used as potable water sources, but they have high As levels. The release of As into groundwater is influenced by indigenous microbial communities metabolizing different organic carbon sources present in the GSA sediments. After pre-screening the groundwater for assessing their microbial phylogenetic diversity, two 50-m deep boreholes were drilled in the GSAs, and 19 sediment samples were recovered from each core. In each of these samples, grain-size distribution, sequential extraction, and quantification of trace metals and total extractable lipids were analyzed. The aquifer sediments consisted of medium to fine micaceous sand with clay lenses in between them; a thick clay layer occurred on top of both boreholes. Arsenic concentration in these sediments varied from 1.80 to 41.0 mg/kg and was mostly associated with the oxide and silicate-rich crystalline minerals. Arsenic showed a significant correlation with Fe in all fractions, suggesting the presence of Fe-(oxy)-hydroxides bound As minerals. The diagnostic lipid biomarkers showed presence of compounds derived from higher plants (epicuticular waxes) and microbial inputs. The biomarkers were abundant in clay and silt-rich layers. The samples indicated preferential preservation of n-alkanes over other functional compounds (e.g., alcohols and fatty acids), that are more reactive, and hence subject to further degradation. Sediments recovered from the borehole indicated the presence of Eustigmatophytes and vascular plant waxes that are mostly surface-derived. The sedimentary lipids also indicated the presence of complex petroleum-derived hydrocarbons. These compounds provide organic substrates, and support the preferential survival of specific microbial communities in these sediments.@en

The coupled role of organic matter (OM) and microbial activity is widely acknowledged in arsenic (As) biogeochemical cycling in sedimentary environments. However, little is known about OM characteristics particularly the dissolved fraction in the Bengal Delta Plain aquifers – one of the worst As impacted regions in the world. Ongoing investigations in As-rich aquifers in Nadia district (West Bengal, India) indicate presence of arsenite {As(III)} oxidizing bacterial communities in the Grey Sand Aquifers (GSA), but absent in Brown Sand Aquifers (BSA). In this study, we investigate the key differences in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) characteristics and its relationship with differences in elemental concentrations, distribution of biomarkers, and utilization of DOC by in situ microbial communities in BSA and GSA. We demonstrate a new approach using ENVI™ C-18 DSK discs to pre-concentrate DOC from large volumes of water, and further extract the OM and separate it into different lipid fractions using the solid phase extraction technique. The aquifers show marked heterogeneity in terms of their DOC characteristics and elemental profiles irrespective of their grey or brown color. DOC indicates variable inputs of terrestrial derived OM sources, and OM derived from decomposition and/or microbial cellular components. DOC in the aquifers consist of predominantly n-alkanoic acids (∼80%) followed by n-alkanes and n-alcohols. The GSAs indicate high iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) concentrations, and presence of mature petroleum derived hydrocarbons in DOC. BSA has comparatively lower concentrations of Fe and Mn, and shows absence of mature hydrocarbons in DOC. Experiments in presence of indigenous bacteria from groundwater with DOC lipid extracts as the sole carbon source indicate higher growth in the GSA samples implying preferential use of DOC. The potential availability of DOC in these aquifers can influence the community composition of indigenous heterotrophic microbial flora, which in turn can affect elemental cycles including that of As.@en

High arsenic (As) concentration in groundwater has affected human health, particularly in South-East Asia putting millions of people at risk. Biogeochemical cycling of As carried out by different bacterial groups are suggested to control the As fluxes in aquifers. A functional diversity approach in link with As precipitation was adopted to study bacterial community structures and their variation within the As contaminated Bengal Delta Plain (BDP) aquifers of India. Groundwater samples collected from two shallow aquifers in Karimpur II (West Bengal, India), during years 2010 and 2011, were investigated to trace the effects immediately after monsoon period (precipitation) on community structure and diversity of bacterial assemblages with a focus on arsenite oxidizing bacterial phyla for two successive years. The study focused on amplification, clone library generation and sequencing of the arsenite oxidase large sub-unit gene aioA and 16S rRNA marker, with respect to changes in elemental concentrations. New set of primers were designed to amplify the aioA gene as a phylogenetic marker to study taxonomically diverse arsenite oxidizing bacterial groups in these aquifers. The overall narrow distribution of bacterial communities based on aioA and 16S rRNA sequences observed was due to poor nutrient status and anoxic conditions in these As contaminated aquifers. Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum detected, within which Acidovorax, Hydrogenophaga, Albidiferax, Bosea, and Polymorphum were the major arsenite oxidizing bacterial genera based on the number of clones sequenced. The structure of bacterial assemblages including those of arsenite oxidizing bacteria seems to have been affected by increase in major elemental concentrations (e.g., As, Fe, S, and Si) within two sampling sessions, which was supported by statistical analyses. One of the significant findings of this study is detection of novel lineages of 16S rRNA-like bacterial sequences indicating presence of indigenous bacterial communities BDP wells that can play important role in biogeochemical cycling of elements including As.@en

Contaminated food chain is a serious contender for arsenic (As) uptake around the globe. In Nadia, West Bengal, we trace possible means of transfer of As from multiple sources reaching different trophic levels, and associated seasonal variability leading to chronic As uptake. This work considers possible sources-pathways of As transfer through food chain in rural community. Arsenic concentration in groundwater, soil, rice, and vegetable-samples collected detected in different harvest seasons of 2014 and 2016. Arsenic level in shallow groundwater samples ranged from 0.1 to 354 µg/L, with 75% of the sites above the prescribed limit by WHO (10 µg/L) during the boro harvest season. High soil As content (∼20.6 mg/kg), resulted in accumulation of As in food crops. A positive correlation in As conc. with increase over period in all sites indicating gradual As accumulation in topsoil. Unpolished rice samples showed high As content (∼1.75 mg/kg), polishing reduced 80% of As. Among vegetables, the plant family Poaceae with high irrigation requirements and Solanaceae retaining high moisture, have the highest levels of As. Contaminated animal fodder (Poaceae) and turf water for cattle are shown to contaminate milk (0.06 to 0.24 µg/L) and behoves strategies, practices to minimize As exposure.@en

An elevated level of arsenic (As) in the Indo-Gangetic delta plain aquifers has been reported since the 1990s. Organic matter (OM) present in groundwater and aquifer sediments supports the microbial communities in these aquifers. During installation of a drinking water well, 26 sediment intervals of 6 m each were retrieved up till 156 m from a Pleistocene brown sand aquifer (BSA). Grain size distribution, sequential extraction of metals and total extractable lipids were analyzed in each sample. These parameters were statistically correlated in order to establish relationship between the physical vs. inorganic and organic characteristics, and how these properties affected the distribution of As in BSAs. The aquifer sediments consisted of medium to coarse sand except the surface sediments and those at the bottom of the well, which had high clay and slit content. Arsenic (As) concentration in sediments ranged from 2 to 21 mg/kg and indicated a strong correlation with grain size. Arsenic was mostly associated with crystalline oxides and silicate-rich minerals. Arsenic showed significant correlation with Fe in all fractions, and suggests presence of pyrite bound As-bearing minerals in these sediments. The diagnostic sedimentary lipid biomarkers indicated presence of compounds derived from vascular plants and microbial cell wall. This inference was supported by various diagnostic lipid ratios. The biomarkers were abundant in surface and deeper layers, which had high clay and silt content. The BSA sediments indicated preferential preservation of n-alkanes over other functional compounds, which were more reactive and subject to degradation. The thick clay layer at 132–156 m contained visible plant fragments, and OM in this layer indicated preferential preservation of organic carbon most likely due to the absence of specific microbial communities that degraded these compounds and mobilized As. Statistical analyses indicated the influence of selective inorganic and organic components (As, Fe and fatty acids) controlling the co-distribution of various inorganic and organic components in the aquifer.@en