Microbial Ecology of Thailand Tsunami and Non-Tsunami Affected Terrestrials

et al. (2014) Microbial Ecology of Thailand Tsunami and Non-Tsunami Affected Terrestrials. PLoS ONE 9(4): e94236. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094236 Microbial Ecology of Thailand Tsunami and Non-Tsunami Affected Terrestrials Naraporn Somboonna 0 Alisa Wilantho 0 Kruawun Jankaew 0 Anunchai Assawamakin 0 Duangjai Sangsrakru 0 Sithichoke Tangphatsornruang 0 Sissades Tongsima 0 Vasu D. Appanna, Laurentian University, Canada 0 1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University , Bangkok , Thailand , 2 Genome Institute, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology , Pathumthani , Thailand , 3 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University , Bangkok , Thailand , 4 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University , Bangkok , Thailand The effects of tsunamis on microbial ecologies have been ill-defined, especially in Phang Nga province, Thailand. This ecosystem was catastrophically impacted by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami as well as the 600 year-old tsunami in Phra Thong island, Phang Nga province. No study has been conducted to elucidate their effects on microbial ecology. This study represents the first to elucidate their effects on microbial ecology. We utilized metagenomics with 16S and 18S rDNAbarcoded pyrosequencing to obtain prokaryotic and eukaryotic profiles for this terrestrial site, tsunami affected (S1), as well as a parallel unaffected terrestrial site, non-tsunami affected (S2). S1 demonstrated unique microbial community patterns than S2. The dendrogram constructed using the prokaryotic profiles supported the unique S1 microbial communities. S1 contained more proportions of archaea and bacteria domains, specifically species belonging to Bacteroidetes became more frequent, in replacing of the other typical floras like Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Basidiomycota. Pathogenic microbes, including Acinetobacter haemolyticus, Flavobacterium spp. and Photobacterium spp., were also found frequently in S1. Furthermore, different metabolic potentials highlighted this microbial community change could impact the functional ecology of the site. Moreover, the habitat prediction based on percent of species indicators for marine, brackish, freshwater and terrestrial niches pointed the S1 to largely comprise marine habitat indicating-species. - Funding: The research was supported by Research Funds from the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Under the A1B1-NS (RES-A1B1-NS-01), and Thai Aviation Refuelling Co., Ltd. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors received funding from Thai Aviation Refuelling Co., Ltd. This does not alter the authors adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. Phra Thong island, Phang Nga province of southern Thailand (Figure 1), represents a location for comparative studies of tsunami (S1) and non-tsunami (S2) affected terrestrial ecosystems. The S1and S2 shared nearby geographies separated by a hill, whereby S1 terrain was inundated by the Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004 and S2 unaffected; otherwise both were comparable based on geological characteristics [1,2]. The tsunami left an Andaman Sea-facing, S1, distinguished terrestrial layer that was classified by geologist as a sand layer of 520 cm thick (layer A in Figure 1; [1]). Interestingly, geological evidence indicated three historic tsunamis also occurred prior to the 2004 tsunami at S1, and none to S2. The youngest recorded historic tsunami predating the 2004 tsunami was approximately 600 years ago (600yo) (layer B in Figure 1; [1]). Each tsunami occurrence could affect the S1 terrestrial characteristics due to the massive impact of seawater with marine organisms and garbage [1,3,4]. Studies comparing the 2004 tsunami affected versus non-affected (or pre-affected) terrestrials and terrestrial water reported the greater salinity, acidity, conductivity, turbidity and organic contents following the tsunami occurrence [57]. Studies also reported widespread diseasecarrying vectors, such as mosquitoes, trematodes and snails, after the 2004 tsunami [3,4]. Several bacterial and fungal infections involved skin and respiratory disorders were documented among repatriated tourists [8] and people working in the tsunami affected area [9]. In addition, the 2004 tsunami sediments consisted of higher concentrations of Mercury and Thallium [10,11]. Together, this chance of terrestrial characteristics could affect the microbial biodiversity and functional ecology. Nonetheless, the impact of tsunamis on microbial diversity and ecology function remains ill-defined. The present study thereby analyzed the microbial biodiversity and their potential functional composites in the tsunami impacted S1 terrain, in comparison to the non-affected S2 site, using 16S and 18S rRNA genes pyrosequencing derived metagenomic DNA approach. For each site, the data included the prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity profiles categorized into different depth levels corresponding to the terrestrial ages: 2004 tsunami, 1300yo (pre-dating the 2004), 300600yo, 600yo tsunami, and .600yo, respectively (starting from the top layer to a deeper layer), and also the amalgamated profiles for each site. Geologists determined the terrestrial age period from its depths below the land surface [1]. The overall results represent for the first time the use of metagenomics in analysing the prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial biodiversity of the 2004 tsunami and non-tsunami affected terrestrials. Unlike Figure 1. Index map of Phra Thong island relative to Phuket and terrestrial sites where samples were collected. The lower left photograph shows the pit wall of tsunami affected site (S1). Light color sheets A and B represent 2004 tsunami and 600yo tsunami affected terrestrial layers, respectively [1]. The lower right photograph shows the pit wall of non-tsunami affected site (S2) of the parallel geolography, and samples of equivalent depths to those of S1 were collected. Time period of the terrestrial is determined via sample depth [1]. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094236.g001 traditional biodiversity study that is conducted via cultivation technique and could reveal merely less than 1% of the true microbiota, metagenomics is a culture-independent technique that has been proved worldwide a robust, reliable and comprehensive tool for obtainment of entire microbiota from diverse environmental and clinical samples [1217]. Materials and Methods Sample collection The owners of the lands gave permission to conduct the study on these sites. We confirm that the study did not involve endangered or protected species. Phra Thong island provides a location for comparative tsunami (S1: N9.13194 E98.26250) and non-tsunami (S2: N9.07250 E98.27222) affected terrestrial studies based on geological evidences (Jankaew, personal communication) (...truncated)