«Red forest» soil microbiome: how does radionuclide contamination affect the structure of soil microflora?

Abstract

Aim. The aim of this study is to characterize the microbiome of soil with high levels of radionuclide contamination and figure out if its impact on microflora. Methods. Microbiome study was conducted via New Generation Sequencing. Results. Microflora diversity was higher in samples, collected from most contaminated areas. Anyway, nutrient availability here was higher as well so more careful study is needed to show the impact of radionuclide contamination. Acidobacteriaceae, Microviridae, Thermomonosporaceae, and Mycobacteriaceae, were dominant in all studied samples, but the structure of the community varied significantly. Conclusions. Soils, even subjected such extreme conditions such as radionuclide contamination and anthropogenic transformation of terrain and vegetation, have unprecedented capabilities to maintain and restore the structure of microbiome. However, according to our results, increased levels of radioactive contamination lead to a significant increase in diversity, which, in our opinion, may be associated with increased evolutionary pressure on certain individuals within the group.

Keywords: soil microflora, radionuclide contamination, Chornobyl, NGS.