Geological Society of America

T174 Innovations in Research of Springs and Other Features at the Groundwater–Surface Water Interface

Tuesday, 24 September 2019
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room 104AB, West Building

HYDROGEOLOGY, MACRO- AND MICROFAUNA IN ISOLATED DESERT SPRINGS. ARE THERE SIMILAR PATTERNS IN THE BIOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION?

Paper number: T174-4
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:50 AM – 9:05 AM

Authors

Khaled Pordel Presenting Author
Reno, NV
Ariel D. Friel
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
Zachary P. Meyers
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Donald Sada
Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV
John Umek
Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV
Marty Frisbee
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Laura K. Rademacher
University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA
Brian P. Hedlund
Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, Las Vegas, NV

Abstract

The goal of this study was finding a relationship between macrobial and microbial community compositions to determine to find potential drivers of biological processes in desert spring ecosystems. Recently, there is increasing interest in multi-disciplinary studies to understand relationships between integrated earth systems. To identify the factors controlling the BMI and microbial community compositions, 12 mountain front springs as well as one regional spring were sampled for general chemistry, benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs), and microbes in Owens Valley, CA. All sampled springs were classified as “reference” springs defined as springs that were naturalized from the past human or natural disturbances. We hypothesized that consistent co-occurrence patterns of macrobial and microbial communities were driven by the hydrological and geochemical processes influencing the biological organization.

Results suggest that aqueous geochemistry, which originates in part from interaction with the aquifer rocks, is the main factor governing BMI community composition in these springs. Additionally, there are similar ordination trends exhibited by both microbial and BMI communities. For example, the phylum Cyanobacteria is strongly associated with BMI taxa abundant in springs with high [Mg²⁺], [SO₄^2-], [Sr²⁺], temperature, and specific conductivity (e.g., Microcylloepus). In contrast, the phylum Proteobacteria is associated with BMIs that are abundant in springs with high Ca⁺²/Na⁺ ratios associated with the influence of carbonate roof pendants (e.g., Malenka, Lepidostoma, and Hesperoperla). Therefore, this study highlights hydrochemistry as a significant factor controlling the composition of biological communities (micro- and macrofauna). Due to the distinct co-occurrence patterns of micro- and macro-organisms in desert springs, we suggest microbial community composition may be useful as a potential indicator of the hydrochemistry of spring ecosystems.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 51, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2019AM-340490

© Copyright 2019 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.