A Comprehensive Profile of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Water Column of a Shallow-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Ecosystem

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) became an emerging contaminant, and were found to accumulate in natural man-made environments. A comprehensive understanding of the diversity abundance ARGs pristine environments is critical for defining baseline levels environmental ARGs. However, there limited information available on ARG profiles environments, especially shallow-sea hydrothermal vents ecosystems. Here, we combined 16S rRNA gene full-length amplicon sequencing high-throughput quantitative PCR (HT-qPCR) study bacterial communities, vent ecosystem Kueishantao Islet. The results showed that several sulfur-cycling related genera, including Thiomicrorhabdus, Thioreductor, Sulfurovum, Sulfurimonas Lebetimonas, dominated water column system. Temperature was significant factor shaping communities. HT-qPCR analysis system harbored lowest (average 10 subtypes) 1.0 × 10−3 copy per cell) compared with other (i.e., Tibet lake sediments, marine sediments) anthropogenic-disturbed drinking reservoirs, urban ponds wastewater treatment plants) Procrustes demonstrated a concordant pattern between compositions communities system, while variation partition revealed shared effects physicochemical explained >80% composition These suggest local factors played important role distribution profiles. Our provides first overview background level ecosystem.