The study on the changing pattern of microbial community function and phenotypes in anaerobic–anoxic–oxic (A2O) process under the influence of temperatures in plateau habitats

Abstract

Activated sludge has unique microbial community functions and phenotypes in the plateau habitat. Based on Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing technology, we used Tax4Fun, BugBase, and FAPROTA functional prediction methods to investigate the effect of various temperatures on the function of microbial communities and the composition and relative abundance of phenotypes in the anaerobic–anoxic–oxic (A²O) process. It was shown that they were significantly influenced by temperature and to a lower extent by the reaction tanks. PICRUSt was consistent with Tax4Fun in predicting pathway level 3. The dominant FAPROTAX functions were mainly focused on heterotrophy, organic degradation, and nitrogen removal and were more influenced by the type of sewage and less influenced by the sewage treatment process and plateau habitat. However, phenotypes were more influenced by the treatment process and less influenced by the type of sewage. These microbial community functions were mainly focused on the important metabolic pathways of the C, N, and P cycles, which played an important role in microbial community growth and reproduction, metabolism, transport and other life activities. The clarification of some mechanisms of microbial communities for wastewater treatment in plateau habitats has far-reaching implications for the development of wastewater treatment systems in plateau areas.