Due to extensive mining and industrial activities, arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) contaminations are becoming a global environmental concern. Both As and Sb are toxic and carcinogenic metalloids from the group 15 in the periodic table. Since As and Sb share many similar geochemical properties, it is often assumed that they exert similar environmental pressure on the native microbial communities. This hypothesis, however, still requires further confirmation. In the current study, a systematic comparison of microbial responses to As and Sb contamination were conducted. The results suggested that regular geochemical parameters, such as pH, nitrate, and TOC, were the driving forces for shaping the microbial community. In correspondence, two heavily contaminated groups showed similar microbial community compositions and the same microbial populations were enriched. The interactions between the contaminant fractions (As and Sb related fractions) and the individual OTUs, however, suggested the different and more diverse impacts of As comparing to Sb fractions, with more taxa significantly impacted by As species comparing to Sb species. The identification of the keystone taxa in the heavily contaminated samples revealed a group of microbial populations that could survive in both As and Sb heavily contaminated conditions and may providing critical environmental services to the community. Further investigation of these key microbial populations may provide valuable insights on employing these microorganisms for remediation applications.

由于广泛的采矿和工业活动，砷（As）和锑（Sb）污染正成为全球环境关注的问题。As和Sb都是元素周期表中第15组的有毒致癌准金属。由于As和Sb具有许多相似的地球化学特性，因此通常假定它们对原生微生物群落施加相似的环境压力。但是，该假设仍需进一步确认。在当前的研究中，对微生物对砷和锑污染的反应进行了系统的比较。结果表明，常规的地球化学参数（例如pH，硝酸盐和TOC）是塑造微生物群落的驱动力。对应地，两个严重污染的群体显示出相似的微生物群落组成，并且富集了相同的微生物种群。但是，污染物部分（与As和Sb有关的部分）与各个OTU之间的相互作用表明，与Sb部分相比，As的影响不同且差异更大，而与Sb物种相比，更多的分类单元受As物种的影响。在重度污染的样本中对基石分类群的鉴定揭示了一组微生物种群，它们可以在砷和锑严重污染的条件下生存，并可以为社区提供关键的环境服务。对这些关键微生物种群的进一步研究可能会为使用这些微生物进行修复提供有价值的见解。但是，污染物部分（与As和Sb有关的部分）与各个OTU之间的相互作用表明，与Sb部分相比，As的影响不同且差异更大，而与Sb物种相比，更多的分类单元受As物种的影响。在重度污染的样本中对基石分类群的鉴定揭示了一组微生物种群，它们可以在砷和锑严重污染的条件下生存，并可以为社区提供关键的环境服务。对这些关键微生物种群的进一步研究可能会为使用这些微生物进行修复提供有价值的见解。但是，污染物部分（与As和Sb有关的部分）与各个OTU之间的相互作用表明，与Sb部分相比，As的影响不同且差异更大，而与Sb物种相比，更多的分类单元受As物种的影响。在重度污染的样本中对基石分类群的鉴定揭示了一组微生物种群，它们可以在砷和锑严重污染的条件下生存，并可以为社区提供关键的环境服务。对这些关键微生物种群的进一步研究可能会为使用这些微生物进行修复提供有价值的见解。与Sb物种相比，更多的分类单元受到As物种的显着影响。在重度污染的样本中对基石分类群的鉴定揭示了一组微生物种群，它们可以在砷和锑严重污染的条件下生存，并可以为社区提供关键的环境服务。对这些关键微生物种群的进一步研究可能会为使用这些微生物进行修复提供有价值的见解。与Sb物种相比，更多的分类单元受到As物种的显着影响。在重度污染的样本中对基石分类群的鉴定揭示了一组微生物种群，它们可以在砷和锑严重污染的条件下生存，并可以为社区提供关键的环境服务。对这些关键微生物种群的进一步研究可能会为使用这些微生物进行修复提供有价值的见解。