Linkage of Microbial Parameters with Sediment Physicochemical Properties in Subsurface Fluvial Sediment Deposits of the Mahi River Basin, Western India.

The linkage between sediment physicochemical and microbial parameters within river terrace sedimentary ecosystems of semiarid regions is still in infancy. Here, we investigated microbial enzyme activities involved in C, N, P, and S cycling, and quantitative PCR (qPCR) based gene abundance of two laterally deposited sediment cores (28 and 25 m deep) comprising the Late Quaternary sediments of the Mahi River (Gujarat, India). Gene abundance indicates the presence of a sustainable bacterial population throughout both cores. The stratified subsurface sediments had notable microbial enzyme activities indicating an important role of both cores in biogeochemical cycling. Correlation between microbial and geological parameters revealed that various trace elements, rare earth elements, K2O, P2O5, EC, TDS, and salinity link significantly with microbial parameters. However, the direction and magnitude of the correlation differ in both cores under study. These results emphasize that sediment physicochemical properties influence microbial parameters differently in the laterally deposited subsurface sediments. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12088-021-00998-4. © Association of Microbiologists of India 2022.