Heavy Metal Tolerance of Fe(III)-Reducing Microbial Communities in Contaminated Creek Bank Soils

Fe(III)-reducing soil enrichment cultures can tolerate 100 mu M Cu and Cd, 150 mu M Co, 600 mu M Ni, and 2,500 mu M Zn. Metal-tolerant cultures were dominated by Geobacter-related Deltaproteobacteria and Gram-positive Firmicutes spp. (Clostridia and Sedimentibacter). A Cd- and Cu-tolerant Fe(III)-reducing coculture of Desulfosporosinus and Desulfitobacterium indicated the importance of the Firmicutes for Fe(III) reduction in the presence of metals.