Higher Diversity of Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria Based on Soxb Gene Sequencing in Surface Water Than in Spring in Wudalianchi Volcanic Group, NE China

Sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) play a key role in the biogeochemical cycling of sulfur. To explore SOB diversity, distribution, and physicochemical drivers in five volcanic lakes and two springs in the Wudalianchi volcanic field, China. This study analyzed microbial communities in samples via high-throughput sequencing of the soxB gene. Physical-chemical parameters were measured, and QIIME 2 (v2019.4), R, Vsearch, MEGA7, and Mothur processed the data. Alpha diversity indices and UPGMA clustering assessed community differences, while heat maps visualized intra-sample variations. Canoco 5.0 analyzed community-environment correlations, and NMDS, Adonis, and PcoA explored sample dissimilarities and environmental factor correlations. SPSS v.18.0 tested for statistical significance. The diversity of SOB in surface water was higher than in springs (more than 7.27 times). We detected SOB affiliated to β-proteobacteria (72.3