• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.550-556
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• 2016

Groundwater heat pump (GWHP) systems must consider phenomena such as clogging to improve system efficiency and maintenance. In this study, we evaluated the prokaryotic diversity in a boring slime sample obtained at a depth of 10 m, which represented an undisturbed sample not affected by aquifer drawdown. Bacteria belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria (20.8%), Acidobacteria (18.8%), Chloroflexi (16.9%), and Firmicutes (10.2%) were found. Additionally, 144 species were identified as belonging to the genus Koribacter. Archaeal phyla were detected including Thaumarchaeota (42.8%), Crenarchaeota (36.9%), and Euryarchaeota (17.4%) and the class level comprised the miscellaneous Crenarchaeota group (MCG), Finnish forest soil type B (FFSB), and Thermoplasmata, which collectively accounted for approximately 69.4% of the detected Archaea. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were analyzed to reveal 3,565 bacterial and 836 archaeal OTUs, with abundances of 7.81 and 6.68, and richnesses of 5.96E-4 and 2.86E-3, respectively. The distribution of the groundwater microbial community in the study area showed a higher proportion of non-classified or unidentified groups compared to typical communities in surface water and air. In addition, 135 (approx. 1.9%) reads were assigned to a bacterial candidate associated with clogging.