Microbial water quality of pond Alleben (Gaziantep, Turkey) in winter and climatic changes in the region

Abstract

Abstract This study assessed the microbial quality of water sources in winter by microbiological methods and molecular-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and potential future bacterial loads in the Alleben pond based on the increase in water temperature. Total bacteria, total coliform, and Escherichia coli levels using the qPCR were significantly higher in the water samples than those enumerated by culture-dependent microbiological methods. These results showed that our qPCR approach is suitable to estimate the relative abundances of uncultured and cultured indicator microorganisms affected by the water characteristics. Based on our climate data, the daily average rate of 1.8 °C/increase associated with air temperature for the pond was recorded. As a result of the warming of the water surface, temperature thresholds in winter may breach and, thus, the physicochemical and biological properties of the pond may change by increasing bacterial growth rates. This study is the first analysis to apply combined climate change with molecular approaches to better understand how bacterial concentrations in aquatic environments may change in the future based on air temperature variations for the Gaziantep region. This analysis indicates developing surface water treatment measures and climate adaptation strategies that may reduce bacterial contamination in the Alleben pond.