Overall, the phylogenetic diversity of As-resistant bacteria in underground water was very limited if compared with lentic and lotic waters. Lastly, our molecular data support the hypothesis that the horizontal gene transfer of ars in As-containing freshwater environments is not limited to closely-related genomes, but also occurs between bacteria that are distant from an evolutionary viewpoint, thereby indicating that such genetic events may be considered a source of microbial resistance to arsenic-toxicity.