Impact of light regimes on productivity patterns of benthic microbial mats in an antarctic lake: a modeling study

Filamentous cyanobacteria often dominate benthic microbial communities of antarctic lakes and usually exhibit saturation of photosynthesis at light intensities approximately 100 microEinst m-2 s-1. Incident light regimes are controlled by ice and snow accumulations overlaying water columns during much of the year. Thus, light availability to microbial mats is often below saturation intensity and is strongly influenced by modest changes in climatic factors. A model of net primary production for benthic mat communities of the subantarctic Sombre Lake, Signy Island, was developed (1) to evaluate depth-specific productivities of mat communities, (2) to test the relative importances of model parameters to mat production, and (3) to explore the potential impacts of climate change on mat production as manifested through changes in light regime. Simulated rates of net primary production corresponded to observations on a daily basis (approximately 1-4 micrograms C fixed mg-1 ash-free DW of mat d-1) but were an order of magnitude lower than estimates of net annual production based on field measurements (< or = 3 vs. 11-45 g C m-2 yr-1, respectively). Close examination suggested that the simulated values were more plausible. A detailed sensitivity analysis of model behavior revealed that variations in the time of ice and snow melt in spring accounted for 40-60% of the total variation in model behavior, emphasizing the importance of climatic factors to net primary production of mat communities and the sensitivity of mat production to climate change.     

Microbial community of cyanobacteria mats in the intertidal zone of oil-polluted coast of Saudi Arabia

Cyanobacterial mats are found at various locations along the coast of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Those mats were affected by severe oil pollution following 1991 oil spill. In this study, samples from Abu Ali Island were collected at three selected sampling sites across the intertidal zone (Lower, Middle, and Upper) in order to understand the effect of extreme environmental conditions of high salinity, temperature and desiccation on distribution of cyanobacteria along the oil polluted intertidal zone. Our investigation of composition of cyanobacteria and diatoms was carried out using light microscopy, and Denaturant Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) technique. Light microscopy identification revealed dominant cyanobacteria to be affiliated with genera Phormidium, Microcoleus, and Schizothrix, and to a lesser extent with Oscillatoria, Halothece, and various diatom species. The analysis of DGGE of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA fragments showed that the diversity of cyanobacteria decreases as we proceed from the lower to the upper intertidal zone. Accordingly, the tidal regime, salinity, elevated ambient air temperature, and desiccation periods have a great influence on the distribution of cyanobacterial community in the oil polluted intertidal zone of Abu Ali Island.     

Investigations on the Urea Uptake by Phytoplankton in the Baltic Sea

Urea uptake by the planktonic community was studied in the central Baltic Sea in July/August 1987, in March 1988 and in August 1988. Uptake was measured with ¹⁴C-urca incubations. Uptake rates were determined in the range of 0.8 … 5.7 nmol/dm³ · h urea in March and 25.6 … 48.0 nmol/dm³ · h urea in August. Respired CO₂ was found to represent 98 to 99 = of total uptake. Light stimulated urea uptake; parallel dark incubations showing usually 4.5 to 80.0 = of the uptake in the light. These results and size fractionation studies indicated that phytoplankton was dominating urea uptake. Urea proved to be an important nitrogen source for phytoplankton during the regenerated phase of the phytoplankton succession.     

Degradation and formation of refractory DOM by bacteria during simultaneous growth on labile substrates and persistent lake water constituents

Changes in molecular size distribution associated with degradation of refractory DOM (macromolecules, apparent mol wt. ≥1500) by 3 strains of bacteria were investigated by Sephadex G-15 gel permeation chromatography and DOC analysis of the eluates. Macromolecules and bacteria were isolated from the same lake water sample, one taken in summer and one in winter. The decompositional changes of the DOM fraction were compared with respect to substance- and bacterial species-specific differences, and with respect to the action of photolysis and co-substrate supplementation. The metabolite patterns resulting from the simultaneous growth of the bacteria on the persistent DOM fraction and the labile co-substrate, glutamic acid were analyzed. The macromolecules differed in accessible components, and the bacteria degraded most effectively the DOM fraction of the parent lake water sample. Photolysis was the prerequisite for the reduction of the inaccessible bulk of the macromolecules. Glutamic acid enhanced the degradation of the macromolecules. The enhancement effect was impaired by the build up of waste products which balanced the losses of the DOM fraction. Three formation modes of refractory metabolites could be distinguished: formation of intensely UV absorbing small sized products which were poor in DOC during degredation of (1) the macromolecules of winter, and (2) of glutamic acid, and formation of (3) apparent high molecular weight substances from glutamic acid in cultures containing the macromolecules of summer which probably results from a stable linkage between the small sized metabolites of the amino acid and the DOM fraction. The research was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

The influence of cyanobacteria on oil polluted intertidal soils at the Saudi Arabian Gulf shores

In 1991 the second Gulf War lead to the largest oil spill in human history. Over 770 km of coastline from southern Kuwait to Abu Ali Island (Saudi Arabia) were smothered with oil and tar, erasing most of the local plant and animal communities. In the following year cyanobacteria colonized most of the oil polluted shores. In the study area at the Saudi Arabian Gulf coast north of Jubail three different processes were observed that followed the extensive formation of cyanobacterial mats. The first one is desiccation, cracking, and peeling of the cyanobacterial mats, thereby removing the uppermost part of the oiled sediment. The second is the resettlement of burrowing macrofauna like crabs and benthic animals such as gastropods, which outcompete the cyanobacteria again. The third process is further extensive growth of cyanobacteria building thick laminated mats. These layers, completely seal the surface and hence produce an anaerobic milieu which inhibits oil degradation. As long as such cyanobacteria exist, they will prevent microbial oil degradation as well as any resettlement by macrofauna.     

Expansion rate and geometry of floating vegetation mats on the margins of thermokarst lakes,northern Seward Peninsula,Alaska, USA

Investigations on the northern Seward Peninsula in Alaska identified zones of recent (<50 years) permafrost collapse that led to the formation of floating vegetation mats along thermokarst lake margins. The occurrence of floating vegetation mat features indicates rapid degradation of near‐surface permafrost and lake expansion. This paper reports on the recent expansion of these collapse features and their geometry is determined using geophysical and remote sensing measurements. The vegetation mats were observed to have an average thickness of 0.57 m and petrophysical modeling indicated that gas content of 1.5–5% enabled floatation above the lake surface. Furthermore, geophysical investigation provides evidence that the mats form by thaw and subsidence of the underlying permafrost rather than terrestrialization. The temperature of the water below a vegetation mat was observed to remain above freezing late in the winter. Analysis of satellite and aerial imagery indicates that these features have expanded at maximum rates of 1–2 m yr^‐1 over a 56 year period. Including the spatial coverage of floating ‘thermokarst mats’ increases estimates of lake area by as much as 4% in some lakes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure of microbial communities and hydrocarbon-dependent sulfate reduction in the anoxic layer of a polluted microbial mat

The bacterial communities in the anoxic layer of a heavily polluted microbial mat and their growth on hydrocarbons under sulfate-reducing conditions were investigated. Microbial communities were dominated by members of Alphaproteobacteria (27% of the total rRNA), Planctomycetes (21.1%) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB: 17.5%). 16S rRNA cloning revealed sequences beloning to the same bacterial groups with SRB affiliated to the genera Desulfobulbus, Desulfocapsa, Desulfomicrobium, Desulfobacterium and Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus. The derived enrichment cultures on crude oil, hexadecane and toluene were dominated by SRB. While most SRB sequences of the toluene and hexadecane cultures were related to the sequence of Desulfotignum toluolica, the crude oil enrichment showed a more diverse bacterial community with sequences from the genera Desulfotignum, Desulfobacter, Desulfatibacillus, Desulfosalina, and Desulfococcus. We conclude that the anoxic layer of the studied mats contains a diverse community of anaerobic bacteria, dominated by SRB, some of which are able to grow on hydrocarbons.     

Processing of humic-rich riverine dissolved organic matter by estuarine bacteria: effects of predegradation and inorganic nutrients

The bioavailability of predegraded dissolved organic matter (DOM) from a humic-rich, boreal river to estuarine bacteria from the Baltic Sea was studied in 39-day bioassays. The river waters had been exposed to various degrees of bacterial degradation by storing them between 0 and 465 days in dark prior to the bioassay. The resulting predegraded DOM was inoculated with estuarine bacteria and the subsequent changes in DOM quantity and quality measured. During the incubations, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and oxygen concentrations decreased, indicating heterotrophic activity. Coloured DOM was degraded less than DOC, indicating a selective utilization of DOM, and humic-like fluorescence components increased during the incubations. The amount of DOC degraded was not affected by the length of DOM predegradation. The percentage of bioavailable DOC (%BDOC) was higher in experiment units with added inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus than without addition (on average 13.5 % and 9.0, respectively), but had no effect on the degradation of fresh, non-predegraded, DOC (%BDOC 12.0 %). Bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) was highest (65 ± 2 %) in the units with fresh DOM, and lowest in units with predegraded DOM and no added inorganic nutrients (11 ± 4 %). The addition of inorganic nutrients increased the BGE of predegraded DOM units by an average of 28 ± 4 %. There was no significant effect on BGE by length of predegradation after the initial drop (<3 months). This study suggests that both the length of predegradation and the inorganic nutrient status in the receiving estuary has consequences to carbon cycling and will determine the amount of terrestrial-derived DOC being ultimately assimilated into marine food webs.     

Black band disease as a possible factor of the coral decline at the northern reef-flat of Yongxing Island,South China Sea

Black band disease(BBD),characterized by the Cyanobacterial dominated pathogenic consortium,is thought to play a key role in the global decline of the coral reef ecosystems.The present paper originally documents a case of BBD from Yongxing Island(Xisha Islands,South China Sea),and further probes the reasons of this abnormal phenomenon.Prior to 2007,corals at northern reef-flat of Yongxing Isand were in healthy growth.Catastrophic coral mortality occurred between 2007 and 2008.The 16S rRNA gene sequencing and PCR amplification,with universally conserved primers,were applied to detect the contagious bacterial community of the microbial mat.The results demonstrated that six bacterial divisions constituted the clone libraries derived from the BBD mat,and that Cyanobacteria are the most diversely represented group that inhabit BBD bacterial mats,despite the fact that species in five others divisions(α-Proteobacteria,γ-Proteobacteria,Bacteroidetes,Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria) are also consistently diverse within the BBD mats of diseased coral.Other factors such as coral bleaching,typhoons,ocean acidification and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks,are not primarily responsible for the coral mortality within such a short time interval.The disaster expansion of BBD associated with Cyanobacterial blooms is a more likely mechanism impacting these coral reefs.Excessive human activity enhances the eutrophication of the marine water of the reefal region and may result in occurrence of the BBD.     

Optical properties of benthic photosynthetic communities: fiber-optic studies of cyanobacterial mats

A fiber-optic microphobe was used to analyze the spectral light gradients in benthic cyanobacterial mats with 50-micrometer depth resolution and 10-nm spectral resolution. Microcoleus chthononplastes mats were collected from hypersaline, coastal ponds at Guerrero Negro, Baja California. Gradients of spectral radiance, L, were measured at different angles through the mats and the spherically integrated scalar irradiance, Eo, was calculated. Maximal spectral light attenuation was found at the absorption peaks for the dominant photosynthetic pigments: chlorophyll a at 430 and 670 nm, carotenoids at 450-500 nm, phycocyanin at 620 nm, and bacteriochlorophyll a at 800-900 nm. Scattered light had a marked spectral effect on the scalar irradiance which near the mat surface reached up to 190% of the incident irradiance. The spherically integrated irradiance thus differed strongly from the incident irradiance both in total intensity and in spectral composition. These basic optical properties are important for the understanding of photosynthesis and light harvesting in benthic and epiphytic communities.     

江苏省西部湖泊溶解性有机物光谱学特征和来源解析

利用光谱学手段研究江苏省西部湖泊表层水体中溶解性有机物(DOM)组成与结构,并对其来源进行分析.单位浓度可溶性有机碳在254和280 nm波长下的吸光度值(SUVA)测定结果表明,各湖泊芳香性程度及分子量大小依次为邵伯湖>天岗湖>白马湖>石臼湖>洪泽湖>固城湖>骆马湖>高邮湖>宝应湖.特定波长下吸光度的比值(E2/E3、E3/E4)显示邵伯湖和白马湖中的DOM结构复杂、分子量大、苯环多,以腐殖酸为主要成分;其它湖泊的DOM腐殖化程度较低,以富里酸为主.指数函数曲线斜率(S275～295nm)拟合结果也同样表明邵伯湖DOM分子量最大,而宝应湖最低.各湖泊荧光指数和生物指数分别处于1.13～1.30和0.47～0.67范围内,体现出DOM强烈的陆源性.四个主要荧光峰的相对荧光强度之间均存在良好的相关性,表明这些湖泊的类腐殖酸及类蛋白物质可能有着相同的来源.结合这些湖泊的特征及流域经济发展水平,可以初步推断经入湖河流携带的由农业及其下游产业产生的有机质是江苏西部湖泊中DOM的主要来源.     

Physical, chemical and microbiological characterization of the intertidal sediments of Pereque Beach, Guarujá (SP), Brazil

Physical and chemical characteristics of intertidal sediments and their relationships with bacteria and cyanobacteria were analyzed at four stations at Pereque Beach. Granulometric analysis showed that Pereque beach has sediment that is classified as sand. The lowest value of the sediment C/N rates (6.08), mainly due to a higher concentration of organic nitrogen, was found at the northern part of Pereque Beach, where organic matter of marine source was more prominent. In this area, density (9.6x10(6)cells cm(-3)), biomass (1992.04ngC cm(-3)) and activity of bacteria were higher than at the southern end. In contrast, cyanobacteria density varied from 2.0 to 4.0x10(5)cells cm(-3), with biomass and total chlorophyll a of the sediment being higher at the southern part, where there are water input from Pereque River and higher organic matter of continental origin. The variability in the microbial population is discussed in the light of the sediment granulometry, organic matter quality, fresh water inflow and pollution.     

Phosphorus and nitrogen effects on microbial euendolithic communities and their bioerosion rates

Cages and fertilizers were used at Glover's Atoll, Belize to test the relative importance of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to microbial euendolithic communities (bacteria, algae and fungi) and their bioerosion rates of Strombus gigas shells after 56-days of exposure. By the end of the experiment, the abundance of green algae was higher than cyanobacteria and fungi in N and N+P treatments, although green algae did not increase proportionally with increasing N concentrations, suggesting that green algae were co-limited by P and N. In contrast, cyanobacteria abundance increased with increasing P concentration, suggesting that cyanobacteria were P-limited. Fungi were not significantly affected by the addition of nutrients. Microbioerosion rates in the N and N+P treatments were 2-times greater than rates in the P treatment and 15-times greater than the control treatment. Results demonstrate that increased nutrient concentrations on coral reefs may increase microbioerosion rates, and variations in nutrient ratios can modify microborers community composition.     

Laboratory Column Experiments Using Polymer Mats to Remove Selected VOCs, PAHs, and Pesticides from Ground Water

Large-scale column experiments were undertaken to evaluate the potential of polymer mats to remove selected volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides (atrazine and fenamiphos) from ground water and potentially to act as permeable reactive barriers in contaminated ground water environments. The polymer mats, composed of interwoven silicone (dimethylsiloxane) tubes and purged with air, were installed in 2 m long flow-through columns. The polymer mats proved efficient in physically removing (stripping) benzene and naphthalene from contaminated water. Removal efficiencies for both these compounds from an aqueous phase flowing past a polymer mat were 75% or greater. However, for atrazine and fenamiphos, removal efficiencies were 5% or less, probably as a result of their lower Henry's law constants and possibly lower polymer diffusion coefficients.
These experiments indicate that, at least for relatively volatile compounds, polymer mats can provide a remediation technique for the removal of organic compounds from contaminated water. Application of this technique may be well suited as a longer-term, semipassive strategy to remediate contaminated ground water, using natural ground water flow to deliver contaminated ground water to polymer mats engineered as sorption-stripping barriers.
Additional benefits of this technique may include targeted delivery of gaseous chemical amendments, such as oxygen, to enhance aerobic biodegradation and to further reduce any residual concentrations of contaminants.     

洞庭湖和鄱阳湖水体细菌空间分布特征及驱动机制

为了探讨洞庭湖和鄱阳湖水体细菌的群落组成、空间分布特征及其驱动机制,于2017年9月,采用高通量测序技术、基于16S rRNA分子标记进行单分子测序,分别对两湖共57个位点的水体细菌群落组成进行了研究,同步监测了水体的理化指标。结果表明：洞庭湖和鄱阳湖共发现水体细菌20门42纲93目191科533属,在门水平上,洞庭湖和鄱阳湖的水体细菌组成均以放线菌门、蓝细菌门和变形菌门为主;主成分分析结果表明,两湖水环境条件有显著性差异,鄱阳湖的空间差异性大于洞庭湖;Mantel分析表明显著影响蓝细菌类群和其他类群组成的因素较为一致,在洞庭湖以物理环境因子和营养盐因子为主,而鄱阳湖以物理环境因子为主;零模型分析结果显示随机性过程为两湖水体细菌的群落构建机制的主要成分,占比分别为58.8%和79.7%。总体来说,鄱阳湖水环境空间异质性更高,水体细菌受到一些水文水动力学因子介导的物理环境因子影响,且其群落构建机制由随机性过程主导;洞庭湖水环境空间异质性较低,水体细菌受到物理环境因子和营养盐因子的共同影响,其群落构建机制由随机性过程和确定性过程共同决定。认识两湖水体细菌在空间上的分布及影响因素差异,对两湖...     

基于环境DNA宏条形码的丹江口水库浮游生物多样性及群落特征

为了解丹江口库区浮游生物群落的多样性,本研究于2020年7月在丹江口库区丹库、汉库和入库支流等区域共计9个样点采集水体样品,抽滤并提取总DNA样本后,基于18S和16S分子标记进行单分子实时测序,分别探究真核和原核浮游生物群落的多样性及其群落特征.结果表明：（1）真核浮游生物群落的主要优势类群包括节肢动物、链型植物、绿藻门、硅藻门等;本研究在种水平上鉴定出库区分布广泛且相对丰度较大的物种,包括弯曲隐藻、对蛋白核隐藻和空球藻等,它们与库区化学需氧量密切相关;库区化学需氧量是影响真核浮游生物群落格局的重要环境因子.（2）原核浮游生物群落的主要优势类群为变形菌门;原核生物中相对丰度较大的不动杆菌Acinetobacter是污水污染的指示菌群;群落中起重要作用的Limnohabitans与水体的富营养化密切相关;尽管库区蓝藻相对丰度较低,但与蓝藻关系密切的CL500-29_marine_group和hgcI_clade两类细菌在浮游生物群落中也起着重要作用;原核生物群落中的各类物种均指示丹江口水库的水生态健康存在一定风险,需要加强监测以预防生态环境的恶化.（3）丹江口水库不同区域的浮游生物群落异质性较大,tb-RDA分析显示丹江口的浮游生物群落可以分为丹库型、汉库型和入库支流型,其组间差异要大于组内差异.综上所述,丹江口水库的浮游生物群落具有明显的空间异质性,整个库区的群落结构与水体富营养化、水体有机污染和污水污染等方面相关,需要加强对丹江口库区的水生态监测.     

Habitat characteristics,temporal variability,and macroinvertebrate communities associated with a mat-forming nuisance diatom (Didymosphenia geminata) in Catskill mountain streams,New York

Didymosphenia geminata has recently and rapidly greatly expanded its range and abundance, sometimes as an exotic invasive and other times as a nuisance (‘native invader’) within its hypothesized native range, including the northeastern United States. D. geminata mats are visually conspicuous and can grow >10 cm thick. Mats first appeared in the eastern Catskill mountains (New York) in 2009. Our objectives were to (1) document D. geminata growth in three impounded or regulated rivers in the eastern Catskill mountains from 2010 to 2012 and (2) measure the effects of D. geminata mats on macroinvertebrates. The highest D. geminata cell densities were downstream of reservoir outflows in two of three streams. D. geminata mat development peaked in the summer each year, but maximum coverage and cell density was variable among years. D. geminata cover was negatively correlated with 10 days maximum antecedent shear stress, and the year with lowest mean D. geminata cover had multiple tropical storms and floods, suggesting that low variation in flow allows for D. geminata mat proliferation. Across sites, D. geminata density was negatively correlated with nitrate concentrations. D. geminata density was negatively related to macroinvertebrate richness suggesting that D. geminata mats may negatively affect aquatic food webs. D. geminata appears to be a nuisance species with similar habitat characteristics and growth where it is both a native invader and an invasive species.     

Significance of fossilized microbes from the Cambrian stromatolites in the Tarim Basin,Northwest China

Samples of the Cambrian microbial dolomites were collected from Penglaiba section,a well-exposed stratigraphic section in the northwestern area of the Tarim Basin.This study provides an analogue for mediated dolomites that can precipitate in microbial mats and biofilms.The Cambrian stromatolitic dolomites were studied using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy.The results are as follows:(1)dolomites with 50 nm to 100 nm spherical nanostructures are aggregated into minerals of larger sphericities;(2)nanospherical dolomites of 50 nm to 170 nm diameter are densely arranged as dumbbell-shaped or chained aggregates;(3)silicified filaments,as well as dumbbell-shaped and chain arrangements,are preserved as important microstructures.On the basis of sedimentological,compositional,geochemical,and petrographic data,the microstructures were interpreted as nanoglobules that function as bacteria in the nucleation and filament mineralization stages.The microstructures function as such because they are wrapped in extracellular polymeric substance(EPS)or mucus and mineralized fossils.Silicification accounts for the exceptional preservation of microbial mat structures,including biofilms,as well as filamentous and coccoid microbes.In addition,EPS process is capable of binding different elements,with preference for Si,Mg,and Ca.Such suitable composition favors microbe mineralization and dolomite nucleation on organic substrates.These microscopic structures suggest bacterial mineralization and provide visual evidence for the origin of microbial dolomites.     

湖光岩玛珥湖春季浮游植物对溶解态氮的吸收

利用15N稳定同位素示踪技术,采用现场挂瓶培养的方法测定了湖光岩玛珥湖浮游植物群落对铵态氮、硝态氮和尿素态氮的吸收速率,研究了湖光岩玛珥湖浮游植物群落氮吸收及其吸收动力学特征.结果表明:湖光岩玛珥湖共检测到浮游植物7门54种(包括变种和变型),主要为蓝藻门、硅藻门和绿藻门种类,分别占浮游植物总量的44.68%、26.70%和19.21%,其中水华微囊藻(Microcystis flos-aquae)与铜绿微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa)为绝对优势种,优势度分别为0.39与0.28.湖光岩玛珥湖浮游植物群落对铵态氮的绝对吸收速率最高,分别是对硝态氮、尿素态氮绝对吸收速率的5.8和4.2倍,占3种溶解态氮总吸收量的73.3%.铵态氮、硝态氮和尿素态氮的相对优先指数分别为2.907、0.190和1.192,说明浮游植物群落优先吸收铵态氮,其次为尿素态氮,最后为硝态氮.铵态氮、硝态氮和尿素态氮的周转时间分别为3.72、57.03和9.07 h.湖光岩玛珥湖浮游植物对溶解态氮的吸收可用Michaelis-Menten酶动力学方程描述,最大比吸收速率表现为铵态氮尿素态氮硝态氮,亲和力表现为硝态氮铵态氮尿素态氮.湖光岩玛珥湖浮游植物群落对铵态氮具有较高的吸收潜力,并且对硝态氮具有一定的亲和力,具备利用硝态氮的能力.