Effects of FPOM size and quality on aquatic heterotrophic bacteria

Mechanical and biological processing in aquatic systems converts coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) into fine particulate organic matter (FPOM). Other sources of particles with different size classes include flocculated dissolved matter, algae and soil particles. The relative magnitudes of these inputs are influenced by the degree of allochthony of a lake or stream. The size-reactivity hypothesis, formulated for dissolved organic matter, postulates that bacterial degradation rates are higher with high-molecular-weight fractions than with low-molecular-weight fractions. In this study, we investigated the effect of particle size on degradation of POM and on freshwater bacterial communities. We generated leaf-derived particle size classes of the same age (same diagenesis status) but differing in quality (maple and beech leaves). Contrary to our expectations, we found a strong effect of particle size and no significant effect of substrate quality on community respiration which decreased at smaller particle size, on C:N ratios which declined with particle size, and on δ¹⁵ N which showed a decreasing trend (though not significant) at smaller particle size in beech leaves. By contrast, bacterial community structure and ∂¹³C values responded mainly to particle quality. Bacterial biomass, estimated by qPCR, was affected by complex interactions between particle size and quality. These findings open an unanticipated perspective on the size-reactivity hypothesis for particulate organic matter.     

Gulf of Mexico dissolved hydrocarbons associated with the Ixtoc I mousse

Increased levels of dissolved hydrocarbons were observed in the western Gulf of Mexico during the late summer of 1979. This period was associated with heightened levels of surface tar and oil/water emulsion (mousse) directly resulting from the blowout of the Ixtoc I oil well in the Bay of Campeche on 3 June 1979. The observed concentrations of total dissolved hydrocarbons (up to 656.9 ng l^?1, n-alkanes) were one to two orders of magnitude above levels observed at control stations (5.2 ng l^?1, n-alkanes) and stations in the same area during the earlier Bureau of Land Management (BLM) baseline study. The highest concentrations observed were approximately of the same level as those obtained in an artificial spill/weathering experiment.     

Nitrate assimilation by marine heterotrophic bacteria

Nitrate assimilation is a process where bacteria utilize nitrate as a nitrogen source and synthesize it into organic nitrogen. We found that nitrate-assimilating bacteria (NAB) are widely distributed in various marine environments, from surface to the deep ocean and sediment, which indicates that NAB are significant to the oceanic nitrogen cycle. Comparative genomic analysis revealed nitrate-assimilating genes (nasA) in these marine heterotrophic NAB showed different gene arrangements and diverse regulation systems. Summary on recent findings will contribute to understanding the process of nitrate assimilation in NAB and their ecological significance in the nitrogen cycle. A systematic analysis of a number of studies on bacterial nitrate assimilation in marine ecological systems was conducted to clarify directions for future research.     

Sulfur metabolism by marine heterotrophic bacteria involved in sulfur cycling in the ocean

Sulfur cycling in the biosphere is tightly interwoven with the cycling of carbon and nitrogen, through various biological and geochemical processes. Marine microorganisms, due to their high abundance, diverse metabolic activities, and tremendous adaptation potential, play an essential role in the functioning of global biogeochemical cycles and linking sulfur transformation to the cycling of carbon and nitrogen. Currently many coastal regions are severely stressed by hypoxic or anoxic conditions, leading to the accumulation of toxic sulfide. A number of recent studies have demonstrated that dissimilatory sulfur oxidation by heterotrophic bacteria can protect marine ecosystems from sulfide toxicity. Sulfur-oxidizing bacteria have evolved diverse phylogenetic and metabolic characteristics to fill an array of ecological niches in various marine habitats. Here, we review the recent findings on the microbial communities that are involved in the oxidation of inorganic sulfur compounds and address how the two elements of sulfur and carbon are interlinked and influence the ecology and biogeochemistry in the ocean. Delineating the metabolic enzymes and pathways of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria not only provides an insight into the microbial sulfur metabolism, but also helps us understand the effects of changing environmental conditions on marine sulfur cycling and reinforces the close connection between sulfur and carbon cycling in the ocean.     

Dynamics of planktonic bacteria and heterotrophic microflagellates in the Parker Estuary, northern Massachusetts

The temporal and spatial abundance and activities of members of the planktonic microbial food web in a salt marsh estuary were analysed over the course of a year. Analysis of the data was focused on the factors that control the density and productivity of the heterotrophic bacteria. Temperature exercises a long-term influence on substrate sources, but short-term control is a function of the interaction of grazing and substrate supply. A model has been developed to give a framework for understanding how the microbial food web may work under steady-state assumptions. The model assumptions and predictions appear to be supported by the field data. Equations were generated for estimating substrate flux through the bacteria and estimating bacterial density as a result of grazing and substrate input. The results give some insights into the question of whether the heterotrophic bacteria function as a link to higher organisms or as an energy sink.     

Occurrence and distribution antibiotic resistance of heterotrophic bacteria isolated from a marine beach

Antibiotic resistance of heterotrophic bacteria isolated from a sandy beach in Sopot, at the Southern Baltic Sea coast was determined. The levels of resistance of bacteria to various antibiotics differed considerably. Bacteria inhabiting the middle part of the beach and the dune were most resistant; the least resistant were bacteria isolated from the sea-beach contact zone. Generally, there were no significant differences in antibiotic resistance between pigmented and non-pigmented bacteria. Bacteria isolated from the surface layer of the sand were more resistant to the tested antibiotics than bacteria from the subsurface layers. The majority of bacterial strains were resistant to 3-8 antibiotics. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics was dependent on their chemical structure.     

Effects of petroleum on estuarine bacteria

The effects of petroleum on the natural microbial flora of a given environment, that is, on the bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi, and achlorophyllous algae, have largely been ignored. This paper represents the first recorded investigation of the impact of petroleum on ecologically important groups of bacteria.     

The significance of transparent exopolymeric particles in the vertical distribution of bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellates in Lake Pavin

The abundance, size distribution, and bacterial colonization of Transparent Exopolymeric Particles (TEP) were examined in two consecutive years during the spring diatom development throughout the water column of the deep meromictic Lake Pavin, France. TEP concentrations ranged from 1.9 to 13.4 × 10⁵ particles l⁻¹ and their distribution and size spectra indicated that these particles are the main factor in governing the transport of diatoms to the deep hypolimnion of the lake. The majority of TEP was colonized by bacteria that constituted 0.4–8.9% of total DAPI-stained bacteria. The intensity of bacterial colonization was strongly related to temperature and decreased with particle size. A more important colonization of small particles in the hypolimnion during thermal stratification suggested that bacterial colonisation also increased with the age of the particle. The abundance of heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) was more significantly related to the density of particles than to the density of total bacteria and the intensity of bacterial colonization of TEP. Our results therefore suggest that TEP are a more important factor for HNF development than attached and free bacteria. We conclude that TEP are involved not only in sedimentation processes but also in the dynamics of bacteria and protozoa in freshwater pelagic environments.     

A simulation model of blowout development

Blowouts are the main feature of wind erosion in the dunes along the Dutch coast. A number of characteristics, such as their growth against the prevailing wind and the spontaneous stabilization when certain dimensions are reached, are believed to be caused by a prominent quality of the southwest wind, viz. its gustiness. This hypothesis is tested in a two-dimensional computer model which simulates the effect of wind gusts on a sandy surface along the main axis of the blowout. A number of constraints based on field observations are built into the model. The results closely resemble the longitudinal section of the blowout.     

The dynamics of phytoplankton, bacteria and heterotrophic flagellates at two Banks near Magdeburg in the River Elbe (Germany)

The main objectives of this study were to describe the seasonal standing stock dynamics of phytoplankton, bacterioplankton and heterotrophic flagellates in the highly eutrophic River Elbe (Germany), and to compare the seasonal patterns observed with other streams. Emphasis was placed on examining and assessing abiotic and biotic controlling factors influencing the structure and dynamics of the riverine plankton. All the physico-chemical and biological parameters determined were within the range or somewhat higher (in the case of phytoplankton abundance and biomass) than reported for other large streams. The underwater light conditions resulting from atypically short phytoplankton growth periods of about 6 months per year and the low phytoplankton carbon to chl a ratio of 23 were identified as a major limiting factor for phytoplankton development in the River Elbe. The seasonal distribution pattern of bacterioplankton indicated probable tight trophodynamical coupling both with phytoplankton and with heterotrophic flagellates, whereas heterotrophic flagellates showed a more trophic link with bacterial densities. Although approximately constant DOC and DON levels throughout the year sustained bacterial growth rates, during the phytoplankton growing season an increase of bacterial standing stocks was observed. Although the left-bank sampling site of the Elbe is strongly influenced by the tributaries Mulde and Saale containing higher concentrations of chloride, nitrogen nutrients, heavy metals and organic pollutants, no clear differences were observed between the two sides of the river concerning the biological parameters measured. Possible reasons and the slightly higher phytoplankton abundance and diversity at the right bank are discussed.     

Development and verification of deep-water blowout models

Modeling of deep-water releases of gas and oil involves conventional plume theory in combination with thermodynamics and mass transfer calculations. The discharges can be understood in terms of multiphase plumes, where gas bubbles and oil droplets may separate from the water phase of the plume and rise to the surface independently. The gas may dissolve in the ambient water and/or form gas hydrates––a solid state of water resembling ice. All these processes will tend to deprive the plume as such of buoyancy, and in stratified water the plume rise will soon terminate. Slick formation will be governed by the surfacing of individual oil droplets in a depth and time variable current. This situation differs from the conditions observed during oil-and-gas blowouts in shallow and moderate water depths. In such cases, the bubble plume has been observed to rise to the surface and form a strong radial flow that contributes to a rapid spreading of the surfacing oil. The theories and behaviors involved in deepwater blowout cases are reviewed and compared to those for the shallow water blowout cases.     

Influence of nitrate and dissolved organic carbon loading on the interaction of Microcystis aeruginosa and heterotrophic bacteria from hyper-eutrophic lake (Taihu Lake,China)

To investigate the interaction between cyanobacteria and heterotrophic bacteria under gradients of glucose and nitrate, a cyanobacterial strain of Microcystis aeruginosa was grown in microcosms with and without a freshwater bacterial mixture, which was collected from Lake Taihu. Concentrations of glucose (1350, 975, 600, 300, 150, and 37.5 μmol C L⁻¹) and nitrate (150, 300, and 9000 μmol N L⁻¹) were used in a range of combinations giving 9 different treatments of glucose:nitrate. In the microcosm without the bacterial mixture, M. aeruginosa abundance gradually increased with days in all treatments. However, M. aeruginosa had much lower density in some treatments with the bacterial mixture. The difference in M. aeruginosa growth could be explained by competition with bacteria in the cultures in which these were added. The abundance of M. aeruginosa and bacteria when grown together was nearly equal and the number of the bacterial species was highest in the treatment with 300 μmol C L⁻¹ and 150 μmol N L⁻¹. Our results suggest that at this glucose:nitrate ratio M. aeruginosa and the bacterial mixture maintain a balance, and bacteria maintain diversity. In conclusion, we propose that dissolved organic carbon and nitrate availability fundamentally affects the structure as well as stoichiometry of pelagic associations.     

Current state of heterotrophic bacterioplankton in the Kosinskie Lakes

From December 2009 to December 2010, the total abundance of bacteria, the abundance of bacteria with electron transport chain, the abundance of viable saprotrophic bacteria, and the concentration of chlorophyll a were studied in water samples from lakes Svyatoe, Beloe, and Chernoe in Kosino-Ukhtomskoe district, Moscow City. The abundance of bacteria with active electron transport chain (CTC+bacteria) and its seasonal variations in Kosinskie Lakes are studied for the first time. Those lakes were found to contain well-developed and actively functioning heterotrophic bacterioplankton, the abundance of which have increased considerably since the 1930s–1940s. The seasonal dynamics of bacterioplankton has also changed. The largest absolute abundance of CTC+bacteria in lakes Svyatoe and Beloe was recorded in summer and autumn (from August to November). The abundance peak of CTH+bacteria in Lake Svyatoe was recorded in September and that in Lake Beloe, in October. The abundance of CTC+bacteria also showed a peak in April. In Lake Chernoe, the abundance of CTC+bacteria was much less than in lakes Svyatoe and Beloe; its maximums were recorded in December 2009 and April 2010. The share of CTC+bacteria in the total abundance of bacteria was 2.4–19.2% in Lake Svyatoe, 1.8–63.0% in Lake Beloe, and 0.96–22.5% in Lake Chernoe. Significant correlations were found to exist in all three lakes between the abundance of active bacterioplankton fraction and chlorophyll a content of water.     

平原河网水体氮污染对氮循环菌的影响

采用最大可能数法对平原河网地区不同氮污染程度河道水体中浮游、颗粒附着及底泥中的氨化、亚硝化、硝化和反硝化菌进行测定,研究水体氮污染程度对氮循环菌不同种群的影响效应及其分布特征.结果表明,浮游、颗粒附着和底泥中亚硝化菌的丰度随着水体氮污染程度的增加而升高,但不同氮污染程度下氮循环菌种群结构组成之间差异不大,而浮游、颗粒附着及底泥生活类型之间的氮循环菌种群结构组成存在较大差异,其中浮游与底泥中氮循环菌种群组成结构之间差异最大.在氮污染水体中,浮游、颗粒附着和底泥氮循环菌中均以氨化菌为优势种群,显著高出其他氮循环菌种群多个数量级,而亚硝化菌和硝化菌丰度相对较低,反硝化菌在水体悬浮颗粒物上存在相对较高的丰度,不同氮循环菌种群组成比例存在失衡现象.     

轮叶黑藻(Hydrilla verticillata)根系泌氧对沉积物中典型铁氧化菌和铁还原菌的影响

铁作为地壳中丰度最高的氧化还原敏感元素,对湖泊沉积物的氧化还原作用具有重要的指示意义.水生植物根系泌氧在根际形成微域的氧化圈,根际是氧化、还原同时发生的生物活跃区.以轮叶黑藻(Hydrilla verticillata)为研究对象,利用微电极和荧光定量PCR探讨根系泌氧作用对沉积物中典型铁氧化菌(嘉利翁氏菌)和典型铁还原菌(地杆菌)的影响.结果表明,轮叶黑藻生长迅速,通过根系泌氧作用影响沉积物中铁的价态和形态,是根际铁循环的重要参数,并对根际微区微生物有一定的影响.根系泌氧使根际嘉利翁氏菌和地杆菌数量增加,进一步影响根际微生物铁循环.实验结果可为微生物对根际铁循环的研究提供一定的理论基础.     

Form–flow interactions of an aeolian saucer blowout

Airflow patterns through a saucer blowout are examined from wind speed and direction measurements made during a chinook wind event. The blowout long‐axis is oriented east–west with a broad depositional apron on the east side. Wind directions during the event rotated from south‐westerly to westerly, permitting an assessment of oblique and axis‐parallel flows. Results show that airflow passing over the windward rim of the saucer blowout expands and decelerates, leading to flow separation and a small re‐circulation zone on sheltered lee slopes. Near the deflation basin, airflow re‐attaches to the blowout surface and accelerates up to a small opening in the east rim, where it can be up to 50% faster than on the windward edge. Beyond the downwind rim the airflow expands and decelerates and sand is deposited onto a broad apron. Similar to coastal trough blowouts, the degree of airflow steering and acceleration along the deflation basin is determined by the angle of incidence between the approach wind and the long‐axis of the blowout. As the angle of incidence increases wind speed accelerates at 0·3 m above the surface of the deflation basin and the degree of airflow steering increases. Overall, a two‐fold process is identified, where south‐westerly flows have greater potential for eroding the deflation basin, while westerly flows have greater potential for evacuating sand from within the blowout. Visual observations indicate that sand eroded from the deflation basin during south‐westerly flows is re‐distributed to adjacent zones of low wind speed until axis‐parallel winds evacuate the sand through the opening in the east rim. Morphometric changes since 1994 indicate that the blowout morphology has remained relatively constant, suggesting a persistent interplay between oblique and axis‐parallel wind erosion events. Collectively, these findings indicate that the angle of approach winds is an important control on saucer blowout morphodynamics. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

温度和电子传递体AQDS对铁还原细菌Shewanella putrefaciens CN32矿化产物的影响

微生物矿化产生的超顺磁性(SP)磁铁矿是沉积物和土壤中磁性矿物的重要来源. 本文比较了三个不同温度下(20℃, 30℃,37℃)纯培养铁还原细菌Shewanella putrefaciens CN32还原水合氧化铁形成SP磁铁矿的矿化特征.在实验体系中加入细菌CN32后,体系的氧化还原电位Eh迅速下降, 酸碱度pH和亚铁离子Fe2+浓度随之快速上升, 磁铁矿也逐渐开始形成. 透射电镜观测和室温磁滞回线测定表明产物为SP磁铁矿特征. 对比三个温度下产物的磁化率和饱和磁化强度变化发现,培养温度是影响细菌CN32矿化的重要因素,温度升高加快了细菌矿化. 随培养温度的升高,磁铁矿的矫顽力增大;低温磁学测量结果显示,产物SP磁铁矿颗粒的平均解阻温度Tb从20℃时的95 K升高到37℃时的160 K,都表明生成的磁铁矿的粒径随培养温度的升高而增大. 另外,实验体系中加入电子传递体(AQDS,2,6-anthraquinone disulphonate)明显促进了CN32矿化. 这些实验模拟结果有助于认识自然环境中铁还原细菌矿化产生磁性矿物的能力和贡献.