Effects of watershed land use on sources and nutritional value of particulate organic matter in temperate headwater streams

Suspended particulate organic matter (POM) in headwater streams is an important source of food and energy to stream food webs. In order to determine the effects of watershed land use on the sources and characteristics of POM, we compared the lipid composition of POM (fatty acid, aliphatic alcohol and sterol) from streams influenced by different types of watershed land use. Eight first-order streams discharging to the York River Estuary (Virginia, USA) were sampled during baseflow conditions bi-monthly from February to November 2009, including streams draining forest-dominated, pasture-dominated, cropland-dominated, and urban land-dominated watersheds. Allochthonous vs. autochthonous lipids showed that POM in most of these streams was dominated by allochthonous sources (59.5 ± 14.2 vs. 39.6 ± 14.5 % for aliphatic alcohols and 52.9 ± 11.5 vs. 34.1 ± 10.3 % for sterols). The relative abundance of allochthonous vs. autochthonous lipid inputs to POM varied as a function of land use type. POM in streams draining forest-dominated watersheds contained a higher proportion of allochthonous lipids and a lower proportion of autochthonous lipids than the streams influenced by human land use. The contribution of bacterial fatty acids differed significantly among sampling times (P = 0.003), but not among land use types (P = 0.547). Stepwise linear regression model selected nitrate and temperature as the best predictors of variation in bacterial inputs to POM. Proxies used to assess the nutritional value of POM potentially available to stream consumers included C:N ratios, and the concentrations of total long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, and cholesterol. None of these nutritional proxies differed among sampling months (P ≥ 0.171), but the proxies showed that the nutritional value of POM in forest streams was lower than in urban streams. Collectively, these findings suggest that human land use in upstream watersheds alters the source composition and nutritional value of stream POM, which not only impacts food quality for stream biota, but also potentially changes the characteristics of OM reaching downstream ecosystems.     

Comparative molecular analysis of bacterial communities inhabiting pristine and polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Black Sea coastal sediments

Molecular analysis was applied to characterize bacterial community structure in sediment samples collected from pristine site and oil-polluted Black Sea harbor. Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA) revealed a high similarity in the restriction patterns of both samples thus not demonstrating the effect of the pollutant on the structure of the bacterial communities. Constructed 16S rRNA gene libraries gave more detailed assessment of members. Results showed that α- and γ-Proteobacteria were dominant in the oil polluted site, whereas the pristine site was characterized by prevalence of Actinobacteria. The biodegradative potential of the adapted bacterial community in the oil-polluted sediments was demonstrated by the presence of the aromatic ring hydroxylating dioxygenase genes.     

南京玄武湖浮游细菌群落结构的季节变化及其与环境因子的关系

应用16S rRNA基因末端限制性片段长度多态性技术和多元统计方法,探究了南京玄武湖浮游细菌群落结构的季节性变化,并找出了浮游细菌群落组成分布的主要影响因子.结果表明,玄武湖4个季节中夏季Invsimpson指数、Shannon-Wiener指数和Pielou指数最高,而春季最低.非度量多维尺度分析结果显示浮游细菌群落结构存在着明显的季节性变化.Mantel检验、典范对应分析、变量分割分析表明影响玄武湖细菌群落结构最显著的环境因子为温度,其次为pH.营养盐浓度对玄武湖细菌群落结构的影响不显著.总的来说,本研究将有助于更好地理解富营养化水体中的浮游细菌群落组成的季节变化规律.     

Stream macroinvertebrate communities change with grassland afforestation in central Argentina

Lotic ecosystems are highly affected by land use changes such as afforestation of natural areas for management or commercial purposes. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of pine plantations on benthic invertebrate communities in mountain grassland streams. Additionally, we assessed if the hydrological period modifies the effect of afforestation on stream invertebrates. Three headwater streams draining grasslands (reference streams) and three draining plantations of Pinus elliottii were selected in a mountain watershed of Córdoba province (Argentina). Hydrologic and physicochemical variables were registered and benthic invertebrate samples were collected in each stream at two different hydrological periods. Total invertebrate abundance, richness and diversity were reduced in afforested streams as well as the number of indicator taxa. In addition, invertebrate functional structure (i.e. taxonomic richness and total and relative abundance of functional feeding groups, FFG) showed differences between streams with different riparian vegetation and between hydrological periods. Total abundance of all FFGs was lower in afforested streams and scrapers’ relative abundance was higher in grassland streams at the low water period. In addition, in most FFGs richness was diminished in afforested streams. Changes in light intensity, hydrology and coarse organic matter inputs produced by afforestation alter fluvial habitats and consequently the composition and trophic structure of invertebrate communities in grassland streams of Córdoba mountains.     

Stream typology and lake outlets — a perspective towards validation and assessment from northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein)

The objective of this paper is twofold: 1) to validate the German stream typology for Schleswig-Holstein, and 2) to develop an assessment system for lake outlets. The German stream typology, based on a top-down analysis of geomorphological variables, was validated using biotic data of streams in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. A null model analysis was conducted to test for differences between seven stream types (sand streams and rivers, gravel streams and rivers, partly-mineralic streams, limnic marsh streams, and lake outlets). The dataset compiled for the statistical analysis comprised 28 streams, 65 different sampling sites, 428 samples, and 296 taxa. The analysis confirmed all stream type except partly-mineralic streams, which showed faunal overlap with all types except gravel streams. Gravel streams were the most distinctive stream type. Lake outlets were shown to be a unique type, having a distinct macroinvertebrate fauna. Furthermore it was shown, that the species composition differed between lentic and lotic outlets. Canonical correspondence analysis of 19 investigated lake outlets revealed that characteristics of the lakes had only a minor effect on macroinvertebrate community structure.

The developed assessment system of lake outlets was based on the habitat association of 132 macroinvertebrate taxa. Taxa were allotted to five categories of lake outlet preferences depending on the results from ordinations, frequency tables and abundance distributions. A qualitative and a quantitative lake outlet index (LTI) were tested with independent data sets. The quantitative LTI_quan proved to be more robust and only slightly affected by seasonal changes in the macroinvertebrate community composition. Assessments of lake outlets based on macroinvertebrates should be conducted in spring and autumn to reduce the risk of misclassifications, in particular, for boundary cases rated between good and moderate quality classes.     

太湖浮游细菌种群基因多样性及其季节变化规律

为认识湖泊中浮游细菌的多样性及其变化规律,本研究采用聚合酶链式反应-变性梯度凝胶电泳(PCR-DGGE)的方法,研究了太湖梅梁湾和湖心区浮游细菌种群16S rRNA基因多样性以及种群基因组成的季节变化特征.研究结果表明,太湖浮游细菌种群具有丰富的基因多样性.浮游细菌的丰度、DGGE条带数、种群的Shannon-Wiener指数、Simpson 指数和Pielou指数均呈现显著的季节变化规律:夏季及秋季浮游细菌的丰度、基因多样性及种群的均匀度较高,而冬季和春季则较低.浮游细菌种群的基因组成随时间变化.梅梁湾浮游细菌的丰度显著高于湖心.梅梁湾与湖心浮游细菌主要建群种的基因型存在显著差异.     

Cladoceran community composition in tropical semi-arid highland reservoirs in Tigray (Northern Ethiopia): A metacommunity perspective applied to young reservoirs

A field survey of zooplankton communities was carried out in 32 recently established tropical semi-arid reservoirs in the highlands of Northern Ethiopia with the aim to identify to what extent environmental factors determine species composition of the cladoceran community in such isolated and young reservoirs. To address seasonal variation, the survey was carried out both at the beginning and the end of the dry season. A total of 15 species of cladocerans were identified. Daphnia was the most abundant cladoceran genus, and was present in all reservoirs. Using presence-absence data, no association between cladoceran community composition and geographic distance was found. RDA results indicate that the set of environmental variables that explained cladoceran community composition differed among seasons. Depth, altitude and fish biomass showed a significant association with cladoceran community composition during the wet season, whereas variation in cladoceran community structure was associated with phytoplankton biomass in the dry season. The relative abundance of Daphnia was much higher in the pelagic than in the littoral zone of our study systems. Two key groups of pelagic filter-feeding cladocerans, Diaphanosoma and Daphnia, showed a clear pattern, in which one or the other tended to strongly dominate the community. In addition, we observed a negative association between dominance of Daphnia in the zooplankton community and dominance of cyanobacteria in the phytoplankton community.     

丹江口库区表层沉积物细菌多样性及功能预测分析

湖泊沉积物微生物是水生态系统的重要组成部分,目前关于丹江口库区沉积物细菌群落和功能研究鲜见报道.于2017年5月对丹江口库区内5个典型生态点位表层沉积物进行采集,采用高通量测序技术对表层沉积物细菌群落组成进行研究,结果表明细菌群落主要由变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、绿弯菌门(Chloroflexi)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)、疣微菌门(Verrucomicrobia)和硝化螺旋菌门(Nitrospirae)等33个门和318个属组成,具有丰富的群落组成.沉积物细菌群落和理化指标冗余分析(RDA)结果表明,pH值、总磷、有机质和铵态氮含量均能显著影响沉积物细菌群落组成.细菌属分类单元与环境因子Spearman相关分析表明,变形菌门中11个属的细菌与环境因子显著相关,为与环境因子显著相关细菌的主要组成(占47.62%).采用细菌群落功能预测软件PICRUSt(Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States)对表层沉积物细菌群落进行分析,结果表明沉积物细菌功能主要涉及能量产生和转换、信号转导机制、氨基酸运输和代谢、细胞壁/细胞膜/膜结构的生物合成等24个基因功能家族,表现出功能上的丰富性.基因功能家族预测基因拷贝数表现为台子山宋岗库心渠首黑鸡嘴.     

Spatial processes determine planktonic diatom metacommunity structure of headwater streams

Headwater streams are interesting ecological systems for studies of metacommunities given their high degrees of isolation, unidirectionality of water flow and hierarchical organization in the drainage network. In addition, for passively dispersing aquatic organisms (e.g. planktonic diatoms), connectivity between sites is unidirectional, which implies a higher isolation of headwaters, leading to a greater dispersal limitation between streams. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative importance of local environmental (i.e., physicochemical variables) and spatial (i.e., distance between sites) components to the planktonic diatom community in 28 headwater streams of the Cerrado, central region of Brazil. Due the fact that each sampling point was located in a different headwater stream, we expected that spatial components (a proxy for diatom dispersal) were more important than local environmental conditions to the structure of the diatom metacommunity. We found 51 morphospecies of diatoms (Bacillariophyceae). The community composition of diatoms showed strong spatial variation, which was also indicated by high beta diversity (mainly contributed by the turnover component). The variation in diatom community composition, species richness, total density, and Local Contribution to Beta Diversity (LCBD) of headwaters streams was explained solely by spatial factors. Based on these results, we inferred that due to dispersal limitation, the diatom communities of these headwaters tend to show distinct species composition, with high species turnover among the local communities. We highlight the importance of headwater streams as reservoirs of biodiversity for a riverine diatom metacommunity.     

Nitrogen uptake and denitrification in restored and unrestored streams in urban Maryland, USA

There is growing interest in rates of nitrate uptake and denitrification in restored streams to better understand the effects of restoration on nitrogen processing. This study quantified nitrate uptake in two restored and two unrestored streams in Baltimore, Maryland, USA using nitrate additions, denitrification enzyme assays, and a ¹⁵N isotope tracer addition in one of the urban restored streams, Minebank Run. Restoration included either incorporation of stormwater ponds below a storm drain and catch basins to attenuate flow or hydrologic “reconnection” of a stream channel to its floodplain. Stream restoration was conducted for restoring aging sanitary and bridge infrastructure and introducing some stormwater management in watersheds developed prior to current regulations. Denitrification potential in sediments was variable across streams, whereas nitrate uptake length appeared to be significantly correlated to surface water velocity, which was low in the restored streams during summer baseflow conditions. Uptake length of NO₃ ⁻–N in Minebank Run estimated by ¹⁵N tracer addition was 556 m. Whole stream denitrification rates in Minebank Run were 153 mg NO₃ ⁻–N m⁻² day⁻¹, and approximately 40% of the daily load of nitrate was estimated to be removed via denitrification over a distance of 220.5 m in a stream reach designed to be hydrologically “connected” to its floodplain. Increased hydrologic residence time in Minebank Run during baseflow likely influenced rates of whole stream denitrification, suggesting that hydrologic residence time may be a key factor influencing N uptake and denitrification. Restoration approaches that increase hydrologic “connectivity” with hyporheic sediments and increase hydrologic residence time may be useful for stimulating denitrification. More work is necessary, however, to examine changes in denitrification rates in restored streams across different seasons, variable N loads, and in response to the “flashy” hydrologic flow conditions during storms common in urban streams.     

Does grazing change algal communities from grassland and pine afforested streams?: A laboratory approach

Drastic changes in the composition and physiognomy of riparian vegetation, such as the conversion of grassland to forest, are expected to alter interactions among light availability, primary producers and herbivores. Our aim was to examine in laboratory the influence of a ubiquitous grazer on periphyton grown in a grassland unshaded stream (reference) vs. periphyton from a nearby pine afforested stream. Besides, we evaluated how the community responds to the removal of grazing. Given that grassland streams are exposed to higher light intensity and grazers are more abundant compared to afforested streams, we proposed that if biofilm grown in the afforested stream are dominated by grazing-vulnerable algal species, grazing pressure by Helicopsyche sp. should be stronger. In addition, if biofilm from the afforested stream has low quality or is less abundant as food for consumers, the effects of Helicopsyche sp. may be stronger or weaker depending on their feeding decisions. Helicopsyche sp. caused a decrease in richness and diversity in periphyton grown in the grassland stream and its net grazing effect on chlorophyll a (Chl a) was higher. Algal community composition from grassland stream was strongly changed after grazing, with a decrease in the proportion of overstory algae. In contrast, algal community structure of periphyton from the afforested stream was neither affected by grazing nor by grazing exclusion. Helicopsyche sp. produced significant changes in a short time in structural attributes of algal communities, mainly in periphyton from the grassland stream suggesting that herbivory, as a functional factor, is diminished following afforestation.     

Invertebrate colonization of leaves and roots within sediments of intermittent Coastal Plain streams across hydrologic phases

Ecological flows between habitats are vital for predicting and understanding structure and function of recipient systems. Ecological flows across riparian areas and headwater intermittent streams are likely to be especially important in many river networks because of the shear extent of these interfaces, their high edge-to-width ratio, and the alternation of wet and dry conditions in intermittent channels. While there has been substantial research supporting the importance of riparian-stream linkages above-ground, comparatively less research has investigated below-ground linkages. We tested the hypothesis that riparian roots are colonized by invertebrates as a food source within stream beds of intermittent headwater streams. We compared benthic invertebrate assemblages colonizing three types of buried substrates (leaves, roots, and plastic roots) among three intermittent Coastal Plain streams, each with a different riparian management treatment (clearcut, thinned, and reference), over a 1-year period. Invertebrate density was significantly lower in root litterbags than in plastic roots litterbags, but neither differed from densities in leaf litterbags. Total invertebrate abundances, however, were significantly higher in leaf and root litterbags compared to abundances in plastic root litterbags. Invertebrate biomass and richness did not vary among substrates, but invertebrate density, abundance, and richness all declined from the wet phase (September–December) through the dry phase (June–August). Meiofauna and aquatic dipterans were the primary colonizing invertebrates during the wet phase. Relative abundance of terrestrial taxa increased during the dry phase, but their absolute abundance remained lower than aquatic taxa during the wet phase. Invertebrate composition did not differ among substrate types, but was significantly different among streams and time periods. Cumulative number of dry days, degree days, and redox depth all strongly correlated with assemblage structure as indicated by ordination scores. Our results suggest that subsurface invertebrates respond to leaves and roots as food sources, but assemblage composition is not substrate specific. Colonization of leaves and roots within stream beds by aquatic and terrestrial taxa supports the idea that headwater intermittent streams are important interfaces for the reciprocal exchange of energy and materials between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.     

Biogeographical distribution and diversity of bacterial and archaeal communities within highly polluted anoxic marine sediments from the marmara sea

Physicochemical and microbiological characterization of anoxic sediments taken from seven highly polluted sites of the Marmara Sea was carried out. The 16S rRNA based microbial community structure analyses were performed using domain-specific PCR followed by denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing of characteristic bands. The results showed that the microbial communities in these sediments were diverse and evenly distributed. Relating the prokaryotic and geochemical variables through statistical tools revealed that the microbial diversity in the sediments significantly related to depth, and S, Mn and Fe content of the sediments. Fermentative bacteria, denitrifying bacteria and hydrogenotrophic methanogens were dominant whereas sulfate reducing bacteria were absent in the DGGE patterns. This unusual microbial community structure implied that the newly discovered anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to denitrification process may occur in these subseafloor environments.     

Effects of hypoxia on biofilms and subsequently larval settlement of benthic invertebrates

Biofilms on submerged surfaces are important in determining larval settlement of most marine benthic invertebrates. We investigated if exposure of biofilms to hypoxia would alter the larval settlement pattern and result in a shift in benthic invertebrate community structure in the field. Biofilms were first exposed to hypoxia or normoxia in laboratory microcosms for 7 days, and then deployed in the field for another 7 days to allow for larval settlement and recruitment to occur. Using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism of the 16S rRNA gene, this study showed that hypoxia altered the biofilm bacterial community composition, and the difference between the hypoxic and normoxic treatments increased with the time of exposure period. This study also demonstrated significantly different benthic invertebrate community structures as a result of biofilm exposure to hypoxia and that the hypoxic and normoxic treatments were dominated by Hydroides sp. and Folliculina sp., respectively.     

Improved lakeshore sediment microenvironment and enhanced denitrification efficiency by natural solid carbon sources

At present, the high level of nitrate in tailwater of wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs) has continued to cause serious environmental problems. In current study, wood chips and bark, serving as natural solid carbon source(NSCS), were applied to enhance the denitrification capacity of lakeshore sediment to remove superabundant nitrate in tailwater. The results show that NSCS had a positive effect on denitrification process for lakeshore sediment and increased the total phosphorus removal capacity...     

Spatial and temperal patterns in bacterioplankton communities across a river-lake continuum

Bacterioplankton play critical roles in biogeochemical cycling. Although spatial and temporal variations in bacterioplankton community compositions (BCCs) within individual habitat have been reported, knowledge gaps remain for studies conducted within different habitats. In this work, we examined the seasonal and spatial variability of BCCs in Nanfei River and Lake Chaohu which had significant environmental heterogeneity using a high-throughput sequencing technique of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The results showed that spatial variation has a more obvious impact on the BCCs than seasonal changes. The microbial diversity gradually decreased and BCCs changed obviously along water flow direction from Nanfei River to the western and estern parts of Lake Chaohu over all seasons. LEfSe analysis showed that Nanfei River had higer abundance of species belonging to the orders Rhodocyclales, Methylococcales, Campylobacterales and Flavobacteriales, samples from eastern part of Lake Chaohu were abundant in taxonomies including the order Rickettsiales, while the western part had high abundance of taxonomies belonging to the order Chroococcales. The redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that BCCs in Nanfei River were associated with high nutrient (TP, PO₄-P, TN, NH₃-N, NO₂-N and NO₃-N) concentrations and electrical conductivity. Variance partitioning RDA analysis indicated that the combined effects of all variables may be most important affecting BCCs. This study may provide a framework for modeling the change in bacterioplankton communities through different habitats from a river to lake.     

The pattern of sedimentary bacterial communities varies with latitude within a large eutrophic lake

We investigated the diversity, composition, and assembly processes of sedimentary bacterial communities across Lake Taihu, China, a large, shallow, and eutrophic water body. Amplicon-based 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing identified the composition and phylogenetic structure of the bacterial communities within the 28 collected samples. Diversity analysis revealed that sedimentary bacterial communities demonstrated significant trends with nutrient loading and habitat along latitude. We used network analysis to disentangle the role of keystone taxa in bacterial communities. Most identified keystone species were from the genus Nitrospira (affiliated with Nitrospirae), subphylum Deltaproteobacteria (affiliated with Proteobacteria), subphylum Gammaproteobacteria (affiliated with Proteobacteria), family Rhodocyclaceae (affiliated with Betaproteobacteria), phylum Bacteroidetes, genus Bacillus (affiliated with Firmicutes), and family Anaerolineaceae (affiliated with Chloroflexi) in order of abundance. These keystone taxa play fundamental roles in carbon and nitrogen cycling within Lake Taihu. Phylogenetic structure analysis indicated that the bacterial communities were more phylogenetically clustered than expected by chance and that deterministic processes dominated the assembly of bacterial communities across Lake Taihu. Niche selection was the crucial factor driving the assembly of bacterial communities. This study enhances the understanding of the distribution of sedimentary bacterial communities and their assembly mechanisms across Lake Taihu.