Emerging coral diseases: a temperature‐driven process?

In the last few decades there has been a surge in research focusing on coral disease. While climate change, specifically rising sea surface temperature, has been proposed as a major and growing driver of the emergence of marine diseases, to date a solid connection between disease epizootics and elevated sea surface temperature has not been established. However, a wealth of data now exists, compiled from many different perspectives, that may support such a connection. In this work we provide a comprehensive review targeting one coral disease, black band disease, that spans the infection process, pathobiology, and epizootiology, and links specific mechanisms of the disease process to increasing temperatures. This temperature‐driven pattern of infection can be expanded to include similar processes associated with other temperature‐related coral diseases. The conclusions presented here are based upon the results of many studies using a diverse suite of approaches that have been synthesized to argue that the emergence and continuing spread of black band disease is linked to warming sea surface temperatures. In summary, as global ocean temperatures increase seasonally and over decades, the environment shifts to become more favorable for the growth of potentially pathogenic microorganisms endemic to the immediate environment of the reef. The increase in the relative number of potential pathogens in the microbial community produces microenvironments conducive to the growth of other potential pathogens, leading to infection by a polymicrobial consortium. This consortium is easily perturbed by a (seasonal) temperature decrease, but remains associated with the coral host and can be reactivated with a subsequent seasonal increase in temperature, resulting in a cycle of temperature‐dependent disease emergence.     

红树植物拟海桑及其亲本的根际细菌群落特征分析

植物根际微生物群落能够从亲本传递给子代, 从而影响植物的表型。野外调查发现, 海桑属(Sonneratia)红树植物自然杂交杂种拟海桑在野外通常比亲本生长更为强壮, 表现出极强的生存优势。为探究这一现象的原因, 本研究从根际微生物角度出发, 利用细菌16S rRNA基因高通量测序技术, 对采自海南省东寨港的三种红树植物拟海桑(S. × gulngai)及其亲本海桑(S. caseolaris)和杯萼海桑(S. alba)的根际土壤进行根际细菌群落特征分析。结果表明, 三种红树植物根际细菌群落多样性高, 种类丰富, 分属于30门242科351属, 其中变形菌门(Proteobacteria)为最优势门, 在各个样本中丰度超过40%, 子代拟海桑继承亲本的根际微生物多数都属于这一类群。研究发现, 子代拟海桑与两亲本的根际细菌类群组成在门水平存在显著差异, 其中酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria)和放线菌门(Actinobacteria)在子代拟海桑中丰度分别为4.3%和6.5%, 显著高于亲本1%~2%的含量; 在亲本杯萼海桑中, 丰度高达19.8%的栖热菌门(Thermi)在子代中丰度仅有1%, 而热袍菌门(Thermotogae)(5%)甚至消失。总之, 子代拟海桑与亲本杯萼海桑的根际微生物群落组成相对于亲本海桑表现出更大的差异性。土壤理化性质分析发现, 子代拟海桑的土壤全氮(total nitrogen, TN)含量显著低于亲本, 含量相差3倍以上, 相关性分析表明, TN浓度与菌群中的浮霉菌门(Planctomycetes)、放线菌门(Actinobacteria)、酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria)丰度显著负相关。通过功能预测分析发现, 子代拟海桑微生物群落中与基础代谢相关的碳水化合物、氨基酸、能量以及脂质代谢相关的功能基因丰度显著都高于亲本, 表现出代谢能力的增强。本研究认为, 子代拟海桑对亲本的根际土壤微生物进行了选择性继承, 菌群组成更为合理, 在保持菌群高度多样性的同时, 一些根际促生菌的含量增加, 使菌群基础代谢能力增加, 更有利于子代拟海桑的生长。     

Land use effects on soil organic carbon,microbial biomass and microbial activity in Changbai Mountains of Northeast China

Land use changes are known to alter soil organic carbon （SOC） and microbial properties, however, information about how conversion of natural forest to agricultural land use as well as plantations affects SOC and microbial properties in the Changbai Moun- tains of Northeast China is meager. Soil carbon content, microbial biomass carbon （MBC）, basal respiration and soil carbon mineraliza- tion were studied in five selected types of land use： natural old-growth broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forest （NF）; spruce plantation （SP） established following clear-cutting of NF; cropland （CL）; ginseng farmland （GF） previously under NF; and a five-year Mongolian oak young forest （YF） reforested on an abandoned GF, in the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China in 2011. Results showed that SOC content was significantly lower in SP, CL, GF, and YF than in NF. MBC ranged from 304.4 mg/kg in CL to 1350.3 mg/kg in NF, which was significantly higher in the soil of NF than any soil of the other four land use types. The SOC and MBC contents were higher in SP soil than in CL, GF, and YF soils, yielding a significant difference between SP and CL. The value of basal respiration was also higher in NF than in SP, CL, GF, and YF. Simultaneously, higher values of the metabolic quotient were detected in CL, GF, and YF soils, indicat- ing low substrate utilization of the soil microbial community compared with that in NF and SP soil. The values of cumulative mineral- ized carbon and potentially mineralized carbon （Co） in NF were significantly higher than those in CL and GF, while no significant dif- ference was observed between NF and SP. In addition, YF had higher values of Co and C mineralization rate compared with GF. The results indicate that conversion from NF into agricultural land （CL and GF） uses and plantation may lead to a reduction in soil nutrients （SOC and MBC） and substrate utilization efficiency of the microbial community. By contrast, soils below SP were more conducive to the preservation of soil organic matter, which was reflected in the comparison of microbial indicators among CL, GF, and YF land uses. This study can provide data for evaluating soils nutrients under different land use types, and serve as references for the rational land use of natural forest in the study area.     

Thioploca spp. sheaths as niches for bacterial and protistan assemblages

Sulfide oxidizing bacterial mats are common in regions of the continental shelves characterized by high primary production and the resultant oxygen minimum zone. These mats are made up of several species of Beggiatoa and/or Thioploca, which oxidize sulfide that is generated in the sediment. Thioploca spp. inhabit a large polysaccharide sheath that encompasses bundles of 1–20 filaments (trichomes), each ranging from 3 to 60 μm in diameter. This sheath has been shown to be a critical component of the autecology of Thioploca. Analysis of Thioploca from cold seeps in Monterey Bay using light and transmission electron microscopy identified new and diverse microbial assemblages associated with interstitial spaces between trichomes, inside the sheath. Small diameter, non‐vacuolate, filamentous prokaryotes were numerous. Amoebae, euglenozoa, ciliates and other protists of unknown affiliation were observed in sheaths. Most of the protists possessed food vacuoles and some protists showed ultrastructural evidence of endosymbionts. These observations suggest that Thioploca sheaths may serve as oases on the sea floor, providing nutritional and detoxification services to previously unrecognized microbial partners.     

海洋寄生性甲藻——阿米巴藻Amoebophrya spp.的研究进展

寄生性甲藻阿米巴藻Amoebophrya是一类广泛寄生于纤毛虫类、放射虫类、甲藻类等海水浮游生物的原生生物,在北大西洋、北太平洋和地中海等营养盐丰富、宿主密度较高的河口和近海水环境中普遍存在,是海洋浮游食物网的重要组成部分。这类寄生性甲藻能够特异性感染海洋浮游甲藻,在有害藻华(harmful algal bloom,HAB)的发生过程中起下行控制作用,将逃脱了浮游动物摄食的浮游植物补充到微食物环(microbial loop)中去。Amoebophrya在近海海洋生态系统中的独特作用日益受到国际上越来越多研究者的关注和重视,并逐渐成为国际上海洋微型生物研究的新热点之一。近年来,已有初步调查研究表明这类寄生性甲藻在我国近海海域广泛存在;然而,目前我国尚缺乏该类寄生性甲藻的相关研究。本文系统综述了国际上该类寄生性甲藻的研究进展,针对目前研究中存在的问题并结合我国有害藻华发生机制相关研究的现状做出了分析和展望,以期推动我国该类寄生性甲藻的相关研究,为进一步阐释寄生性甲藻等海洋微型生物在有害藻华消长过程和海洋微食物环中的作用奠定基础。     

西南印度洋深海热液硫化物区沉积物微生物群落结构和固氮基因多样性

A sediment sample was collected from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent field located at a depth of 2 951 m on the Southwest Indian Ridge. Phylogenetic analyses were performed on the prokaryotic community using polymerase chain reaction（PCR） amplification of the 16 S rRNA and nifH genes. Within the Archaea, the dominant clones were from marine benthic group E（MBGE） and marine group I（MGI） belonging to the phyla Euryarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota, respectively. More than half of the bacterial clones belonged to the Proteobacteria, and most fell within the Gammaproteobacteria. No epsilonproteobacterial sequence was observed. Additional phyla were detected including the Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, Nitrospirae, Chloroflexi, Chlorobi, Chlamydiae, Verrucomicrobia, and candidate divisions OD1, OP11, WS3 and TM6, confirming their existence in hydrothermal vent environments. The detection of nifH gene suggests that biological nitrogen fixation may occur in the hydrothermal vent field of the Southwest Indian Ridge. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that only Clusters I and III NifH were present. This is consistent with the phylogenetic analysis of the microbial 16 S rRNA genes, indicating that Bacteria play the main role in nitrogen fixation in this hydrothermal vent environment.     

河北省石家庄市南部污灌区厚层包气带污染物自然衰减的微生物作用潜力评价

本次研究的目的是利用传统的培养技术和现代的磷脂脂肪酸PLFA(Phosphor Lipid Fatty Acid)技术、Biolog技术、16 S rRNA基因变性梯度凝胶电泳DGGE(Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis)及测序技术,调查石家庄市南部污灌区厚近30 m包气带微生物含量、分布、活性和多样性,评价污灌区厚层包气带污染物自然衰减的微生物作用潜力。包气带沉积物样品通过岩芯钻探获得,用于物理、化学和微生物分析。结果显示,土壤层(5~20 cm)微生物含量高,活性高,代谢类型多,可培养的异养菌与自养菌、好氧异养菌、兼性厌氧异氧菌和专性厌氧异养菌共存;土壤层下伏包气带微生物含量较低,活性降低,代谢类型减少,可培养的细菌主要是好氧性异养菌、兼性厌氧异养菌和好氧自养菌,而且随岩性而变化,在砂层和重粘土层含量低,活性低,而在亚粘土层含量和活性大。研究结果指示土壤层具有很高的污染物生物自然衰减潜力,而且下伏包气带仍有这种潜力,特别是下部溶解有机碳DOC(Dissolved Organic Carbon)含量高的层位潜力更大。     

祁连山冻土区水合物DK3和DK6钻孔中微生物脂肪酸特征及意义

利用脂肪酸法分析祁连山冻土带水合物区DK3(含水合物)与DK6(不含水合物)钻孔岩心中微生物多样性。本研究获得C12到C24二十六种脂肪酸(FA),可以分成直链饱和脂肪酸(SSFA),支链饱和脂肪酸(BSFA),单键不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA),环丙烷脂肪酸(CFA)和多键不饱和脂肪酸(PUFA)五大类型,其中SSFA相对含量最高。由于特异性的脂肪酸指示特异性的微生物类群,得出两根岩心中微生物类群主要由革兰氏阳性菌、革兰氏阴性菌和真菌组成。运用PAST(Palaeontological statistics,version 1.21)软件对已获得的脂肪酸进行主成分分析和聚类分析,得出DK3与DK6岩心的微生物组成并无显著性差异,但是DK3岩心中含水合物层位与不含水合物层位微生物组成有差异,DK6岩心中有水合物异常的层位与无异常的层位有差异。发现C16:1和C18:1这两类脂肪酸与甲烷异常有很好的对应关系,从另一方面证明了水合物异常影响微生物组成分布。本次研究首次获得冻土沉积物中FA组成特征,丰富了FA的分布范围,研究结果扩大了真菌的分布深度,具体机理有待更多的实验证明。     

Geochemical features and origin of natural gas in heavy oil area of the Western Slope,Songliao Basin,China

The Western Slope of the Songliao Basin is rich in heavy oil resources (>70 × 10⁸ bbl), around which there are shallow gas reservoirs (∼1.0 × 10¹² m³). The gas is dominated by methane with a dryness over 0.99, and the non-hydrocarbon component being overwelmingly nitrogen. Carbon isotope composition of methane and its homologs is depleted in ¹³C, with δ¹³C₁ values being in the range of −55‰ to −75‰, δ¹³C₂ being in the range of −40‰ to −53‰ and δ¹³C₃ being in the range of −30‰ to −42‰, respectively. These values differ significantly from those solution gases source in the Daqing oilfield. This study concludes that heavy oils along the Western Slope were derived from mature source rocks in the Qijia-Gulong Depression, that were biodegraded. The low reservoir temperature (30–50 °C) and low salinity of formation water with neutral to alkaline pH (NaHCO₃) appeared ideal for microbial activity and thus biodegradation. Natural gas along the Western Slope appears mainly to have originated from biodegradation and the formation of heavy oil. This origin is suggested by the heavy δ¹³C of CO₂ (−18.78‰ to 0.95‰) which suggests that the methane was produced via fermentation as the terminal decomposition stage of the oil.