Rates of microbial hydrogen oxidation and sulfate reduction in Opalinus Clay rock

Hydrogen gas (H₂) may be produced by the anoxic corrosion of steel components in underground structures, such as geological repositories for radioactive waste. In such environments, hydrogen was shown to serve as an electron donor for autotrophic bacteria. High gas overpressures are to be avoided in radioactive waste repositories and, thus, microbial consumption of H₂ is generally viewed as beneficial. However, to fully consider this biological process in models of repository evolution over time, it is crucial to determine the in situ rates of microbial hydrogen oxidation and sulfate reduction. These rates were estimated through two distinct in situ experiments, using several measurement and calculation methods. Volumetric consumption rates were calculated to be between 1.13 and 1.93 μmol cm⁻³ day⁻¹ for H₂, and 0.14 and 0.20 μmol cm⁻³ day⁻¹ for sulfate. Based on the stoichiometry of the reaction, there is an excess of H₂ consumed, suggesting that it serves as an electron donor to reduce electron acceptors other than sulfate, and/or that some H₂ is lost via diffusion. These rate estimates are critical to evaluate whether biological H₂ consumption can negate H₂ production in repositories, and to determine whether sulfate reduction can consume sulfate faster than it is replenished by diffusion, which could lead to methanogenic conditions.     

Geochemical insights into contribution of petroleum hydrocarbons to the formation of hydrates in the Taixinan Basin,the South China Sea

Methane hydrate in the South China Sea(SCS)has extensively been considered to be biogenic on the basis of itsδ13C and δD values.Although previous efforts have greatly been made,the contribution of thermogenic oil/gas has still been underestimated.In this study,biomarkers and porewater geochemical parameters in hydrate-free and hydrate-bearing sediments in the Taixinan Basin,the SCS have been measured for evaluating the contribu-tion of petroleum hydrocarbons to the formation of hydrate deposits via a comparative study of their source inputs of organic matters,environmental conditions,and microbial activities.The results reveal the occurrence of C14-C16 branched saturated fatty acids(bSFAs)with relatively high concentrations from sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRBs)in hydrate-bearing sediments in comparison with hydrate-free sediments,which is in accord with the positive δ13C values of dissolved inorganic carbon(DIC),increasing methane concentrations,decreasing alka-linity,and concentration fluctuation of ions(Cl-,Br,SO2-,Ca2+,and Mg2+).These data indicate the relatively active microbial activities in hydrate-bearing sediments and coincident variations of environmental conditions.Carbon isotope compositions of bSFAs(-34.0％o to-21.2％o),n-alkanes(-34.5％o to-29.3％o),and methane(-70.7％o to-69.9％o)jointly demonstrate that SRBs might thrive on a different type of organic carbon rather than methane.Combining with numerous gas/oil reservoirs and hydrocarbon migration channels in the SCS,the occurrence of unresolved complex mixtures(UCMs),odd-even predominance(OEP)values(about 1.0),and biomarker patterns suggest that petroleum hydrocarbons from deep oil/gas reservoirs are the most probable carbon source.Our new results provide significant evidence that the deep oil/gas reservoirs may make a contribution to the formation of methane hydrate deposits in the SCS.     

Impacts of a raw sewage spill on water and sediment quality in an urbanized estuary

A sewer main serving a large municipal wastewater system ruptured, discharging approximately 3,000,000 gallons (11,355,000 L) of raw human sewage into a multi-branched tidal creek estuary along the US East Coast. The biochemical oxygen demand caused severe hypoxia in the system, causing a large fish kill. The sewage load led to high fecal coliform bacteria concentrations in the creek (maximum of 270,000 CFU 100ml(-1)), which declined in an approximate logarithmic manner over the first few days. The spill caused elevated sediment fecal coliform bacteria and enterococcus counts that declined much more gradually than water column counts. Persistence of relatively high concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria in sediments for several weeks after the spill suggests that sediment sampling should be included in response to major sewage spills. The high concentration of nutrients in the spilled sewage led to several algal blooms. However, nutrient concentrations in the water column declined rapidly, demonstrating the value of conserving marshes because of their pollutant filtration function.     

念青唐古拉山扎当冰川退缩前沿土壤性质与可培养细菌多样性变化

通过细菌的分离培养和土壤性质的测定,分析了念青唐古拉山扎当冰川退缩前沿土壤中可培养细菌的多样性和土壤性质的变化.结果表明:土壤中可培养细菌的数量为104~105CFU.g-1,可培养细菌隶属于α-Proteobacteria、β-Proteobacteria、γ-Proteobacteria、Bacteroidetes和Actinobacteria 5个类群.随冰川退缩年代不同土壤中细菌多样性有明显变化,土壤的C、N含量与距冰川前沿的距离之间呈正相关,即土壤暴露时间越长,C、N含量越高.结果说明,冰川退缩前沿的土壤中存在着丰富的细菌资源,细菌的组成发生着动态的变化,同时也影响着土壤的理化性质.     

Squid mandibles from the stomachs of sperm whales (physeter catodon l.) captured in the cook strait region of New Zealand

The lower mandibles of squid in the stomachs of two sperm whales examined at the Tory Channel whaling station in 1963–4 were separated into 11 types according to a system of grouping devised by the authors and based on a key drawn up by M. R. Clarke.     

Bacterial abundance and production in different water masses around South Island,New Zealand

Abstract

Bacterial numbers and production were measured in the upper water column in the winter and spring of 1993 in five water masses surrounding the South Island of New Zealand. Average bacterial numbers and production were found to be higher in spring (8.5 × 10⁵ cells ml^?1 and 0.20 mg m³ h^?1, respectively) than winter (5.5 × 10⁵ cells ml^?1 and 0.05 mg C m³ h^?1 respectively). Bacterial production was strongly correlated with chlorophyll a and primary production (P < 0.001) in spring but not in winter. Spring bacterial production and at 10 m depth averaged across 28 stations was 23% of primary production, and with a growth efficency of 40%, may have consumed up to 57% of primary production. Bacterial biomass was greater than phytoplankton biomass for 75% of the 10 m depth comparisons during winter sampling and 44% during the spring sampling. The bacterial biomass was found to represent 24.6–33.5% of the nitrogen in particulate organic matter (<200 μm) supporting the concept that in New Zealand oceanic water masses bacteria are of significant biogeochemical importance.     

Microbial enzymatic response to catchment‐scale variations in supply of dissolved organic carbon

A suite of exoenzyme activities was assayed in three New Zealand streams draining pasture, native forest, and a pine catchment. There were differences among catchments in activity of three of the five enzymes assayed (cello‐biohydrolase, N‐acetylglucosaminidase, and dihydroxylphenylalanine oxidation). A principal components analysis (PCA) demonstrates that patterns of enzyme activity can be used to separate the three stream types. An experimental addition of algal‐leachate, leaf‐litter leachate, and high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) water from a small seep also resulted in marked shifts in epilithic enzyme activities 1 day after DOC additions. Oxidative enzymes showed a particularly strong response to additions of humic DOC. As for the field samples, a PCA showed large differences among treatments indicating that exoenzyme patterns can be used to examine which DOC sources predominate in different streams. Application of this approach to describing differences among streams will require detailed seasonal sampling together with longer‐term experiments.     

神狐海域Site4B表层沉积物中脂肪酸组成及其碳同位素分布特征

通过对神狐海域表层5个沉积物样品进行脂肪酸组成及其碳同位素分布特征测试和研究,结果表明总脂肪酸含量分布为5.14~8.99 μg/g,碳数分布范围从C₁₂到C₃₂,类型包括正构饱和脂肪酸、支链脂肪酸、单不饱和脂肪酸、多不饱和脂肪酸和类异戊二烯酸等计48种;样品中饱和的短链脂肪酸主要来自细菌与浮游生物,而长链饱和脂肪酸来自陆源高等植物,其比例表明研究海域中海洋细菌与浮游生物输入量远远大于陆源高等植物的输入。支链脂肪酸10me16:0与单不饱和脂肪酸18:1ω9、16:1ω9主要来自硫酸盐还原菌,而单不饱和脂肪酸16:1ω7很大可能来源于硫氧化菌,比较相对含量得出神狐海域表层沉积物为还原环境。样品中检测出8种类异戊二烯酸,主要是植烷酸和17,21-ββ二升藿烷酸,及少量的姥鲛酸,推测为叶绿素a和细菌微生物的共同贡献。     

Heterotrophic bacterial floras in industrial area and unpolluted marine environments around Qingdao

From Oct. 1999 to Oct. 2000, the heterotrophic bacterial floras in the industrial marine environment around the Qingdao Power Plant (QPP) and in the unpolluted marine environments were investigated. The results showed that the numbers of the heterotrophic bacteria around QPP were much higher than those in unpolluted environments, and the average numbers in QPP Seawater, QPP Sediment, Unpolluted Seawater and Unpolluted Sediment were 5.4×10⁴cfu(mL)⁻¹, 5.0×10⁵cfug⁻¹, 3.0×10²cfu(mL)⁻¹ and 1.3×10⁵cfug⁻¹ respectively. Totally, 118 strains were isolated from QPP and 99 of them were Gram-negative. One hundred and twenty one strains were isolated from the unpolluted environments and 104 of them were Gram-negative. All the Gram-negative bacteria belonged to 13 genera. The distribution of the bacteria was varied in different marine environments. The results showed that the unpolluted marine environments contained much more Vibrio than seawater and sediment around QPP.     

Balance Between Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Components and Processes in Microbenthic Communities of Sandy Sediments: A Field Study

The microscopic community of a microtidal sandy sediment on the Swedish west coast was studiedin situat two depths (0·5 and 4 m) on four occasions (January, April, August and October). Biomass of microalgae, bacteria, ciliates and meiofauna, as well as primary and bacterial productivity, were quantified. Meiofaunal grazing on algae and bacteria was measured simultaneously by radiolabelling intact sediment cores. Autotrophic biomass dominated the microbial community at both depths and on all sampling occasions, accounting for 47–87% of the microbial biomass. Meiofauna contributed 10–47%, while bacteria and ciliates together made up less than 6%. The microflora was dominated by attached (epipsammic) diatoms, but occasional ‘ blooms ’ of motile species occurred. Vital cells of planktonic diatoms contributed to benthic algal biomass in spring. Primary productivity exceeded bacterial productivity in April and August at both depths, while the balance was reversed in October and January. Meiofauna grazed between 2 and 12% of the algal biomass per day, and between 0·3 and 37% of the bacterial biomass. Almost an order of magnitude more algal (17–138 mg C m⁻²) than bacterial (0·1–33 mg C m⁻²) carbon was grazed daily. At the shallow site, primary productivity always exceeded grazing rates on algae, whereas at the deeper site, grazing exceeded primary productivity in October and January. Bacterial productivity exceeded grazing at both depths on all four occasions. Thus, meiofaunal grazing seasonally controlled microalgal, but not bacterial, biomass. These results suggest that, during summer, only a minor fraction (<10%) of the daily microbenthic primary production appears to enter the ‘ small food web ’ through meiofauna. During spring and autumn, however, a much larger fraction (≈30–60%) of primary production may pass through meiofauna. During winter, meiofaunal grazing is a less important link in the shallow zone, but at sublittoral depths, algal productivity may be limiting, and meiofauna depend on other food sources, such as bacteria and detritus.