Biomineralization of Uranium: A Simulated Experiment and Its Significance

A simulated experimental reduction of U^v1 and the synthesis of uraninite by a sulfate-reducing bacteria,Desulfovibrio desulfuricans DSM 642, are first reported. The simulated physicochemical experimental conditions were:35℃, pH=7.0-7.4, corresponding to the environments of formation of the sandstone-hosted interlayer oxidation-zone type uranium deposits in Xinjiang, NW China. Uraninite was formed on the surface of the host bacteria after a one-week‘s incubation. Therefore, sulfate-reducing bacteria, which existed extensively in Jurassic sandstone-producing environments,might have participated in the biomineralization of this uranium deposit. There is an important difference in the orderdisorder of the crystalline structure between the uraninite produced by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and naturally occurring uraninite. Long time and slow precipitation and growth of uraninite in the geological environment might have resulted in larger uraninite crystals, with uraninite nanocrystals arranged in order, whereas the experimentally produced uraninite is composed of unordered uraninite nanocrystals which, in contrast, result from the short time span of formation and rapid precipitation and growth of uraninite. The discovery has important implications for understanding genetic significance in mineralogy, and also indicates that in-situ bioremediation of U-contaminated environments and use of biotechnology in the treatment of radioactive liquid waste is being contemplated.     

我国砂岩型铀矿分带特征研究现状及存在问题

作为一种重要的国家战略资源,砂岩型铀矿床是当今世界上最重要的铀矿床类型之一。本文详细地介绍了砂岩型铀矿在国内外的分布特征及占比情况,并对外生地质作用矿床类型中表生流体作用形成的层间渗透砂岩型和潜水渗透砂岩型铀矿床进行了讨论,发现层间渗透砂岩型铀矿床在外表颜色、矿物组合以及地球化学等方面均具有明显的氧化-还原分带现象,此外,矿床内部还具有细菌分带现象。颜色分带在氧化带、氧化-还原过渡带以及还原带之间具有明显不同的特征;矿物组合在不同分带之间各不相同;地球化学分带表现为U、TOC含量以及Fe~(2+)/Fe~(3+)、Th/U比值在各分带之间差异较大。此外,硫酸盐还原菌、硫杆菌、铁细菌及硝化菌等细菌在不同分带之间的数量相差悬殊,而且硫酸盐还原菌数量与TOC呈明显正相关性。通过矿化带内的碳、硫同位素分析,发现硫酸盐还原菌参与了成矿过程,推测其可能是导致碳、硫同位素分馏的主要因素。总体来看,颜色分带、矿物分带、地球化学分带以及细菌分带均与氧化-还原分带呈耦合关系。本文通过总结层间渗透砂岩型和潜水渗透砂岩型铀矿床的成矿模式和当前分带研究中存在的问题,提出了由细菌、地球化学反应参与的砂岩型铀矿床成矿机理,以及未来亟需解决的若干关键科学问题。典型砂岩型铀矿床的分带现象在物、化、探、遥等领域的异常响应对寻找砂岩型铀矿床具有重要的指导意义。     

Stabilisation/solidification and bioaugmentation treatment of petroleum drill cuttings

Petroleum drill cuttings are usually treated by techniques suitable for particular contaminant groups. The significance of this study consists in the development of a treatment technology that can simultaneously handle the hydrocarbon and metal constituents of drill cuttings. Bioaugmentation is combined with stabilisation/solidification (S/S), within S/S monoliths and in granulated S/S monoliths. Portland cement was used for S/S treatment at 30% binder dosage. Bioaugmentation treatment involved two bacterial densities of a mixed culture bio-preparation. The effects of inclusion of compost, fertiliser and activated carbon were also evaluated. After 28 days, the combined S/S and bioaugmentation treatments recorded up to 15% higher total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) loss than control S/S treatment without bioaugmentation. Embedding fertiliser, activated carbon and higher bacterial density within S/S monoliths resulted in the highest (99%) TPH reduction but higher concentrations of metals. The addition of compost and lower bacterial density to granulated S/S monoliths led to similar (98%) TPH degradation and lower amounts of metals. The results suggest that with better mixture optimisation, combining S/S and bioaugmentation could engender more sustainable treatment of drill cuttings.     

Closely related thyasirid bivalves associate with multiple symbiont phylotypes

Species of thyasirid bivalves are considered to be representative of early stages of chemosymbiosis, given that bacterial symbionts occur outside gill epithelial cells, vary among species in their abundance and nutritional importance, and are environmentally acquired. For these reasons, assessing the extent of host–symbiont specificity in thyasirids could provide valuable information on the evolution of chemosymbiosis. We show that individuals of two closely related and sympatric Thyasira cf. gouldi operational taxonomic units collected from three sites in a fjord in Newfoundland, Canada, associate with one of three distinct, closely related symbiont phylotypes. While associations show some site‐specificity, there is flexibility in host–symbiont pairings within the fjord, further supporting an early and relatively unspecific stage of chemosymbiosis in this family. Morphologic differences observed both within and among symbiont phylotypes suggest physiologic variation, possibly induced by small‐scale differences in sedimentary conditions.     

A seasonal comparison of prokaryote numbers,biomass and heterotrophic productivity in waters of the KwaZulu-Natal Bight,South Africa

The KwaZulu-Natal Bight is a shallow indentation of the eastern seaboard of South Africa, characterised by a narrow (45 km wide) extension of the continental shelf, with a shelf break at about 100 m. It has a complex hydrography: the waters of the bight are derived from the fast-flowing, southward-trending Agulhas Current, which is fed mostly by the tropical and subtropical surface waters of the South-West Indian Ocean subgyre, which are generally oligotrophic in nature, notably depleted in reduced nitrogen and phosphate except at river mouths and during periodic upwelling of deeper nutrient-rich water. Despite this, the bight is believed to be relatively productive, and it is suggested that efficient nutrient recycling by prokaryotes may sustain primary productivity efficiently, even in the absence of new nutrient inputs. Here we have measured bacterial numbers, biomass and heterotrophic productivity during summer and winter in conjunction with phytoplankton standing stock and factors that influence it. Bacterial distribution closely matched phytoplankton distribution in surface waters, and was highest close to the coast. Bacterial standing stocks were similar to those of oligotrophic systems elsewhere (0.5–5.0 × 10⁵ cells ml^–1; 1 × 10^–8 to 1.25 × 10^–7 g C ml^–1) and increased in association with the development of phytoplankton blooms offshore and with inputs of allochthonous material by rivers at the coast. Heterotrophic productivity in summer was lowest in the far south and north of the bight (0.5 × 10^–10 g C ml^–1 h^–1) but higher close to the shore, over shallow banks, and in association with increased phytoplankton abundance over the midshelf (1.0–3.5 × 10^–9 g C ml^–1 h^–1). There were marked seasonal differences with lower bacterial standing stocks (5 × 10⁴ to 2 × 10⁵ cells ml^–1; 4–5 × 10^–9 to 1–2 × 10^–8 g C ml^–1) and very low bacterial productivity (4 × 10^–11 to 1 × 10^–10 g C ml^–1 h^–1) in winter, probably resulting from lowered rates of primary productivity and dissolved organic matter release as well as reduced riverine allochthonous inputs during the winter drought.     

季节性低温胁迫下陇东黄土高原油污土壤环境因子对耐冷混合菌场地生态修复的响应

为了揭示季节性低温胁迫下陇东黄土高原油污土壤环境因子对耐冷混合菌场地生态修复的响应机制,利用自主筛选构建的耐冷石油降解混合菌在甘肃省庆阳市庆城县马岭镇长庆油田陇东油泥处理站开展了为期7个月的场地修复实验,采用常规方法测定了不同季节土壤理化特性、酶活性和微生物群落特性等环境指标。结果表明：（1）在季节性低温胁迫下（9-11月）M2组（耐冷混合菌处理组）月平均降解率明显增加（P<0.01）,JZJ+M1组（金盏菊联合常温混合菌处理组）和M2组累计TPH降解率分别为15.37%±3.51%和28.64%±4.12%。（2）M2组土壤脱氢酶和多酚氧化酶在低温季节（LT）活性最高,且温度和处理存在显著交互作用（P<0.01）。在土壤营养元素方面,无论何种处理方式（JZJ+M1和M2）二者含量均为RT（常温季节）高于LT（P<0.05）,同时明显高于CK组（P<0.05）。（3）M2组土壤微生物群落Shannon-Wiener指数和均匀度指数在LT高于RT（P<0.05）。（4）NMDS和Pearson相关性分析结果显示,M2组在低温季节具有较高TPH降解率主要与土壤多酚氧化酶、脱氢酶、单月TPH降解率（μ2）和Shannon-Wiener指数有关,且均呈极显著正相关关系。通过分析环境因子的季节响应,优化场地修复在低温环境的降解条件、加速低温期石油烃降解速率,以期为陇东地区低温耐冷混合菌场地生态修复技术的推广应用提供参考和基础数据资料。     

硫介导细菌还原载砷铁矿对砷迁移转化的影响

硫在铁和砷的生物地球化学循环中发挥着重要作用,但地下水系统中硫循环的中间产物S(0)对细菌转化铁和砷的影响尚不清楚.采用室内模拟实验,研究硫参与下细菌D2201对液相和载砷针铁矿中Fe(III)和As(V)的还原作用.结果表明:细菌D2201具有很强的铁还原能力,可以将液相中74%的Fe(III)还原;加入硫后,细菌还原S(0)产生的S(-II)使铁还原率提高到94%.但是,硫没有明显影响细菌对砷的还原.在实验初期,细菌明显加速了载砷针铁矿的还原,最终还原释放到液相中的Fe(II)浓度为32.12 μmol/L;硫的加入增强了细菌对载砷针铁矿的还原,还原溶解的Fe(II)增加至284.13 μmol/L,同时,砷的释放量也增加了1.6倍.这些结果表明硫显著促进了细菌对针铁矿的还原溶解并加速砷的释放.XRD和SEM-EDS结果显示,细菌还原针铁矿但不改变其矿相,而硫的加入也仅使矿物发生一定程度的团聚,并没有使其转变为其他矿物,也未导致砷的再吸附.      

大黄鱼病原副溶血弧菌拮抗菌的筛选

用点种法从大黄鱼肠道优势菌群中筛选出104株病原性副溶血弧菌的拮抗菌,进一步研究拮抗效果最好的11株拮抗菌的抗菌谱和生长曲线,其中NAC平板上筛选的4株拮抗菌的抗菌范围较广,锰营养琼脂培养基上筛选的3株拮抗菌具有生长优势。用BIOLOG板测定了抗菌谱较广、有一定生长优势3株拮抗菌(R22,Y58和J312)的碳源利用情况,结果表明,3株拮抗菌的碳源谱都比较广,都能利用糖类、有机酸和氨基酸等,而且与鱼类营养的竞争较小。16S rRNA基因同源性分析的结果显示与R22,Y58,J312同源性达99%以上的菌株分别来自弧菌属、芽孢杆菌属和假单胞菌属。进一步对R22,J312和Y58三株拮抗菌进行生化鉴定,结果显示R22为溶藻弧菌,J312为荧光假单胞菌,但Y58的种属未能得到确认。所得到的3株拮抗菌R22,Y58,J312在拮抗病原菌、抗菌谱、生长特性和营养利用等方面都初步满足益生菌的筛选条件,有待进一步检测其安全性和实用效果以便能够成为能实用的益生菌。     

Profiling Planctomycetales diversity with reference to anammox‐related bacteria in a South China Sea,deep‐sea sediment

A systematic assessment of Planctomycetales diversity in a South China Sea, deep‐sea sediment (1657 m) was conducted using the 16S rRNA gene analysis approach. PCR amplification of the samples from seven sediment layers (0.1, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 m below the surface sediment) using the primer set Pla‐46‐F/1392‐R showed that the Planctomycetales existed within a limited range of sediment depths (≤ 5 m), and had a decreasing trend in diversity with increasing depth. The majority of the retrieved Pla‐46‐F/1392‐R sequences belonged to Pirellula‐related Planctomycetales, and two sequences retrieved from the 0.1‐m layer (GenBank accession numbers: DQ996944 and DQ996945 ) shared the same anammox‐related signature oligonucleotides and were closely related to commonly recognized anammox organisms. To identify new anammox‐related biomarkers, three primer sets were designed for amplifying the fragments of hydroxylamine oxidoreductase and S‐adenosylmethionine radical enzyme genes, but no related sequences were found. Our multiple 16S rRNA gene primer sets (Journal of Rapid Methods and Automation in Microbiology, 2008, in press) revealed even an higher diversity of Planctomycetales in the 0.1‐m layer of the sediment, especially at genus level. Our data profiled the distribution pattern of Planctomycetales diversity along sediment depths, and provided molecular evidence for the existence of anammox‐related bacteria in a new location, which broadens our understanding of Planctomycetales diversity in deep sea sediments.     

Distribution of general aerobic heterotrophic bacteria in sediment core taken from the Canadian basin and the Chukchi Sea

The occurrence percentage and abundance of General Aerobic Hetero- trophic Bacteria （GAB） were determined by using the method of MPN for 182 sub- samples from 10 sediment cores taken from the Canadian basin and the Chukchi Sea at two different culturing temperatures. The results showed that the general occurrence percentage of GAB was quite high, average abundanees of GAB at cultured temperatares of 4℃ and 25℃ were 4.46 ×10^7 and 5.47×10^7 cells·g^-1（wt）, respectively. The highest abundance of GAB occurred at 20 -22 cm section in the sediment. GAB abundances changed among the section of sediments, but there is a trend ： the a-bundances at the middle or lower sections were lower than those at upper section. Cultivation at 25℃ could improve the occurrence percentage and abundances of GAB, which suggests that the increasing of temperature may change the living circum-stances of GAB. The differences of GAB among the latitudes areas indicated that occurrence percentage and abundances of GAB in middle latitude areas were higher than those in the higher or lower latitude areas, and were more obvious at 4℃ than those at 25℃. The GAB abundances in sediment under the shallower water seemed to be low- er than those in sediments under the deeper water and this status was more obvious at 25℃ than that at 4℃.