Bacterial contribution to sedimentary organic matter; a comparative study of lipid moieties in bacteria and Recent sediments

A systematic study of the lipid composition of thirteen bacterial species and three Recent sediments (methanogenic sediment, cyanobacterial mat and evaporative gypsum crust) was undertaken in an attempt to recognize bacterial organic matter in sediments. A sequential method, which distinguishes between three different modes of occurrence of lipid moieties (free, OH⁻- and H⁺-labile), was applied. The acid-labile fractions are discussed.The three main groups of bacteria, archaebacteria, gram-positive eubacteria and gram-negative eubacteria, are easily distinguished. Methanogenic and extremely halophilic archaebacteria are characterized by the presence of diphytanyl glyceryl ether and the absence of fatty acids. The gram-positive eubacteria contain primarily iso- and anteiso-branched fatty acids whereas the gram-negative bacteria and sediments are dominated by β- and α-hydroxy fatty acids. A wide variety of H⁺-labile hydroxy fatty acids was observed which included several, as yet unknown, structures.β-Hydroxy fatty acids in this H⁺-labile mode of occurrence are exclusively present in bacteria. Their distribution patterns in sediments are considered “fingerprints” of past and present bacterial populations. The specific differences in β -hydroxy fatty acid compositions observed in the different bacteria and the three sediments investigated, suggest that amide-linked β-hydroxy fatty acid patterns are useful as markers of bacterial populations and therefore of environmental conditions.     

极地产甲烷菌研究进展

产甲烷菌是一类重要的环境微生物,其代谢产生的甲烷(CH_4)是最重要的温室气体之一。现有研究表明,产甲烷菌广泛存在于极地湿地、沼泽、湖泊、苔原、冻土和冰川等各类生境之中,并在碳循环中发挥着重要作用。本文对极地产甲烷菌的群落结构、生物多样性、空间分布、环境影响因子(温度﹑营养物和pH)以及研究技术的最新进展进行了总结,并对极地产甲烷菌研究的未来发展进行了展望。     

单室无膜微生物电解池中阴极生物膜的电活性

降解有机质的电产甲烷(electromethanogenesis)技术在生物能(CH4)的生产、废水处理、地下水和土壤(及沉积物)生物修复等领域有着巨大的发展潜力。寻找简捷的方法获取高活性的生物阴极是该技术当前发展面临的一个突出问题。以最有应用潜力的单室无膜微生物电解池(SCMMEC)为反应器,对以葡萄糖为可发酵物质代表的SCMMEC阴极上生物膜的评估表明,可利用SCMMEC处理含葡萄糖的废水来富集电活性生物阴极。当外压为0.8V时,富集的2个生物阴极的电流密度可分别达到0.59A/m~2和0.62A/m~2。但该法获得的生物阴极活性仍然比较低,是阴阳极中的电流限制电极。进一步的介体影响评估表明,生物阴极的电活性不受溶液中可能存在的电子介体的影响。在低剂量缓冲盐(6 mmol/L的磷酸盐)下的长期运行显示,0.8V外压下生物阴极的活性在62d和153d时持平,到275d时已有明显下降。长期直流通电单向极化导致的离子浓缩,甚至盐沉积,可能是生物阴极活性下降的主要原因。     

吲哚类杂环芳香族有机物在好氧和厌氧条件下的微生物降解途径

用红树林的底泥通过富集培养得到在好氧或厌氧条件下能完全矿化吲哚的细菌，并对降解过程及中间代谢产物进行了鉴定。此研究中，吲哚化合物是培养液中的唯一碳和能量来源，而厌氧条件包括有产甲烷和硫酸盐还原。结果表明，不论在哪种条件下，吲哚噪降解过程分二步敖基化反应，分别发生在2和3位上，形成氧化吲哚和靛红。同时，1、2或3位上的甲基替代使1—甲基吲哚，2—甲基吲哚和3—甲基吲哚的降解受到严重抑制。显然，杂环类芳香族化合物的代谢有其共同点，同时不同替代会完全改变有机物的可降解程度。     

李雅庄煤矿煤岩中C25、C30等无环类异戊二烯烷烃的检出及其地球化学意义

对沁水盆地李雅庄煤矿煤岩样品,进行了饱和烃生物标志化合物特征研究,检测到了丰富的无环类异戊二烯烷烃,特别是C25、C30及头—头连接的高碳数无环类异戊二烯烷烃,这些化合物被认为是甲烷菌的特征标志化合物。李雅庄煤矿煤岩沉积时为偏氧化的环境,原始环境不利于细菌发育,故检出的无环类异戊二烯烷烃应主要是成煤作用后期,煤层中甲烷菌发育的痕迹。认为李雅庄煤矿煤岩样品中丰富的、与古细菌,特别是甲烷菌有关的无环类异戊二烯烷烃化合物的检出,为该地区甲烷碳同位素组成在-56.3‰-61.7‰煤层气的次生生物成因提供了地球化学依据。      

真光层海水过饱和甲烷的来源及机制探讨

真光层海水中普遍存在甲烷过饱和现象,尤其是天然气水合物区真光层的甲烷明显异常。由于临近海气界面,真光层过饱和甲烷与大气甲烷排放及全球温室效应密切相关。目前,对真光层海水的过饱和甲烷来源仍没有统一的认识。综合前人研究成果梳理了真光层海水过饱和甲烷的来源,归纳了真光层海水过饱和甲烷现象形成的影响因素,进一步探讨了原位微生物可能参与的甲烷代谢机制。真光层过饱和甲烷可能来源于沉积物、临近河流或原位微生物,且受区域、季节、营养盐等多种因素的影响。由于受氧气影响,真光层海水甲烷产生的代谢机制有其特殊性,目前推测微生物可能依旧利用常规的产甲烷途径,它们存在于海水微厌氧环境中,或自身形成抵抗氧气影响的能力;此外,微生物也可能选择对氧不敏感的新的产甲烷途径。因此,针对天然气水合物区真光层甲烷过饱和现象,开展甲烷的来源和代谢机制的研究,以期为天然气水合物试采与开发的环境评价提供理论支撑,并为探究海水甲烷对大气及全球气候的影响提供理论依据。     

Methane flux dynamics in relation to methanogenic and methanotrophic populations in the soil of Indian Sundarban mangroves

The dynamics of methane (CH₄) flux in relation to populations of methanogenic and methanotrophic bacteria was studied under the different biophysical conditions of the Indian Sundarban mangrove ecosystem. Soil depth profile analysis (up to 60 cm) in the lower littoral zone (LLZ) revealed that a methanogenic population of 6.45 ± 0.19 × 10⁴ cells/g dry weight (dry wt) of soil accounted for a CH₄ production rate of 6.23 ± 3.53 × 10³ µmol m^?2 day^?1, whereas in the surface soil, a methanogenic population of 3.34 ± 0.37 × 10⁴ cells/g dry wt of soil accounted for a CH₄ production rate of 31.6 ± 0.57 µmol m^?2 day^?1. The CH₄ oxidation rate at 60 cm depth in the LLZ was 24.42 ± 1.28 µmol m^?2 day^?1, with an average methanotrophic population of 1.33 ± 0.43 × 10⁴ cells/g dry wt of soil, whereas in the surface soil, the oxidation rate and average population were 3.38 ± 1.43 × 10³ µmol m^?2 day^?1 and 12.80 ± 2.54 × 10⁴ cells/g dry wt of soil, respectively. A similar soil profile in terms of CH₄ dynamics and the populations of methanogenic and methanotrophic bacteria was found in the mid‐littoral and upper littoral zones of the studied area. The results demonstrate that most of the produced CH₄ (approximately 60%) was oxidized by methanotrophic bacteria present in the soil, thus revealing their principal role in regulating the CH₄ flux from this unique ecosystem.     

Bacterial and algal hydrocarbons in sediments from a saline Antarctic lake, Ace Lake

Capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (C-GC-MS) and Iatroscan thin layer chromatography-flame ionisation detection (TLC-FID) were used to study hydrocarbon distributions in a sediment core from Ace Lake, a saline, meromictic lake in the Vestfold Hills of Antarctica. Hydrocarbons were abundant in most core sections (up to 125/μg/g dry wt), particularly in near-surface samples, and the distributions were very complex. Major constituents were identified as phytane, 2,6,10,15,19-pentamethyleicosane, tetrahydrosqualene, a mixture of phytenes, cholesta-3,5-diene and fern-7-ene. Smaller amounts of sterenes and hopenes were also present. The predominance of the first 3 acyclic isoprenoids in sediments buried less than 30 cm is consistent with high populations of methanogenic bacteria known to be present.Phytenes were abundant in all core sections, and there was no relationship between their abundance and that of phytane which suggests that they were not derived from methanogenic bacteria. Phytadienes were minor constituents at all depths studied. An unusual feature of some distributions was the high concentrations of fern-7-ene which was the major hydrocarbon in the 20–25 cm core section. This alkene was only abundant in sediments which contained high concentrations of methanogen markers suggesting that it may also be indicative of anoxic depositional environments. A possible source might be from purple non-sulphur bacteria. High concentrations of straight-chain C₂₉ and C₃₄ alkenes were also found in these sediments but their origin has not been determined. Major changes in the hydrocarbon distributions with depth indicate that the depositional environment in the lake has altered dramatically since the lake was formed less than 8000 years ago. The present condition of permanent anoxic bottom waters probably developed only in the last 1000 years.     

天然湿地土壤产甲烷菌及其影响因子研究进展

综合评述了天然湿地产甲烷菌种类、主要产甲烷途径的空间变异及其影响因子。温度不仅可以改变产甲烷菌群落结构和功能,也可影响产甲烷菌功能发挥,目前有关温度对湿地土壤甲烷产生的影响机制有待揭示。以乙酸为底物的产甲烷菌大多生存于维管束植物生长的湿地,H₂/CO₂还原则为苔藓泥炭沼泽甲烷产生的主要途径;在pH<4.7的偏酸性湿地中,自由态乙酸可以降低乙酸发酵型产甲烷菌活性,而氢营养型产甲烷菌和部分其他微生物可能具有自身的弥补机制。还提出今后中国沼泽湿地产甲烷菌和甲烷排放有待加强研究的主要内容。