1
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Jiang Y, Zhang Z, Jiang J, Zhu F, Guo X, Jia P, Li H, Liu Z, Huang S, Zhang Y, Xue S. Enhancement of nitrogen on core taxa recruitment by Penicillium oxalicum stimulated microbially-driven soil formation in bauxite residue. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 473:134647. [PMID: 38762986 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Microbially-driven soil formation process is an emerging technology for the ecological rehabilitation of alkaline tailings. However, the dominant microorganisms and their specific roles in soil formation processes remain unknown. Herein, a 1-year field-scale experiment was applied to demonstrate the effect of nitrogen input on the structure and function of the microbiome in alkaline bauxite residue. Results showed that the contents of nutrient components were increased with Penicillium oxalicum (P. oxalicum) incorporation, as indicated by the increasing of carbon and nitrogen mineralization and enzyme metabolic efficiency. Specifically, the increasing enzyme metabolic efficiency was associated with nitrogen input, which shaped the microbial nutrient acquisition strategy. Subsequently, we evidenced that P. oxalicum played a significant role in shaping the assemblages of core bacterial taxa and influencing ecological functioning through intra- and cross-kingdom network analysis. Furthermore, a recruitment experiment indicated that nitrogen enhanced the enrichment of core microbiota (Nitrosomonas, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Saccharomyces) and may provide benefits to fungal community bio-diversity and microbial network stability. Collectively, these results demonstrated nitrogen-based coexistence patterns among P. oxalicum and microbiome and revealed P. oxalicum-mediated nutrient dynamics and ecophysiological adaptations in alkaline microhabitats. It will aid in promoting soil formation and ecological rehabilitation of bauxite residue. ENVIRONMENT IMPLICATION: Bauxite residue is a highly alkaline solid waste generated during the Bayer process for producing alumina. Attempting to transform bauxite residue into a stable soil-like substrate using low-cost microbial resources is a highly promising engineering. However, the dominant microorganisms and their specific roles in soil formation processes remain unknown. In this study, we evidenced the nitrogen-based coexistence patterns among Penicillium oxalicum and microbiome and revealed Penicillium oxalicum-mediated nutrient dynamics and ecophysiological adaptations in alkaline microhabitats. This study can improve the understanding of core microbes' assemblies that affect the microbiome physiological traits in soil formation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Jiang
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Ziying Zhang
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Jun Jiang
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Feng Zhu
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China.
| | - Xuyao Guo
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Pu Jia
- Institute of Ecological Science, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Hongzhe Li
- Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Zhongkai Liu
- Zhengzhou Non-ferrous Metals Research Institute Co., Ltd of Chalco, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Shiwei Huang
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Yufei Zhang
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Shengguo Xue
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China.
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2
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Zhou Z, Waska H, Henkel S, Dittmar T, Kasten S, Holtappels M. Iron Promotes the Retention of Terrigenous Dissolved Organic Matter in Subtidal Permeable Sediments. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:6204-6214. [PMID: 38557085 PMCID: PMC11008242 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Marine permeable sediments are important sites for organic matter turnover in the coastal ocean. However, little is known about their role in trapping dissolved organic matter (DOM). Here, we examined DOM abundance and molecular compositions (9804 formulas identified) in subtidal permeable sediments along a near- to offshore gradient in the German North Sea. With the salinity increasing from 30.1 to 34.6 PSU, the DOM composition in bottom water shifts from relatively higher abundances of aromatic compounds to more highly unsaturated compounds. In the bulk sediment, DOM leached by ultrapure water (UPW) from the solid phase is 54 ± 20 times more abundant than DOM in porewater, with higher H/C ratios and a more terrigenous signature. With 0.5 M HCl, the amount of leached DOM (enriched in aromatic and oxygen-rich compounds) is doubled compared to UPW, mainly due to the dissolution of poorly crystalline Fe phases (e.g., ferrihydrite and Fe monosulfides). This suggests that poorly crystalline Fe phases promote DOM retention in permeable sediments, preferentially terrigenous, and aromatic fractions. Given the intense filtration of seawater through the permeable sediments, we posit that Fe can serve as an important intermediate storage for terrigenous organic matter and potentially accelerate organic matter burial in the coastal ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Zhou
- Alfred
Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven 27570, Germany
- State
Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji
University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Hannelore Waska
- Institute
for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), School
of Mathematics and Science, Carl von Ossietzky
Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany
| | - Susann Henkel
- Alfred
Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven 27570, Germany
| | - Thorsten Dittmar
- Institute
for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), School
of Mathematics and Science, Carl von Ossietzky
Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany
- Helmholtz
Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany
| | - Sabine Kasten
- Alfred
Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven 27570, Germany
- MARUM
- Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen 28359, Germany
- Faculty
of
Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - Moritz Holtappels
- Alfred
Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven 27570, Germany
- MARUM
- Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen 28359, Germany
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3
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Grinham A, Costantini T, Deering N, Jackson C, Klein C, Lovelock C, Pandolfi J, Eyal G, Linde M, Dunbabin M, Duncan B, Hutley N, Byrne I, Wilson C, Albert S. Nitrogen loading resulting from major floods and sediment resuspension to a large coastal embayment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 918:170646. [PMID: 38325481 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Major floods pose a severe threat to coastal receiving environments, negatively impacting environmental health and ecosystem services through direct smothering with sediment and nutrient loading. This study examined the short and long-term impacts of the February 2022 major flood event on mud extent and sediment nitrogen flux in Moreton Bay (the Bay), a large, sub-tropical embayment in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Short-term impacts were assessed three days after the flood peak by sampling surface water at 47 sites in the direction of the predominant circulation pattern. Longer-term impacts were assessed by undertaking an intensive sediment survey of 223 sites and a nutrient flux experiment using sediment core incubations to simulate calm and resuspension conditions for the four key sediment classes. Short-term impacts revealed elevated turbidity levels extended across the Bay but were highest at the Brisbane River mouth, ammonium concentrations varied inversely with surface turbidity, whereas nitrate concentrates closely tracked surface turbidity. The sediment survey confirmed fine sediment deposition across 98 % of the Bay. Porewater within the upper 10 cm contained a standing pool of 280 t of ammonium, with concentrations more than three orders of magnitude higher than overlying surface waters. The nutrient flux experiment revealed an order of magnitude higher sediment ammonium flux rate in the sandy mud sediment class compared to the other sediment classes; and for simulated resuspension conditions compared to calm conditions for sand, muddy sand, and mud sediment classes. Scaling across the whole Bay, we estimated a mean annual sediment flux of 17,700 t/year ammonium, with a range of 13,500 to 21,900 t/year. Delivery of fine sediments by major floods over the last 50 years now impact >98 % of the benthic zone and provide a major loading pathway of available nitrogen to surface waters of Moreton Bay; representing a significant threat to ecosystem health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair Grinham
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | | | - Nathaniel Deering
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | | | - Carissa Klein
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Catherine Lovelock
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - John Pandolfi
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Gal Eyal
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Michael Linde
- Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd., Brisbane, QLD 4178, Australia
| | - Matthew Dunbabin
- Biopixel Oceans Foundation, Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Brendon Duncan
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Nicholas Hutley
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Ilha Byrne
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Craig Wilson
- Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd., Brisbane, QLD 4178, Australia
| | - Simon Albert
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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4
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Zhou Z, Henkel S, Kasten S, Holtappels M. The iron "redox battery" in sandy sediments: Its impact on organic matter remineralization and phosphorus cycling. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 865:161168. [PMID: 36572309 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Permeable sandy sediments cover 50-60 % of the global continental shelf and are important bioreactors that regulate organic matter (OM) turnover and nutrient cycling in the coastal ocean. In sands, the dynamic porewater advection can cause rapid mass transfer and variable redox conditions, thus affecting OM remineralization pathways, as well as the recycling of iron and phosphorus. In this study, North Sea sands were incubated in flow-through reactors (FTRs) to investigate biogeochemical processes under porewater advection and changing redox conditions. We found that the average rate of anaerobic OM remineralization was 12 times lower than the aerobic pathway, and Fe(III) oxyhydroxides were found to be the major electron acceptors during 34 days of anoxic incubation. Reduced Fe accumulated in the solid phase (expressed as Fe(II)) before significant release of Fe2+ into the porewater, and most of the reduced Fe (~96 %) remained in the solid phase throughout the anoxic incubation. Fe(II) retained in the solid phase, either through the formation of authigenic Fe(II)-bearing minerals or adsorption, was easily re-oxidized upon exposure to O2. Excessive P release (apart from OM remineralization) started at the beginning of the anoxic incubation and accelerated after the release of Fe2+ with a constant P/Fe2+ ratio of 0.26. After 34 days of anoxic incubation, porewater was re‑oxygenated and > 99 % of released P was coprecipitated through Fe2+ oxidation (so-called "Fe curtain"). Our results demonstrate that Fe(III)/Fe(II) in the solid phase can serve as a relatively immobile and rechargeable "redox battery" under dynamic porewater advection. This Fe "redox battery" is characteristic for permeable sediments and environments with variable redox conditions, making Fe an important player in OM turnover. We also suggest that P liberated before Fe2+ release can escape the "Fe curtain" in surface sediments, thus potentially increasing net benthic P efflux from permeable sediments under variable redox conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Zhou
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany.
| | - Susann Henkel
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany; Center for Marine Environmental Sciences - MARUM, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Sabine Kasten
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany; Center for Marine Environmental Sciences - MARUM, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany; Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Moritz Holtappels
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany; Center for Marine Environmental Sciences - MARUM, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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5
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Bourceau OM, Ferdelman T, Lavik G, Mussmann M, Kuypers MMM, Marchant HK. Simultaneous sulfate and nitrate reduction in coastal sediments. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:17. [PMID: 36882570 PMCID: PMC9992702 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00222-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
The oscillating redox conditions that characterize coastal sandy sediments foster microbial communities capable of respiring oxygen and nitrate simultaneously, thereby increasing the potential for organic matter remineralization, nitrogen (N)-loss and emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. It is unknown to what extent these conditions also lead to overlaps between dissimilatory nitrate and sulfate respiration. Here, we show that sulfate and nitrate respiration co-occur in the surface sediments of an intertidal sand flat. Furthermore, we found strong correlations between dissimilatory nitrite reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and sulfate reduction rates. Until now, the nitrogen and sulfur cycles were assumed to be mainly linked in marine sediments by the activity of nitrate-reducing sulfide oxidisers. However, transcriptomic analyses revealed that the functional marker gene for DNRA (nrfA) was more associated with microorganisms known to reduce sulfate rather than oxidise sulfide. Our results suggest that when nitrate is supplied to the sediment community upon tidal inundation, part of the sulfate reducing community may switch respiratory strategy to DNRA. Therefore increases in sulfate reduction rate in-situ may result in enhanced DNRA and reduced denitrification rates. Intriguingly, the shift from denitrification to DNRA did not influence the amount of N2O produced by the denitrifying community. Our results imply that microorganisms classically considered as sulfate reducers control the potential for DNRA within coastal sediments when redox conditions oscillate and therefore retain ammonium that would otherwise be removed by denitrification, exacerbating eutrophication.
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Affiliation(s)
- O M Bourceau
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - T Ferdelman
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - G Lavik
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - M Mussmann
- University of Vienna, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Djerassiplatz 1, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - M M M Kuypers
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - H K Marchant
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany.
- University of Bremen, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, MARUM, 28359, Bremen, Germany.
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6
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Lu X, Zhou X, von Sperber C, Xu Y, Wei Z, Li S, Ruan A. Whether interstitial space features were the main factors affecting sediment microbial community structures in Chaohu Lake. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1024630. [PMID: 36590403 PMCID: PMC9796575 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1024630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Sediments cover a majority of Earth's surface and are essential for global biogeochemical cycles. The effects of sediment physiochemical features on microbial community structures have attracted attention in recent years. However, the question of whether the interstitial space has significant effects on microbial community structures in submerged sediments remains unclear. In this study, based on identified OTUs (operational taxonomic units), correlation analysis, RDA analysis, and Permanova analysis were applied into investigating the effects of interstitial space volume, interstitial gas space, volumetric water content, sediment particle features (average size and evenness), and sediment depth on microbial community structures in different sedimentation areas of Chaohu Lake (Anhui Province, China). Our results indicated that sediment depth was the closest one to the main environmental gradient. The destruction effects of gas space on sediment structures can physically affect the similarity of the whole microbial community in all layers in river dominated sedimentation area (where methane emits actively). However, including gas space, none of the five interstitial space parameters were significant with accounting for the microbial community structures in a sediment layer. Thus, except for the happening of active physical destruction on sediment structures (for example, methane ebullition), sediment interstitial space parameters were ineffective for affecting microbial community structures in all sedimentation areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China,College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaotian Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China,College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
| | | | - Yaofei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China,College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhipeng Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China,College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
| | - Siyan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China,College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
| | - Aidong Ruan
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China,College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, China,*Correspondence: Aidong Ruan,
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7
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Berg JS, Ahmerkamp S, Pjevac P, Hausmann B, Milucka J, Kuypers MMM. OUP accepted manuscript. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2022; 46:6517451. [PMID: 35094062 PMCID: PMC9075580 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuac006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxygen (O2) is the ultimate oxidant on Earth and its respiration confers such an energetic advantage that microorganisms have evolved the capacity to scavenge O2 down to nanomolar concentrations. The respiration of O2 at extremely low levels is proving to be common to diverse microbial taxa, including organisms formerly considered strict anaerobes. Motivated by recent advances in O2 sensing and DNA/RNA sequencing technologies, we performed a systematic review of environmental metatranscriptomes revealing that microbial respiration of O2 at nanomolar concentrations is ubiquitous and drives microbial activity in seemingly anoxic aquatic habitats. These habitats were key to the early evolution of life and are projected to become more prevalent in the near future due to anthropogenic-driven environmental change. Here, we summarize our current understanding of aerobic microbial respiration under apparent anoxia, including novel processes, their underlying biochemical pathways, the involved microorganisms, and their environmental importance and evolutionary origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine S Berg
- Corrresponding author: Géopolis, Quartier Unil-Mouline, Université de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. E-mail:
| | - Soeren Ahmerkamp
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 2359, Germany
| | - Petra Pjevac
- Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Bela Hausmann
- Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Jana Milucka
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 2359, Germany
| | - Marcel M M Kuypers
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 2359, Germany
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8
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OUP accepted manuscript. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6523362. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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9
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Wang W, Wang X, Shu X, Wang B, Li H, Zhang Q. Denitrification of Permeable Sand Sediment in a Headwater River Is Mainly Influenced by Water Chemistry, Rather Than Sediment Particle Size and Heterogeneity. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2202. [PMID: 34835328 PMCID: PMC8624688 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Sediment particle size and heterogeneity play an important role in sediment denitrification through direct and indirect effects on, for example, the material exchange rate, environmental gradients, microbial biomass, and grazing pressure. However, these effects have mostly been observed in impermeable sediments. On the other hand, the material exchange of permeable sediments is dominated by advection instead of diffusion, with the exchange or transport rates exceeding those of diffusion by two orders of magnitude relative to impermeable sediments. The impact of permeable sediment particle size and heterogeneity on denitrification remains poorly understood, especially at the millimeter scale. Here, we conducted an in situ control experiment in which we sorted sand sediment into four homogeneous-particle-sizes treatments and four heterogeneous treatments. Each treatment was deployed, in replicate, within the riffle in three different river reaches with contrasting physicochemical characteristics. After incubating for three months, sediment denitrifier communities (nirS, nirK, nosZ), denitrification gene abundances (nirS, nirK, nosZ), and denitrification rates in all treatments were measured. We found that most of the denitrifying microbes in permeable sediments were unclassified denitrifying microbes, and particle size and heterogeneity were not significantly correlated with the functional gene abundances or denitrification rates. Water chemistry was the key controlling factor for the denitrification of permeable sediments. Water NO3--N directly regulated the denitrification rate of permeable sediments, instead of indirectly regulating the denitrification rate of sediments by affecting the chemical characteristics of the sediments. Our study fills a knowledge gap of denitrification in permeable sediment in a headwater river and highlights that particle size and heterogeneity are less important for permeable sediment denitrification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weibo Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; (X.S.); (H.L.)
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xu Wang
- College of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, China;
| | - Xiao Shu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; (X.S.); (H.L.)
| | - Baoru Wang
- Hengyang Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Remediation, Resource Environment and Safety Engineering College, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China;
| | - Hongran Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; (X.S.); (H.L.)
| | - Quanfa Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; (X.S.); (H.L.)
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
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10
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Eich A, Weber M, Lott C. Disintegration half-life of biodegradable plastic films on different marine beach sediments. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11981. [PMID: 34434671 PMCID: PMC8362673 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The seafloor is considered the major sink for plastic debris in the world's oceans. Biodegradable polymers are available on the market as a substitute for conventional plastic and could potentially end up in the same environment. To gain more insight into the effects of different sediments on the degradation rate of biodegradable plastic we performed two iterative seawater tank experiments. First, to test the effect of sediment grain size, film of Mater-Bi HF03V, a blend of thermoplastic starch and biodegradable polyesters, was placed on the surface of mud as well as on four different grain size fractions of beach sand. Disintegration half-life was shortest on mud (139 days) and increased with the grain size of the beach sediment fractions (63-250 µm: 296 days; 250-500 µm: 310 days; 500-1,000 µm: 438 days; >1,000 µm: 428 days). We assume that the higher surface-to-volume ratio in fine sediment compared to coarse sediment led to a higher bacterial abundance and thus to faster disintegration rates. In a follow-up experiment, the <500 µm fraction of sediment from four different beaches around Isola d'Elba, Italy, was used to test plastic disintegration as above. Additionally, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB, MIREL P5001) was used as a positive control and high-density polyethylene (HD-PE) as a negative control. No disintegration was observed for HD-PE. Mater-Bi HF03V and PHB disintegrated significantly differently on sediment from different sites, with half-lives of Mater-Bi HF03V ranging from 72 to 368 days and of PHB from 112 to 215 days. Here, the half-life was shortest on slightly coarser sediment and at potentially anthropogenically impacted sites. We assume that the effect of the grain size on the disintegration rate was masked by other parameters influencing the microbial community and activity. Understanding the parameters driving biodegradation is key to reliably report the range of disintegration rates occurring under the various conditions in different ecosystems.
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11
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Wu J, Hong Y, Wilson SJ, Song B. Microbial nitrogen loss by coupled nitrification to denitrification and anammox in a permeable subterranean estuary at Gloucester Point, Virginia. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 168:112440. [PMID: 33971455 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The nitrogen (N) loss processes have not been well examined in subterranean estuaries (STEs) between land and sea. We utilized a 15N isotope tracer method, q-PCR, and high-throughput sequencing to reveal the activities, abundances, and community compositions of N loss communities in a STE in Gloucester Point, Virginia, US. The highest activities, abundances and diversity of denitrifiers and anammox bacteria were detected at 50-60 cm depth in the aerobic-anaerobic transition zone (AATZ) characterized by sharp redox gradients. nirS-denitrifiers and anammox bacteria were affiliated to 10 different clusters and three genera, respectively. Denitrification and anammox played equal roles with an estimated N loss of 13.15 mmol N m-3 day-1. A positive correlation between ammonia oxidizing prokaryote abundances and DO as well as NOx- suggested that nitrification produces NOx- which supports the hotspot of denitrification and anammox within the AATZ. Overall, these results highlight the roles of N loss communities in STEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiapeng Wu
- Institute of Environmental Research at Greater Bay Area, Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yiguo Hong
- Institute of Environmental Research at Greater Bay Area, Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Stephanie J Wilson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary, Gloucester Point, USA
| | - Bongkeun Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary, Gloucester Point, USA.
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12
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Miksch S, Meiners M, Meyerdierks A, Probandt D, Wegener G, Titschack J, Jensen MA, Ellrott A, Amann R, Knittel K. Bacterial communities in temperate and polar coastal sands are seasonally stable. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2021; 1:29. [PMID: 36739458 PMCID: PMC9723697 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-021-00028-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Coastal sands are biocatalytic filters for dissolved and particulate organic matter of marine and terrestrial origin, thus, acting as centers of organic matter transformation. At high temporal resolution, we accessed the variability of benthic bacterial communities over two annual cycles at Helgoland (North Sea), and compared it with seasonality of communities in Isfjorden (Svalbard, 78°N) sediments, where primary production does not occur during winter. Benthic community structure remained stable in both, temperate and polar sediments on the level of cell counts and 16S rRNA-based taxonomy. Actinobacteriota of uncultured Actinomarinales and Microtrichales were a major group, with 8 ± 1% of total reads (Helgoland) and 31 ± 6% (Svalbard). Their high activity (frequency of dividing cells 28%) and in situ cell numbers of >10% of total microbes in Svalbard sediments, suggest Actinomarinales and Microtrichales as key heterotrophs for carbon mineralization. Even though Helgoland and Svalbard sampling sites showed no phytodetritus-driven changes of the benthic bacterial community structure, they harbored significantly different communities (p < 0.0001, r = 0.963). The temporal stability of benthic bacterial communities is in stark contrast to the dynamic succession typical of coastal waters, suggesting that pelagic and benthic bacterial communities respond to phytoplankton productivity very differently.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mirja Meiners
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - David Probandt
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Gunter Wegener
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Jürgen Titschack
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Senckenberg am Meer, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Maria A Jensen
- UNIS, The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway
| | - Andreas Ellrott
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Amann
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Katrin Knittel
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.
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13
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Schutte CA, Huanca-Valenzuela P, Lavik G, Marchant HK, de Beer D. Advection Drives Nitrate Past the Microphytobenthos in Intertidal Sands, Fueling Deeper Denitrification. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:556268. [PMID: 34220727 PMCID: PMC8250833 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.556268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrification rates are low in permeable intertidal sand flats such that the water column is the primary source of nitrate to the sediment. During tidal inundation, nitrate is supplied to the pore space by advection rather than diffusion, relieving the microorganisms that reside in the sand from nitrate limitation and supporting higher denitrification rates than those observed under diffusive transport. Sand flats are also home to an abundant community of benthic photosynthetic microorganisms, the microphytobenthos (MPB). Diatoms are an important component of the MPB that can take up and store high concentrations of nitrate within their cells, giving them the potential to alter nitrate availability in the surrounding porewater. We tested whether nitrate uptake by the MPB near the sediment surface decreases its availability to denitrifiers along deeper porewater flow paths. In laboratory experiments, we used NOx (nitrate + nitrite) microbiosensors to confirm that, in the spring, net NOx consumption in the zone of MPB photosynthetic activity was stimulated by light. The maximum potential denitrification rate, measured at high spatial resolution using microsensors with acetylene and nitrate added, occurred below 1.4 cm, much deeper than light-induced NOx uptake (0.13 cm). Therefore, the shallower MPB had the potential to decrease NOx supply to the deeper sediments and limit denitrification. However, when applying a realistic downward advective flow to sediment from our study site, NOx always reached the depths of maximum denitrification potential, regardless of light availability or season. We conclude that during tidal inundation porewater advection overwhelms any influence of shallow NOx uptake by the MPB and drives water column NOx to the depths of maximum denitrification potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles A Schutte
- Microsensors Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Gaute Lavik
- Biogeochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Hannah K Marchant
- Biogeochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Dirk de Beer
- Microsensors Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
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14
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Vaksmaa A, Knittel K, Abdala Asbun A, Goudriaan M, Ellrott A, Witte HJ, Vollmer I, Meirer F, Lott C, Weber M, Engelmann JC, Niemann H. Microbial Communities on Plastic Polymers in the Mediterranean Sea. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:673553. [PMID: 34220756 PMCID: PMC8243005 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.673553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Plastic particles in the ocean are typically covered with microbial biofilms, but it remains unclear whether distinct microbial communities colonize different polymer types. In this study, we analyzed microbial communities forming biofilms on floating microplastics in a bay of the island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea. Raman spectroscopy revealed that the plastic particles mainly comprised polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) of which polyethylene and polypropylene particles were typically brittle and featured cracks. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and imaging by high-resolution microscopy revealed dense microbial biofilms on the polymer surfaces. Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene showed that the bacterial communities on all plastic types consisted mainly of the orders Flavobacteriales, Rhodobacterales, Cytophagales, Rickettsiales, Alteromonadales, Chitinophagales, and Oceanospirillales. We found significant differences in the biofilm community composition on PE compared with PP and PS (on OTU and order level), which shows that different microbial communities colonize specific polymer types. Furthermore, the sequencing data also revealed a higher relative abundance of archaeal sequences on PS in comparison with PE or PP. We furthermore found a high occurrence, up to 17% of all sequences, of different hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria on all investigated plastic types. However, their functioning in the plastic-associated biofilm and potential role in plastic degradation needs further assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Vaksmaa
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, Netherlands
| | - Katrin Knittel
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Alejandro Abdala Asbun
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, Netherlands
| | - Maaike Goudriaan
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, Netherlands
| | - Andreas Ellrott
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Harry J Witte
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, Netherlands
| | - Ina Vollmer
- Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Florian Meirer
- Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Julia C Engelmann
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, Netherlands
| | - Helge Niemann
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, Netherlands.,Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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