Do land utilization patterns a ect methanotrophic communities in a Chinese upland red soil?

Soil samples were collected from three plots under di erent land utilization patterns including degradation, farming, and restoration. The abundances of methanotrophs were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on the pmoA and 16S rRNA genes, and the community fingerprint was analyzed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) aiming at pmoA gene. Significantly lower 16S rRNA and pmoA genes copies were found in the degradation treatment than in farming and restoration. Higher abundances of Type I than those of Type II methanotrophs were detected in all treatments. The treatment of farming was clearly separated from degradation and restoration according to the DGGE profile by cluster analysis. The lowest diversity indices were observed in the F (farming plot), suggesting that the community structure was strongly a ected by farming activities. There were significantly positive correlations between the copy numbers of pmoA also Type II-related 16S rRNA genes and soil available K content. Strong negative and positive correlations were found between Type I and soil pH, and available P content, respectively. We concluded that the vegetation cover or not, soil characteristics including pH and nutrients of P and K as a result of anthropogenic disturbance may be key factors a ecting methanotrophic communities in upland soil.     

Influence of biomass density and food to microorganisms ratio on the mixed culture type I methanotrophs enriched from activated sludge

Methanotrophic based process can be the remedy to offset the wastewater treatment facilities increasing energy requirements due to methanotroph's unique ability to integrate methane assimilation with multiple biotechnological applications like biological nitrogen removal and methanol production. Regardless of the methanotrophic process end product, the challenge to maintain stable microbial growth in the methanotrophs cultivation bioreactor at higher cell densities is one of the major obstacles facing the process upscaling. Therefore, a series of consecutive batch tests were performed to attentively investigate the biomass density influence on type I methanotrophs bacterial growth. In addition, food to microorganisms(F/M), carbon to nitrogen(C/N) and nitrogen to microorganisms(N/M) ratio effect on the microbial activity was studied for the first time. It was clarified that the F/M ratio is the most influencing factor on the microbial growth at higher biomass densities rather than the biomass density increase, whereas C/N and N/M ratio change, while using nitrate as the nitrogen source,does not influence methanotrophs microbial growth. These study results would facilitate the scaling up of methanotrophic based biotechnology by identifying that F/M ratio as the key parameter that influences methanotrophs cultivation at high biomass densities.     

Interaction and independence on methane oxidation of landfill cover soil among three impact factors: water, oxygen and ammonium

To understand the influence patterns and interactions of three important environmental factors, i.e. soil water content, oxygen concentration, and ammonium addition, on methane oxidation, the soils from landfill cover layers were incubated under full factorial parameter settings. In addition to the methane oxidation rate, the quantities and community structures of methanotrophs were analyzed to determine the methane oxidation capacity of the soils. Canonical correspondence analysis was utilized to distinguish the important impact factors. Water content was found to be the most important factor influencing the methane oxidation rate and Type II methanotrophs, and the optimum value was 15% (w/w), which induced methane oxidation rates 10- and 6- times greater than those observed at 5% (w/w) and 20% (w/w), respectively. Ambient oxygen conditions were more suitable for methane oxidation than 3% oxygen. The addition of 100 mg-N·kg_drysoil⁻¹ of ammonium induced different effects on methane oxidation capacity when conducted at low or high water content. With regard to the methanotrophs, Type II was sensitive to the changes of water content, while Type I was influenced by oxygen content. Furthermore, the methanotrophic acidophile, Verrucomicrobia, was detected in soils with a pH of 4.9, which extended their known living environments.     

Do land utilization patterns affect methanotrophic communities in a Chinese upland red soil?

Soil samples were collected from three plots under different land utilization patterns including degradation,farming,and restoration.The abundances of methanotrophs were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR)based on the pmoA and 16S rRNA genes,and the community fingerprint was analyzed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE)aiming at pmoA gene.Significantly lower 16S rRNA and pmoA genes copies were found in the degradation treatment than in farming and restoration.Higher abundances of Type Ⅰ than those of Type Ⅱ methanotrophs were detected in all treatments.The treatment of farming was clearly separated from degradation and restoration according to the DGGE profile by cluster analysis.The lowest diversity indices were observed in the F(farming plot),suggesting that the community structure was strongly affected by farming activities.There were significantly positive correlations between the copy numbers of pmoA also Type Ⅱ-related 16S rRNA genes and soil available K content.Strong negative and positive correlations were found between Type Ⅰ and soil pH,and available P content,respectively.We concluded that the vegetation cover or not,soil characteristics including pH and nutrients of P and K as a result of anthropogenic disturbance may be key factors affecting methanotrophic communities in upland soil.     

Diversity of methanotrophs in Zoige wetland soils under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions

Zoige wetland is one of the most important methane emission centers in China. The oxidation of methane in the wetland a ects global warming, soil ecology and atmospheric chemistry. Despite their global significance, microorganisms that consume methane in Zoige wetland remain poorly characterized. In this study, we investigated methanotrophs diversity in soil samples from both anaerobic site and aerobic site in Zoige wetland using pmoA gene as a molecular marker. The cloning library was constructed according to the pmoA sequences detected. Four clusters of methanotrophs were detected. The phylogenetic tree showed that all four clusters detected were a liated to type I methanotrophs. Two novel clusters (cluster 1, cluster 2) were found to relate to none of the recognized genera of methanotrophs. These clusters have no cultured representatives and reveal an ecological adaptation of particular uncultured methanotrophs in Zoige wetland. Two clusters were belonging to Methylobacter and Methylococcus separately. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis gel bands pattern retrieved from these two samples revealed that the community compositions of anaerobic soil and aerobic soil were di erent from each other while anaerobic soil showed a higher metanotrophs diversity. Real-time PCR assays of the two samples demonstrated that aerobic soil sample in Zoige wetland was 1.5 times as much copy numbers as anaerobic soil. These data illustrated that methanotrophs are a group of microorganisms influence the methane consumption in Zoige wetland.     

长期不同施肥对暗棕壤甲烷氧化菌群落特征与功能的影响

不同施肥方式对我国旱地农田土壤甲烷氧化影响的微生物机制尚不明确.本研究利用PCR-DGGE和实时荧光定量PCR技术,结合甲烷氧化速率和土壤性质测定,探索了长期不同施肥条件下暗棕壤的"土壤性质-甲烷氧化菌群落特征-土壤甲烷氧化速率"关系.结果表明,有机肥和无机肥配施处理显著降低了土壤甲烷氧化速率,降幅为61.2%,而单独施用有机肥或无机肥对暗棕壤甲烷氧化速率的影响不显著;与对照相比,有机肥处理土壤甲烷氧化菌多样性指数增加91.9%,有机肥和无机肥配施处理增加102.5%,而单施无机肥后土壤甲烷氧化菌多样性指数变化不明显;有机肥处理土壤的pmoA基因丰度显著增加,平均pmoA基因丰度为不施用有机肥的12.7倍;土壤甲烷氧化速率与甲烷氧化菌的群落结构和比活性呈显著正相关,相关系数分别为0.363和0.684,但与甲烷氧化菌群落丰度和多样性不相关;甲烷氧化菌的群落结构和比活性与土壤pH值、全氮和有机质含量呈显著正相关.上述结果说明,长期不同施肥可以通过改变暗棕壤的pH值、全氮和有机质含量等土壤性质,改变甲烷氧化菌群落结构和比活性,进而影响土壤甲烷氧化速率;有机肥和无机肥配施土壤甲烷氧化菌多样性和丰度大幅度增加,而甲烷氧化速率却显著降低,说明有机肥和无机肥配施土壤中只有部分微生物发挥了甲烷氧化活性,但有待进一步研究.     

富铁炭对填埋覆土层甲烷氧化主导微生物活动的影响

为了进一步明晰甲烷氧化菌群与环境间的相关关系,通过比较其甲烷氧化量和胞外聚合物（EPS）2种重要的微生物生命活动来探讨不同基质浓度与不同炭组间交互产生的环境差异对微生物群落的影响.结果表明,不同基质浓度对微生物多样性和种群差异影响最大.在甲烷与氧气（15%,V/V）均充足的情况下甲烷氧化累积量主要由Ⅰ型甲烷氧化菌贡献;而在某一组分相对不足（￡10%,V/V）的气体浓度下,Ⅱ型甲烷氧化菌是消耗甲烷的主要微生物.在高甲烷低氧条件添加富铁炭或可有效缓解EPS堵塞且有利于Ⅱ型甲烷氧化菌Methylocystis的生长.     

典型氧化还原环境中微塑料表面的微生物群落组成特征与构建机制

微塑料广泛分布在微生物驱动的生物地球化学循环中,其表面会富集独特特征的微生物群落,构成微塑料圈（plastisphere）.自然环境中广泛存在的多种氧化还原环境不仅会影响微塑料圈中微生物群落的组成,还会影响微塑料的最终归宿.为探究典型氧化还原环境中微塑料表面的微生物群落组成特征与构建机制,将3种微塑料PHA （聚羟基脂肪酸酯）、PLA （聚乳酸）和PVC （聚氯乙烯）放置于好氧、硝酸盐还原、铁氧化物还原、硫酸盐还原和产甲烷这5种典型氧化还原环境中,利用污泥作为接种物,进行微宇宙模拟培养实验.结果表明,在分类学和系统发育学上,微塑料因子分别影响了微塑料表面18.94%和46.67%的微生物群落,氧化还原环境因子分别影响了微塑料表面31.04%和90.00%的微生物群落.与污泥相比较,3种微塑料表面富集的微生物群落丰富度和均匀度均降低,其中降低最明显的是更易降解的PHA微塑料,而难降解的PLA和PVC微塑料表面的微生物群落变化特征相似.PHA微塑料表面富集的微生物中,Anaerocolumna（26.44%）为其优势菌种,较少富集与氧化还原反应相关的特征菌群;PLA和PVC中,Clostridium_sensu_stricto_7 （15.49%和11.87%）为其优势菌种,且显著富集与氧化还原反应相关的特征菌群,表明与氧化还原反应相关的特征菌群更易于富集在难降解的微塑料表面,进而可能对生物地球化学循环速率造成影响.     

Methanotrophic community structure of aged refuse and its capability for methane bio-oxidation

Aged refuse from waste landfills closed for eight years was examined and found to contain rich methanotrophs capable of biooxidation for methane. Specially, community structure and methane oxidation capability of methanotrophs in the aged refuse were studied. The amount of methanotrophs ranged 61.97 103–632.91 103 cells/g (in dry basis) in aged refuse from Shanghai Laogang Landfill. Type I and II methanotrophs were found in the aged refuse in the presence of sterilized sewage sludge and only Type I methanotrophs were detected in the presence of nitrate minimal salt medium (NMS). The clone sequences of the pmoA gene obtained from the aged refuse were similar to the pmoA gene of Methylobacter, Methylocaldum, and Methylocystis, and two clones were distinct with known genera of Type I methanotrophs according to phylogenetic analysis. Aged refuse enriched with NMS was used for methane biological oxidation and over 93% conversions were obtained.     

不同材质水窖沉积物中真菌群落差异及其与环境因子的相关性

集雨窖水沉积物中蕴含丰富多样的真菌群落,这些真菌作为连接窖水生态系统与沉积物之间物质交换的桥梁和纽带,在窖水生态系统中发挥着重要作用;真菌群落结构特征的变化也通常与环境因子的变化有着紧密的联系.运用16S rRNA基因-Illumina MiSeq高通量测序技术,对两种不同集流面环境下的水窖沉积物中真菌群落多样性及差异进行研究.结果表明,混凝土集流环境下的水窖沉积物较黄土地集流环境下的水窖沉积物具有更高的真菌群落多样性与丰富度,两种集流环境下的真菌群落优势菌门相同,分别为子囊菌门（Ascomycota）、担子菌门（Basidiomycota）和接合菌门（Zygomycota）,它们构成了菌门丰度的90%以上,但前者具有更好的均一性和稳定性.基于LEfSe分析得到的标志物种显示,在黄土地集流环境中对差异性贡献最大的菌群是Basidiobolales,贡献最小的是Mycosphaerella;在混凝土集流环境中对差异性贡献最大的菌群是Saccharomycetales,贡献最小的是Periconia.微生物群落-环境因子共现性网络显示真菌和真菌之间,真菌和环境因子之间均为正向关系大于负向关系.研究结果加深了对水窖沉积物中真菌群落多样性的认识,可为保障集雨窖水人畜饮用安全和改善窖水水质提供了借鉴.     

典型污染物包覆层中氯仿的沿程生物转化机制

为明晰氯仿（CF）在包覆层中的降解过程,构建了模拟覆盖层系统（SLCS）,并结合高通量测序技术首次系统分析了CF在SLCS中的沿程生物转化机制,结果表明,覆盖层可根据氧气含量分为有氧区（0~20cm）、缺氧区（20~40cm）和无氧区（>40cm）.高通量测序分析表明,有氧区的优势菌为甲烷氧化菌,其中I型菌Methylobacter（甲基杆菌属）及Ⅱ型菌Methylosinus（甲基弯菌属）居多,缺氧区甲烷氧化菌的相对丰度为13%左右,缺氧和无氧区中Anaeromyxobacter（厌氧粘细菌属）成为了优势CF厌氧降解菌.CF在有氧、缺氧和无氧条件下均有效降解.在缺氧和无氧区,CF经厌氧还原脱氯转化为二氯甲烷,部分二氯甲烷在Dehalobacter（脱卤素杆菌属）作用下产生乙酸盐、H₂和CO₂.在有氧区,其余二氯甲烷通过甲烷氧化菌共代谢降解.改变进气口通量发现,SLCS对甲烷的去除率与通量呈负相关关系（R²=0.80）,但甲烷氧化速率与通量呈正相关关系（R²=0.90）.与甲烷类似,SLCS对CF的去除率与进气口通量呈负相关关系（R²=0.86）,但降解速率与进气口通量呈正相关关系（R²=0.89）.此外,进气口通量的增加对CF好氧共代谢降解的促进作用大于厌氧还原脱氯降解.该研究对氯代烃类污染物的降解提供了新的基础,对该类污染物的原位生物修复提供了理论依据.     

Microbial community changes in aquifer sediment microcosm for anaerobic anthracene biodegradation under methanogenic condition

The widespread distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in groundwater has become an important environmental issue. Knowledge of microbial community changes could aid in identification of particular microorganisms that are capable of degrading PAHs in contaminated aquifers. Therefore, 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis was used to identify the archaeal and bacterial communities in an aquifer sediment microcosm used for anaerobic anthracene degradation under methanogenic conditions. A remarkable shift of the archaeal community structure occurred after anaerobic anthracene degradation, but the types of the abundant bacterial phyla did not change. However, a decrease of both archaeal and bacterial diversity was observed. Bacterial genera Bacillus, Rhodococcus and Herbaspirillum might have links with anaerobic anthracene degradation, suggesting a role of microbial consortia. This work might add some new information for understanding the mechanism of PAH degradation under methanogenic conditions.     

Effect of methamidophos on soil fungi community in microcosms by plate count, DGGE and clone library analysis

Methamidophos was widely used a pesticide in northern China. The potential influences of methamidophos on soil fungal community in black soil were assessed by plate count, 28S rDNA-PCR-DGGE, and clone library analysis. Three methamidophos levels (50, 150, and 250 mg/kg) were tested in soil microcosms. Results from plate count during a 60-d microcosm experiment showed that high concentrations of methamidophos (250 mg/kg) could significantly stimulate fungal populations. DCGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) fingerprinting patterns showed a significant difference between the responses of culturable and total fungi communities under the stress of methamidophos. Shannon diversity indices calculated from DGGE profiles indicated that culturable fungi in all microcosms with methamidophos treatment increased after 1 week of incubation. However, the diversity indices of total fungi decreased in the first week, as compared to the stimulation of culturable fungi. At the 8th week, however, all the microcosms treated by methamidophos were similar to the control microcosms in community structure as suggested by the Shannon diversity indices for both culturable and total fungi. In contrast, after 1 week the fungal structure of culturable and unculturable both were disturbed to different extent under the stresses of methamidophos by clustering analysis. Clone sequencing analysis indicated the stimulation of pathogenic and unculturable fungal populations by methamidophos treatment, suggetsing potential risks of plant disease outbreak.     

内蒙古高原干涸湖泊反硝化及甲烷氧化细菌的群落分析

以内蒙古高原半干旱草原区干涸湖泊为研究对象,应用末端限制性片段长度多态性(T-RFLP)技术对湿地土壤中的反硝化和甲烷氧化关联菌群的关键功能基因nosZ和pmoA进行了研究,根据末端限制性片段(T-RFs)分析了两种菌群的群落结构及多样性变化,以及环境因素所产生的影响,并探讨了土壤微生物群落对湖泊干涸的响应机制.结果表明:干涸湖泊的湖心、湖底土壤反硝化和甲烷氧化细菌多样性指数较高,群落结构较复杂;而较早干涸的湖坡以及相邻草原对照区,两个菌群多样性指数较低,群落结构相对单一.从湖心到相邻草原,反硝化和甲烷氧化细菌的群落相似度逐渐降低,显示两个菌群处于动态演替中.湖泊干涸过程中,水分含量和有机质含量对反硝化和甲烷氧化细菌的群落结构影响显著;高pH值和高铵态氮分别对反硝化和甲烷氧化细菌有抑制作用.随着湖泊干涸,土壤微生物群落因环境扰动而受到胁迫,这一过程会加剧CO2等温室气体的排放.     

厌氧氨氧化菌富集培养过程微生物群落结构及多样性

为深入理解厌氧氨氧化菌富集培养过程微生物群落变化特征,采用ASBR反应器进行厌氧氨氧化菌富集培养,考察了不同培养时间微生物群落组成、多样性及物种网络关系.结果表明,通过逐步提高基质浓度,实现了厌氧氨氧化菌富集,NH₄⁺-N和NO₂^--N去除率分别为97.6%和95.4%,总氮去除率为84.9%.高通量测序发现,整个培养过程优势菌门（相对丰度>5%）为变形菌门（Proteobacteria）、拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes）、绿弯菌门（Chloroflexi）、浮霉菌门（Planctomycetes）、装甲菌门（Armatimonadetes）和放线菌门（Actinobacteria）;富集培养获得的主要厌氧氨氧化菌为Candidatus Brocadia,相对丰度从1.42%增长到24.66%;培养过程,微生物群落优势菌群组成未发生变化,但相对丰度呈现显著差异（P<0.05）.富集培养过程不同时间,微生物群落α多样性呈现先升高后降低的趋势,且存在显著差异（P<0.05）;微生物群落β多样性在富集培养过程发生明显空间分异特征,且存在显著差异（R=0.5672,P<0.01）.培养过程不同时间,物种网络密度分别为0.188、0.068、0.059、0.18和0.0735;虽然富集培养过程导致微生物间的关联作用变弱,但浮霉菌门相关类群的物种成为网络中的主要节点.     

基于mcrA基因的厌氧颗粒污泥产甲烷菌群分析

基于mcrA基因对阿维菌素废水处理工业化UASB厌氧颗粒污泥中产甲烷菌群进行分析,并与基于16S rRNA基因的产甲烷菌群分析结果进行比较.结果表明,基于2种目标基因PCR产物的DGGE图谱存在差异,但根据图谱计算所得产甲烷菌群Shannon多样性指数、Margalef丰富度指数和Berger-Parker优势度指数没有差异,表明基于2种目标基因的产甲烷菌群多样性分析基本一致.基于不同目标基因的优势产甲烷菌群系统发育种属的分析结果大体相似,产甲烷杆菌目和产甲烷八叠球菌目是厌氧颗粒污泥样品中的优势产甲烷种群;同时,分析结果的差异表明2种目标基因的检测特异性不完全相同.基于2种目标基因的产甲烷菌群FISH杂交区域具有很高的一致性,但杂交区域面积有所差异.基于mcrA基因FISH检测的产甲烷菌群平均相对丰度为24.25%±6.47%,低于基于16S rRNA基因FISH检测结果(33.42%±2.34%).以上结果表明,基于mcrA基因与基于16S rRNA基因的的产甲污泥菌群分析结果具有较高的相似度,mcrA基因可以作为16S rRNA基因的替代目标基因.     

红壤区退化林地表土真菌群落结构对土壤改良措施的响应

真菌群落结构和多样性对于土壤改良效果具有高敏感性.研究南方红壤区侵蚀退化林表土真菌群落对有机肥、生物炭和石灰+微生物肥的响应,以明晰不同改土措施的作用.结果表明：(1)3种土壤改良措施均降低了表土真菌丰富度,其中石灰+微生物肥降低作用最大,3种土壤改良措施对表土真菌多样性也有影响,但影响不显著;(2)表土中优势真菌门为子囊菌门(Ascomycota, 31.29%～46.55%)、担子菌门(Basidiomycota, 30.07%～70.71%),优势真菌属为阿太菌属(Amphinema)和单形古根菌属(Archaeorhizomyces),3种土壤改良措施对表土真菌群落结构的影响不同,有机肥提高了子囊菌门和单形古根菌属的相对丰度,生物炭提高了担子菌门和阿太菌属的相对丰度,而石灰+微生物肥则提高了担子菌门和单形古根菌属的相对丰度;(3)土壤pH是影响表土真菌丰富度的关键因子,而表土真菌群落结构则受pH、全氮和有机碳的影响.研究结果为南方红壤区侵蚀退化林地土壤改良,林下植被生态恢复提供科学指导.     

Spatial and seasonal variations in bacterial communities of the Yellow Sea by T-RFLP analysis

Four typical coastal sites (rocky shore, sandy shore, mud flat shore, and artificial harbor) at the Yellow Sea were chosen to investigate the spatial and seasonal variations in bacterial communities. This was accomplished by using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of PCR amplified 16S rDNA fragments. Two kinds of tetrameric restriction enzymes, HhaI and MspI, were used in the experiment to depict the bacterial community diversity in different marine environments. It was found that the community compositions digested by the two enzymes separately were different. However, the results of bacterial community diversity derived from them were similar. The MDA analysis results of T-RFLP profiles coming from HhaI and MspI both exhibited a significant seasonal community shift for bacteria and a relatively low spatial variation among the four locations. With HhaI as the sample, the pair wise T-tests also revealed that variations were minor between each pair of marine environments, with R ranging from 0.198 to 0.349. However, the bacterial community structure in the mud flat site depicted a larger difference than each of the other three sites (R ranging from 0.282 to 0.349).     

SSCP技术分析不同废水处理系统中微生物群落结构

为研究不同废水处理系统中微生物群落结构以及认识群落结构与系统处理效能的关系,采用单链构象多态性技术(SSCP)分别对稳定运行的脱氮除磷反应器(N),中药废水处理反应器(P),啤酒废水处理反应器(W),糖蜜废水发酵制氢反应器(H)以及硫酸盐还原反应器(S)等5种废水处理系统中的微生物群落结构进行了解析.结果表明,处理同种废水且状态均一的反应器中微生物群落结构相似性最大;微生物种群多样性与废水中的有机质复杂性成正相关,中药废水由于含有较复杂的有机质成分,种群多样性最高,而人工配水的处理系统由于营养成分单一,种群多样性较低;与模式群落中微生物SSCP条带比较显示,某些功能微生物类群在整个系统中相对数量并非占优势,发酵产氢菌Ethanologenbacterium sp.在状态良好的制氢反应器中相对含量仅占5%,而脱硫弧菌Desulfovibrio sp.在硫酸盐还原反应器中的相对比例小于1.5%.SSCP指纹图谱技术能够揭示不同处理系统中微生物群落结构的差别,并对这些工艺中的部分功能微生物进行监测,进而为提高反应器的运行效果提供有益的指导.     

Microbial community structure in different wastewater treatment processes characterized by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) technique

In order to investigate microbial community structures in different wastewater treatment processes and understand the relationship between the structures and the status of processes, the microbial community diversity, variety and distribution in five wastewater treatment processes were studied by a culture-independent genetic fingerprinting technique single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). The five processes included denitrifying and phosphate-removal system (diminished N), Chinese traditional medicine wastewater treatment system (P), beer wastewater treatment system (W), fermentative biohydrogen-producing system (H), and sulfate-reduction system (S). The results indicated that the microbial community profiles in the wastewater bioreactors with the uniform status were very similar. The diversity of microbial populations was correlated with the complexity of organic contaminants in wastewater. Chinese traditional medicine wastewater contained more complex organic components; hence, the population diversity was higher than that of simple nutrient bioreactors fed with molasses wastewater. Compared with the strain bands in a simulated community, the relative proportion of some functional microbial populations in bioreactors was not dominant. Fermentative biohydrogen producer Ethanoligenens harbinense in the better condition bioreactor had only a 5% band density, and the Desulfovibrio sp. in the sulfate-reducing bioreactor had less than 1.5% band density. The SSCP profiles could identify the difference in microbial community structures in wastewater treatment processes, monitor some of the functional microbes in these processes, and consequently provide useful guidance for improving their efficiency. __________ Translated from Environmental Science, 2006, 27(7): 1,429–1,433 [译自: 环境科学]