Mangrove recruitment after forest disturbance is facilitated by herbaceous species in the Caribbean.

Plant communities along tropical coastlines are often affected by natural and human disturbances, but little is known about factors influencing recovery. We focused on mangrove forests, which are among the most threatened ecosystems globally, to examine how facilitation by herbaceous vegetation might improve forest restoration after disturbance. We specifically investigated whether recovery of mangrove forests in harsh environments is accelerated by nurse plants and whether the beneficial effects are species-specific. Quantification of standardized effects allowed comparisons across performance parameters and over time for: (1) net effect of each herbaceous species on mangrove survival and growth, (2) effects of pre- and post-establishment factors associated with each herbaceous species, and (3) need for artificial planting to enhance growth or survival of mangrove seedlings. Mangrove recruitment in a clear-cut forest in Belize was accelerated by the presence of Sesuvium portulacastrum (succulent forb) and Distichlis spicata (grass), two coastal species common throughout the Caribbean region. The net effect of herbaceous vegetation was positive, but the magnitude of effects on mangrove survival and growth differed by species. Because of differences in their vegetative structure and other features, species effects on mangroves also varied by mechanism: (1) trapping of dispersing propagules (both species), (2) structural support of the seedling (Distichlis), and/or (3) promotion of survival (Sesuviumn) or growth (Distichlis) through amelioration of soil conditions (temperature, aeration). Artificial planting had a stronger positive effect on mangrove survival than did edaphic conditions, but planting enhanced mangrove growth more in Sesuvium than in Distichlis patches. Our study indicates that beneficial species might be selected based on features that provide multiple positive effects and that species comparisons may be improved using standardized effects. Our findings are not only relevant to the coastal environments found in the Caribbean region, but our assessment methods may be useful for developing site-specific information to restore disturbed mangrove forests worldwide, especially given the large pool of mangrove associates (>45 genera) available for screening.     

Preliminary observations on the effect of heavy metals from mining and smelting on nitrogen-fixing bacteria in some British soils

Nitrogen fixation by free-living non-symbiotic bacteria has been qualitatively estimated in several surface soils and mine wastes from mineralised areas in Derbyshire and Cornwall, using a technique based on acetylene reduction. Fresh samples contaminated with varying amounts of one or more of the metals lead, zinc, cadmium and copper, together with appropriate controls, showed no ability to reduce acetylene, indicating an absence of nitrogen fixation. Addition of activeAzotobacter chroococcum resulted in acetylene reduction in the majority but not all of the samples. The effects of varying concentrations of lead, zinc, cadmium and copper on the growth ofAzotobacter chroococcum andBeijerinckia lactogenes were tested in laboratory culture.     

溶藻菌发酵液及其溶藻产物的生物急性毒性试验

应用发光细菌（Photobacteriumphosphoreum）急性毒性试验,研究了溶藻菌（Streptomycessp．HJC-D1）发酵液及其对铜绿微囊藻（Microcystisaemgmosa）抑制产物的生物急性毒性。结果表明,溶藻菌发酵液本身对发光细菌具有一定的低毒性,发酵3-5d时其相对发光度为（67．59％1：3．11％）-（72．35％±2．76％）;体积分数5％的溶藻菌发酵液可有效抑制初始质量浓度高达（O．1483±0．0032）mg-L-1的铜绿微囊藻生长,其抑藻率达85％以上,且藻液毒性明显低于对照组;以微囊藻毒素为主要溶藻产物进行毒性试验发现,其半抑制质量浓度为1096．92μg·L-1,水体藻毒素质量浓度低于20μg·L-1时其生物毒性较低。     

等毒性配比法研究镉、铬和铅对淡水发光细菌的联合毒性

当待测生物暴露在混合污染物中时,由于混合物中各组分相互影响,会产生联合毒性作用,表现为加和作用、协同作用和拮抗作用。为了深入了解重金属混合物的联合毒性对发光细菌的作用,利用淡水发光细菌——青海弧菌Q67(Vibrio qinghaiensis sp.nov-Q67)发光值的测定方法,采用联合毒性单位法,在测定了硝酸镉、重铬酸钾和硝酸铅单一毒性EC50的基础上,对硝酸镉 重铬酸钾、硝酸镉 硝酸铅、硝酸铅 重铬酸钾3种重金属二元混合物的联合毒性进行了评价。结果表明,硝酸镉 重铬酸钾、硝酸铅 重铬酸钾是拮抗作用,硝酸铅 硝酸镉是协同作用。     

Organic and inorganic phosphorus uptake by bacteria in a plug-flow microcosm

Phosphorus (P) is a vital nutrient for sustaining natural water productivity. Both particulate and dissolved forms of organic and inorganic P are potentially important sources of bioavailable P for primary and secondary producers. A microcosm system to imitate the bacterial community in Plym river sediment and pore water is described and bacterial uptake rates for inorganic and organic phosphorus are presented in this paper. The aim of this study was to investigate the uptake of two organic phosphorus compounds (phytic acid and D-glucose-6-phosphate) by freshwater bacteria. The bioreactors comprise glass columns packed with two types of small glass beads on which bacterial biofilm can develop. The glass beads with different porosity were introduced to simulate River SPM. The selected P compounds spiked into the inflow of the microcosm, and measured the step change of P concentration in the outflow to investigate the behavior of bacterial uptake of nutrients. The results showed that organic phosphorus was converted into inorganic phosphorus but the conversion rate depended on the type of phosphorus species. One experiment suggested that phytic acid (refractory) could displace phosphate from the biofilm surface; the other experiment showed that D-glucose-6-phosphate (labile) could be hydrolysed and utilized easily by the bacteria. The results also suggested that bacteria might break down the C-P bonds to utilize the carbon. Further experiments should investigate the effect of varying the C:N:P ratio in the microcosm system to determine which nutrient limits bacteria uptake.     

Carbon substrate usage by zooplankton-associated bacteria,phytoplankton-associated bacteria,and free-living bacteria under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Mesozooplankton provide oxic and anoxic microhabitats for associated bacteria, whose carbon substrate usage activities complement those of the ambient bacteria. The metabolic profiles of bacterial communities associated with the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa under aerobic and anaerobic conditions were examined in comparison with phytoplankton-associated bacteria. Carbon substrate usage by phytoplankton-associated bacteria was significantly different than that of copepod-associated bacteria in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Substrate utilization by copepod-associated bacteria was more dependent upon oxygen condition than whether the bacteria were located on the copepod exoskeleton or within the gut. Results suggest that gut bacteria were responsible for a large portion of anaerobic substrate usage by copepod-associated bacteria. The metabolic profiles of bacteria associated with six common zooplankton groups and free-living bacteria collected in July 2012 from the York River estuary, Virginia, (37°14′50.36″N, 76°29′58.03W) were also compared, and there were significant differences in their substrate utilization patterns between aerobic and anaerobic incubations, and among the different zooplankton groups. Through trophic interactions, phytoplankton-associated or free-living bacteria may be introduced to the anoxic zooplankton gut and its associated bacterial community. Inclusion of these anaerobic microenvironments and their microbial inhabitants increased the total number of substrates used by 57 % over what was used by aerobic phytoplankton-associated bacteria alone, and by 50 % over what was used by aerobic free-living bacteria in the York River. Therefore, the presence of zooplankton-associated microhabitats and their bacteria expanded the functionality of aquatic microbial communities and led to a more comprehensive substrate usage.     

Synergistic degradation of pyrene and volatilization of arsenic by cocultures of bacteria and a fungus

The combination of two bacteria (Bacillus sp. PY1 and Sphingomonas sp. PY2) and a fungus (Fusarium sp. PY3), isolated from contaminated soils near a coking plant, were investigated with respect to their capability to degrade pyrene and volatilize arsenic. The results showed that all strains could use pyrene and arsenic as carbon and energy sources in a basal salts medium (BSM), with the combined potential to degrade pyrene and volatilize arsenic. Bacillus sp. PY1, Sphingomonas sp. PY2 and Fusarium sp. PY3 were isolated from the consortium and were shown to degrade pyrene and volatilize arsenic independently and in combination. Fungal-bacterial coculture has shown that the most effective removal of pyrene was 96.0% and volatilized arsenic was 84.1% after incubation in liquid medium after 9 days culture, while bioremediation ability was 87.2% in contaminated soil with 100 mg·kg^-1 pyrene. The highest level of arsenic volatilization amounted to 13.9% of the initial As concentration in contaminated soil after 63 days. Therefore, a synergistic degradation system is the most effective approach to degrade pyrene and remove arsenic in contaminated soil. These findings highlight the role of these strains in the bioremediation of environments contaminated with pyrene and arsenic.     

白腐真菌对异狄氏剂的降解特性及降解机理

异狄氏剂作为一种防治农业害虫的杀虫剂在世界范围内曾被大量使用,其在环境中的残留及生物毒性已经引起广泛关注.为开发异狄氏剂降解菌资源,并阐明异狄氏剂的微生物降解机制,采用液体培养法研究了一株对狄氏剂具有降解能力的白腐真菌Phlebia acanthocystis TMIC34875对异狄氏剂的降解性能及机理.结果表明,在菌体接种量为15%(V/V)时,异狄氏剂在10 d培养期间的降解率达到最高的57%左右.该菌株在异狄氏剂的初始浓度为20μmol L-1时具有最大降解速率,为0.053μmol L-1h-1.在培养温度为25-35℃,pH值为4.5-5.5之间时,菌株对异狄氏剂具有较好的降解效果.相同条件下,菌株在马铃薯液体培养基中显示出比在Kirk合成液体培养基中更高的降解活性.通过气相色谱–质谱分析发现了多个未曾报道过的代谢产物,包括3个单一羟基化产物和1个羧基化产物,表明该菌株对异狄氏剂的降解途径不同于已知的细菌降解途径.     

Acute toxicity assessment of drinking water source with luminescent bacteria: Impact of environmental conditions and a case study in Luoma Lake,East China

• Acute toxicity assessment was conducted in Luoma lake watershed, East China. • Impacts of environmental factors on the toxicity testing was fully evaluated. • Dissolve oxygen had a weak positive correlation with luminescence inhibition rate. Protecting the quality of lake watersheds by preventing and reducing their contamination is an effective approach to ensure the sustainability of the drinking water supply. In this study, acute toxicity assessment was conducted on the basis of acute bioluminescence inhibition assay using the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri as the test organism and Luoma Lake drinking water source in East China as the research target. The suitable ranges of environmental factors, including pH value, organic matter, turbidity, hardness, and dissolved oxygen of water samples were evaluated for the toxicity testing of bioluminescent bacteria. The physicochemical characteristics of water samples at the selected 43 sites of Luoma Lake watershed were measured. Results showed that the variations in pH value (7.31–8.41), hardness (5–20 °d) and dissolved oxygen (4.44–11.03 mg/L) of Luoma Lake and its main inflow and outflow rivers had negligible impacts on the acute toxicity testing of V. fischeri. The luminescence inhibition rates ranged from -11.21% to 10.80% at the 43 sites. Pearson’s correlation analysis in the experiment revealed that temperature, pH value, hardness, and turbidity had no correlation with luminescence inhibition rate, whereas dissolved oxygen showed a weak statistically positive correlation with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.455 (p<0.05).     

Drug delivery systems using pullulan,a biocompatible polysaccharide produced by fungal fermentation of starch

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Advanced drug delivery systems are now designed with biodegradable, biocompatible and non-toxic materials such as polysaccharides. Pullulan is a polysaccharide...     

Simultaneous Feammox and anammox process facilitated by activated carbon as an electron shuttle for autotrophic biological nitrogen removal

• The autotrophic nitrogen removal combining Feammox and Anammox was achieved. • Activated carbon can be used as an electron shuttle to enhance Feammox activity. • Fe(III) was reduced to Fe(II) and the secondary Fe(II) mineral (FeOOH) was obtained. • The iron-reducing bacteria and Anammox consortium was enriched simultaneously. Ferric iron reduction coupled with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Feammox) is a novel ferric-dependent autotrophic process for biological nitrogen removal (BNR) that has attracted increasing attention due to its low organic carbon requirement. However, extracellular electron transfer limits the nitrogen transformation rate. In this study, activated carbon (AC) was used as an electron shuttle and added into an integrated autotrophic BNR system consisting of Feammox and anammox processes. The nitrogen removal performance, nitrogen transformation pathways and microbial communities were investigated during 194 days of operation. During the stable operational period (days 126–194), the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency reached 82.9%±6.8% with a nitrogen removal rate of 0.46±0.04 kg-TN/m³/d. The contributions of the Feammox, anammox and heterotrophic denitrification pathways to TN loss accounted for 7.5%, 89.5% and 3.0%, respectively. Batch experiments showed that AC was more effective in accelerating the Feammox rate than the anammox rate. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses showed the presence of ferric iron (Fe(III)) and ferrous iron (Fe(II)) in secondary minerals. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated that secondary iron species were formed on the surface of iron-AC carrier (Fe/AC), and Fe(III) was primarily reduced by ammonium in the Feammox process. The phyla Anaerolineaceae (0.542%) and Candidatus Magasanikbacteria (0.147%) might contribute to the Feammox process, and Candidatus Jettenia (2.10%) and Candidatus Brocadia (1.18%) were the dominative anammox phyla in the bioreactor. Overall, the addition of AC provided an effective way to enhance the autotrophic BNR process by integrating Feammox and anammox.     

The size distribution of airborne bacteria and human pathogenic bacteria in a commercial composting plant

•Bacterial concentrations from eight stages were 10⁴–10⁵copies/m³. •Diameter influenced clustering of bacterial and HPB lineages. •Dg of 8 HPB ranged from 2.42 to 5.09 μm in composting areas. •Dg of 8 HPB ranged from 3.70 to 8.96 μm in packaging areas. •HPB had high concentrations and small sizes in composting areas. Composting plants are regarded as one of the important sources of environmental bioaerosols. However, limitations in the size distribution of airborne bacteria have prevented our comprehensive understanding of their risk to human health and their dispersal behavior. In this study, different sizes of airborne bacteria were collected using an eight-stage impactor from a full-scale composting facility. Size-related abundance and communities of airborne bacteria as well as human pathogenic bacteria (HPB) were investigated using 16S rRNA gene sequencing coupled with droplet digital PCR. Our results indicate that the bacterial concentrations from the eight stages were approximately 10⁴–10⁵copies/m³. Although no statistical correlation was detected between the particle size and the Shannon index, the influence of size on bacterial lineages was observed in both composting and packaging areas. For airborne bacteria from different stages, the dominant phyla were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria, and the dominant genera was Bacillus. Seven out of eight HPB with a small geometric mean aerodynamic diameter had a high concentration in composting areas. Based on diameters of 2.42 to 5.09 μm, most HPB in the composting areas were expected to be deposited on the bronchus and secondary bronchus. However, in the packaging areas, the deposition of HPB (diameters 3.70 to 8.96 μm) occurred in the upper part of the respiratory tract. Our results on the size distribution, abundance, and diversity of these bacteria offer important information for the systematic evaluation of bacterial pathogenicity and the potential health impacts on workers in composting plants and the surrounding residents.     

石油烃降解菌对环己烷及环己酮的降解作用

原油中的环烷烃难以被微生物利用,能长期存在被污染的环境中,对环境造成严重持久的污染.针对环烷烃的污染问题,就微生物降解环己烷,环己酮的特性进行了研究.从胜利油田石油污染土壤中分离到1株能够分别以环己烷、环己酮为唯一碳源的降解菌A-1,经形态及生理生化特征和16 SrDNA的全序列测序分析,初步鉴定为节杆菌属(Arthrobacter sp.).通过摇瓶试验得出其最适生长条件为温度35 ℃,pH 7.0.当盐质量浓度在1020 g·L-1,环己烷体积分数在0.15 0.35 μL·mL-1,环己酮体积分数在0.200.30 μL·mL-1时,菌株A-1处于最佳生长状态.通过GC-MS分析,菌株A-1还能利用原油中C36C39的链烃,此外还能降解丙酮,辛烷,甲苯等链烃和芳烃.菌株A-1的生长条件和比较宽的底物利用范围的这一研究,为其更广泛的污染环境的生物修复提供了理论依据.     

Nanoplastic occurrence,transformation and toxicity: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Nanoplastics are emerging contaminants of concern for living organisms and ecosystems, yet nanoplastics are difficult to extract and analyse. Once released into...     

Uptake of dissolved organics by marine bacteria as a function of fluid motion

A mass transfer analysis predicts that fluid motion can increase the assimilation of dissolved organics by attached compared to free-living microorganisms under certain conditions. To test this we examined the effect of advective flow and fluid shear on the uptake of model compounds (leucine and glucose) by natural assemblages of heterotrophic bacteria, collected from Roosevelt Inlet, Delaware Bay (USA), in 1989. We found that [³H]leucine uptake by cells held in fluid moving at 20 to 70 m d^–1 was eight times larger than uptake by cells at a velocity of 3 m d^–1. This effect was only observed at low leucine concentrations (ca. 1 nM), when uptake was likely not saturated. When we added leucine at concentrations expected to saturate leucine uptake (ca. 11 nM), fluid motion past cells did not affect uptake. Fluid flow past bacteria did not increase [³H]glucose uptake, and laminar shear rates of 0.5 to 2.1 s^–1 did not increase either glucose or leucine uptake by suspended bacteria. These results indicate that fluid motion increases bacterial uptake of certain lowmolecular-weight dissolved organics only when the microorganism exists in an advective flow field. As predicted from a mass transfer model, fluid shear rates in natural systems are too low to affect bacterial uptake of such compounds.     

Remediation and toxicity of endocrine disruptors: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Endocrine disruptors are hazardous chemicals with chronic health effects for most living organisms, inducing homeostasis, hormonal imbalances, cancer, reproductive...     

铅锌污染耕地中重金属耐受细菌调查

对铅锌矿冶炼厂周围耕地中的细菌总数和抗性细菌群体数进行了调查。结果表明 ,随着污染的加重 ,土壤中可培养的细菌数量急剧减少 ,抗性细菌的比例增加。但是 ,细菌对Pb、Zn胁迫的适应进化反应不一样。经过长期的选择作用后 ,多数细菌群体能够耐受低浓度的Pb污染 (<2mmol·L-1) ,部分群体对低浓度Pb(0 .5mmol·L-1)有依赖性 ,但没有观察到能够耐受Pb浓度大于 4mmol·L-1的群体 ;0 .5mmol·L-1的Zn对细菌有抑制作用 ,但在所调查的样品中都存在能够耐受 4～ 6mmol·L-1Zn污染的群体 ,有的群体甚至能耐受 8mmol·L-1的Zn污染。能同时耐受Pb、Zn 2种重金属污染的群体数量较少 ,且耐受水平也较低 ,仅达到 2mmol·L-1。     

Inactivation of bacteria by sun light in a solar reactor with Immobilised TiO2

The photocatalytical inactivation of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis,...) in the flow‐through plate solar reactor by sunlight was investigated. The low stability of bacteria in the reactor was attributed to bacteria sensitivity to mixing and/or gas bubbling. Sunlight inactivation proceeds with sufficient rate even under cloudy conditions.     

Degradation of crude oil by a mixed population of bacteria isolated from sea-surface foams

A mixed bacteria population (EM₄) was isolated from foams formed on the surface of a zone chromically polluted by hydrocarbons (Gulf of Fos, French Mediterranean coast, October 1981). The population was able to degrade crude oil very effectively in the presence of sea water supplemented with nitrogen, phosphorus and iron. The percentage of hydrocarbon degradation was 81% at 30°C, pH 8, and partial oxygen pressure of 100%. After 12 d incubation, 92 and 83% of satured and aromatic compounds (mono-, di- and triaromatics) were degraded, respectively, as well as 63% of polar products and 48.5% of asphaltenes. Maximum degradation was attained at a sodium chloride concentration of between 400 and 800 mM with Population EM₄, which is constituted of 8 strains, four of which are weak halophiles. Bacterial growth on hydrocarbons induces the production in the culture medium of surface-active agents which are able to emulsify the substrate. There is high specificity between the nature of the growth substrate and such emulsifying activity, particularly as far as petroleum is concerned: only the culture medium from Population EM₄ is able to emulsify petroleum. These surface-active agents contain sugars and lipids (fatty acids, mono- and diglycerides). The foams, which always contain a high concentration of both hydrocarbons (100 to 180 mgl^-1) and bacteria that are able to grow on these types of substrates, have a strong emulsifying activity. Our results would seem to demonstrate the importance of biosurfactants in the elimination of hydrocarbons from polluted biotopes.     

Decomposition of organic and solubilisation of inorganic phosphorus compounds by bacteria isolated from a marine sandy beach

The ability to decompose organic and to solubilise inorganic phosphorus compounds was studied in heterotrophic bacteria isolated from a sandy beach in Sopot, southern Baltic coast. Bacteria able to hydrolyse DNA and phytin were most numerous, while only a small percentage of the studied strains was able to depolymerise glycerophosphate. The ranking of the potential of the studied bacteria to solubilise metallic phosphate salts as follows: calcium hydrogen phosphate>ferric phosphate>magnesium phosphate>calcium phosphate>aluminium phosphate. There were marked differences in the level of depolymerisation of organic compounds of phosphorus and solubilisation of inorganic phosphorus between bacteria inhabiting different parts of the studied beach, while there were generally no differences between the surface and subsurface sand layers. The activity of alkaline phosphatase was higher than that of acid phosphatase.Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe