Sources and major biogeochemical pathways of organic matter in the mangrove system of Rufiji estuary

Fatty acids were extracted from the surface sediments (10 cm) of three sampling sites of Rufiji estuary to infer their sources and biogeochemical pathways. The fatty acids ranging from C₈ to C₂₄ were distinguished from this study, and were broadly classified into saturated (SFAs), monounsaturated (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). SFAs were found to be the major fraction at station 1 and 3 where as at station 2, MUFAs dominated. A total of 19 fatty acids with a total concentration of 64.91 μg/g dry weight were characterised at station 1. C_16:0 was the most abundant fatty acid contributing 21.94% of total fatty acids (TFAs). C_22:2 was the second most abundant, which accounted for 9.46% of TFAs. Fatty acids ranging from C₁₂ to C₂₄ were identified at station 2. C₂₀ fatty acid was the most abundant fatty acid contributing 21.94%, followed by C_16:0. At station 3, fatty acids ranging from C₈ to C₂₄ were obtained. The PUFA C_20:5n-3 was the most abundant fatty acid contributing 21.65%, followed by C_24:0 (15.00% of TFAs). The ratio of lower molecular weight (LMW) to higher molecular weight (HMW) biomarkers was used as an indicators to distinguish higher plants organic matter from algae-derived fatty acids.     

丝状菌对生物淋滤去除底泥中重金属的促进作用

利用氧化亚铁硫杆菌(Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans,A.f)对采自株洲霞湾港底泥中的Cu、Cd、Pb和Zn 4种重金属进行生物淋滤实验,在实验中加入丝状菌考察其对重金属去除效果的影响。结果表明,丝状菌可以有效抑制低分子量有机酸对A.f的毒害作用,促进各种重金属的去除。当加入10%(体积比)的丝状菌后,生物淋滤过程中系统pH值在5 d内降低到2以下,Fe2+在4 d内完全氧化。经过10 d的处理,Cu、Cd、Pb和Zn 4种重金属的最高去除率分别达到76.3%、92.5%、52.6%和88.5%,与不加入丝状菌的处理相比,达到最大去除率所需的时间缩短1~2 d,4种重金属中,丝状菌的加入对Pb的去除促进作用最为明显,其去除率增加1倍左右。因此,在生物淋滤处理重金属-有机物复合污染底泥工艺中接入丝状菌对处理效果有很好的促进作用。     

The adsorption of short single-stranded DNA oligomers to mineral surfaces

We studied the adsorption of short single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) oligomers, of approximately 30 nucleotides (nt) in length, of varying sequence, adenine + guanine + cytosine (AGC) content, and propensity to form secondary structure, to equal surface area samples of olivine, pyrite, calcite, hematite, and rutile in 0.1 M NaCl, 0.05 M pH 8.1 KHCO₃ buffer. Although the mineral surfaces have widely varying points of zero charge, under these conditions they show remarkably similar adsorption of ssDNA regardless of oligomer characteristics. Mineral surfaces appear to accommodate ssDNA comparably, or ssDNA oligomers of this length are able to find binding sites of comparable strength and density due to their flexibility, despite the disparate surface properties of the different minerals. This may partially be due charge shielding by the ionic strength of the solutions tested, which are typical of many natural environments. These results may have some bearing on the adsorption and accumulation of biologically derived nucleic acids in sediments as well as the abiotic synthesis of nucleic acids before the origin of life.     

不同温度对SBR腐殖活性污泥系统运行效能的影响

在10～22℃范围内,通过实验考察了温度对腐殖土间歇式活性污泥处理(SBR)系统的运行特性的影响.实验结果表明,降低温度对SBR腐殖活性污泥系统去除COD影响不大,当温度降至10℃时,COD去除率仍可达到80%以上;在22～14℃范围内,SBR腐殖活性污泥系统对NH+4-N和TN的去除影响不大,温度降至10℃时,NH+...     

模拟升温和放牧对高寒草甸土壤微生物群落的影响

通过开顶式温室(Open top chambers,OTCs)升温以及刈割+施加牛粪处理,应用磷脂脂肪酸(Phospholipid fatty acids,PLFAs)方法,研究了青藏高原东部高寒草甸土壤微生物群落结构对气候变暖和放牧的响应.结果表明,高寒草甸在生长季节,微生物群落以细菌为主.平均1.17℃的土壤升温使土壤微生物PLFAs总量增加34.58%,而春季割草结合牛粪施加使微生物PLFAs总量增加65.77%.模拟变暖和放牧均引起土壤微生物群落结构的显著变化.升温使细菌相对含量增加8.80%,而使真菌相对含量降低17.48%,细菌与真菌之比由7.3变为9.6.放牧使细菌相对含量增加8.40%,真菌相对含量降低14.04%,细菌与真菌之比由7.3变为9.2.OTCs升温+放牧处理比单独的升温或放牧处理对土壤微生物总量和细菌与真菌比值的影响更加明显.本研究表明,气候变暖和人类活动能够在短期内显著地改变青藏高原高寒草甸土壤微生物群落结构,进而可能影响这一地区的生态系统碳收支和养分循环.     

有机酸溶解砖红壤过程中Mn（Ⅱ）的释放规律

研究土壤Mn（Ⅱ）释放规律对揭示锰氧化物的形成机制和了解酸性土壤锰毒效应大小具有重要意义.结果表明,柠檬酸溶解砖红壤过程中,Mn（Ⅱ）的释放速率在前4 h比较迅速,其释放数量可达24 h反应时间内总释放量的59.5%,但随后释放速率逐渐减缓.快速阶段被认为是土壤表面交换态Mn（Ⅱ）的释放,而慢速阶段则与土壤锰氧化物的缓...     

Essential versus potentially toxic dietary substances: a seasonal comparison of essential fatty acids and methyl mercury concentrations in the planktonic food web

We investigated seasonal variability of essential fatty acids (EFA) and methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations in four size categories of planktonic organisms in two coastal lakes. MeHg concentrations increased significantly with increasing plankton size and were independent of plankton taxonomy. However, total EFA increased from seston to mesozooplankton, but decreased in the cladoceran-dominated macrozooplankton size-class. Analysis of EFA patterns revealed that linoleic, alpha-linolenic, arachidonic, and eicosapentaenoic acids increased with increasing zooplankton size, but docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the cladoceran-dominated macrozooplankton was generally lower than in seston. This consistent pattern demonstrates that cladocerans, although bioaccumulating MeHg, convey less DHA than similar-sized copepods to their consumers. It is thus evident that fish consuming cladocerans have restricted access to DHA, yet unrestricted dietary access to MeHg. Thus, the structure of planktonic food webs clearly affects the composition of EFA and regulates dietary supply of these essential nutrients, while MeHg bioaccumulates with increasing zooplankton size.     

Chronic copper exposure and fatty acid composition of the amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus: results from a field study

Field study allows assessment of long-term effects on fatty acid (FA) composition of organisms under chronic exposure to metals. One expected effect of copper is peroxidation of lipids and essentially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). FA analysis was established for the amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus subjected to different degrees of copper exposure (4–40 μg Cu L⁻¹). A previous study in our team showed that this species regulates its body Cu concentration (106–135 mg Cu kg⁻¹ dry weight). Despite the high capacity of bioaccumulation, the absence of a correlation between copper concentration in D. villosus and water prevents its use as bioindicator of copper pollution. Both sexes from the most polluted site showed the lowest total FA content, but the highest PUFA percent, mainly of the long-chained variety (C20–C22). Mechanisms leading to the prevention of lipid peroxidation in this species were discussed (metallothioneins and intracellular granules) and proposed with support from literature data.     

Effects of long-term soil amendment with sewage sludges on soil humic acid thermal and molecular properties

Sewage sludges are frequently used as soil amendments due to their high contents of organic matter and nutrients, particularly N and P. However, their effects upon the chemistry of soil humic acids, one of the main components of the soil organic matter, need to be more deeply studied in order to understand the relation between organic matter structure and beneficial soil properties. Two sewage sludges subjected to different types of pre-treatment (composted and thermally dried) with very different chemical compositions were applied for three consecutive years to an agricultural soil under long-term field study. Thermal analysis (TG–DTG–DTA) and solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy were used to compare molecular and structural properties of humic acids isolated from sewage sludges, and to determine changes in amended soils. Thermally dried sewage sludge humic acids showed an important presence of alkyl and O/N-alkyl compounds (70%) while composted sludge humic acids comprised 50% aromatic and carbonyl carbon. In spite of important differences in the initial chemical and thermal properties of the two types of sewage sludges, the chemical and thermal properties of the soil humic acids were quite similar to one another after 3 years of amendment. Long-term application of both sewage sludges resulted in 80–90% enrichment in alkyl carbon and organic nitrogen contents of the soil humic acid fraction.     

Effects of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin on pyrene and benzo[α]pyrene: bioavailability and degradation in sotil

Effect of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD) on the bioavailability and biodegradation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pyrene (PYR) and benzo[α]pyrene (BaP) in spiked soils was investigated in 14-week incubation experiments. To evaluate the effect of HPCD in soils with a different matrix, humic substance (HS) was added into soil samples. A 6-h Tenax TA extraction method was used to evaluate pollutants bioavailability. The biodegraded and extracted fractions were compared to evaluate the impact of HPCD on PAHs biodegradation. Results indicated positive effects of HPCD on fast desorption behaviours of PAHs. The biodegraded fraction was consistent with that of the extracted for PYR. However, in terms of BaP, the results were contrary which suggests that biological factors may be limiting factors for BaP pollution remediation. HS weakened the HPCD solubilisation effect while accelerated the decay of PYR and BaP, also implying that bioavailability was not the sole factor limiting PAH biodegradation. In addition, analysis of microbial communities demonstrated that HPCD inhibited the growth of some soil bacteria while HS promoted the evolution of some soil microorganisms. A limited population of hydrocarbon degrader populations led to observing incomplete PAH biodegradation even in the presence of HPCD.