Characterization of microbial communities from coastal waters using microarrays

Molecular methods, including DNA probes, were used to identify and enumerate pathogenic Vibrio species in the Chesapeake Bay; our data indicated that Vibrio vulnificus exhibits seasonal fluctuations in number. Our work included a characterization of total microbial communities from the Bay; development of microarrays that identify and quantify the diversity of those communities; and observation of temporal changes in those communities. To identify members of the microbial community, we amplified the 16S rDNA gene from community DNA isolated from a biofilm sample collected from the Chesapeake Bay in February, 2000. The resultant 75 sequences were 95% or more similar to 7 species including two recently described Shewanella species, baltica and frigidimarina, that have not been previously isolated from the Chesapeake. When the genera of bacteria from biofilm after culturing are compared to those detected by subcloning amplified 16S fragments from community DNA, the cultured sample exhibited a strong bias. In oysters collected in February, the most common bacteria were previously unknown. Based on our 16S findings, we are developing microarrays to detect these and other microbial species in these estuarine communities. The microarrays will detect each species using four distinct loci, with the multiple loci serving as an internal control. The accuracy of the microarray will be measured using sentinel species such as Aeromonas species, Escherichia coli, and Vibrio vulnificus. Using microarrays, it should be possible to determine the annual fluctuations of bacterial species (culturable and non-culturable, pathogenic and non-pathogenic). The data may be applied to understanding patterns of environmental change; assessing the health of the Bay; and evaluating the risk of human illness associated with exposure to and ingestion of water and shellfish.     

投加聚氨酯泡沫微生物固定化载体的SBBR脱氮除磷实验研究

研究投加聚氨酯泡沫微生物固定化载体的SBBR脱氮除磷效果及机理.在SBR中填充聚氨酯泡沫微生物固定化载体,形成序批式生物膜反应器(SBBR).SBBR以实际生活污水为处理对象,在A/O运行工况下对微生物进行培养驯化,并在SBBR运行稳定时研究其脱氮除磷效果.研究结果表明,SBBR中的聚氨酯泡沫微生物固定化载体在空间上形...     

A/O-MBBR工艺处理生活污水性能及菌群结构

采用设计规模为100m³/d的一体化缺/好氧-移动床生物膜反应器(A/O-MBBR)处理实际生活污水,通过265d的中试研究考察了该工艺在多因素扰动下的除碳和脱氮性能,并对不同运行阶段微生物群落结构的动态变化进行了研究.结果表明,一体化A/O-MBBR系统具有良好的COD去除效果和脱氮性能.当好氧池溶解氧(DO)浓度和进水碳氮比(COD/N)分别为2.5~3.5mg/L和(7.9±2.0)时,COD、NH₄⁺-N和TN去除率分别达到(93.3±5.4)%、(99.1±0.6)%和(67.9±10.5)%.Proteobacteria、Bacteroidetes和Chloroflexi在不同运行时期均有较高的相对丰度,保证了有机物的高效去除.A/O-MBBR系统脱氮功能菌在运行初期主要分布于活性污泥中,且相对丰度较低.长期运行后,生物膜与活性污泥中均同时检出大量硝化菌和反硝化菌.其中,相对丰度最高的硝化菌为Nitrospira,主要分布于生物膜上(19.48%~28.05%).反硝化菌则以Thauera、Terrimonas和Dokdonella等为主.     

Application of Defined Co-Immobilized Microbial Consortium as a Ready-to-Use Seed Inoculum in Bod Analysis

A number of microorganisms were isolated from sewage. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD-5 day) analysis was carried out by individual pure cultures. The cultures giving higher or equal BOD values as compared to reference GGA solution were selected for the formulation of a defined mixed microbial consortium. This microbial consortium was co-immobilized on calcium-alginate beads. Four synthetic and six industrial samples were tested for BOD by using immobilized beads as well as sewage as source of seeding materials. BOD values obtained with beads for all the synthetic as well as industrial samples were fairly comparable with those obtained with sewage. Reusability of prepared microbial beads was also checked with different synthetic and industrial samples and was compared with reference GGA solution. The same microbial beads can be reused three times for different BOD-5 day estimations. It is recommended that immobilized microbial beads can be used as a ready-to-use seeding material for BOD analysis.     

evaluation of a measurement method for forest vegetation in a large-scale ecological survey

We evaluate a field method for determining species richness andcanopy cover of vascular plants for the Forest Health MonitoringProgram (FHM), an ecological survey of U.S. forests. Measurementsare taken within 12 1-m² quadrats on 1/15 ha plots in FHM.Species richness and cover are determined for four height classes(strata) within each quadrat and aggregated by stratum over the entireplot. We estimated (1) the agreement between experienced trainers andinexperienced technicians who collected the data on this survey(accuracy) and (2) the agreement among the technicians (precision) forresults on species richness and cover from 3 test plots at 3 timeintervals. The methods appear to be highly precise, although somediscrepancies with the values obtained by the trainers were found.Trainers found significantly more species in the ground stratum (0–0.6 m) and measured significantly more cover in the uppermost stratum(>4.9 m). The proportion of variation due to measurement error andtemporal variability was less than 13% for species richness (all strata)and cover (all but one stratum). This indicates that the method issuitable for monitoring changes in species richness and canopy coverfor a large-scale synoptic monitoring project such as FHM.     

长株潭城市生态绿心生物多样性调查——以陆生维管植物为例

生物多样性是生态系统健康的关键决定因素,是地球生命共同体的血脉和根基。以长株潭绿心区域陆生维管植物生物多样性调查数据为基础,将43个森林样方划分为6种植被类型17个群系,统计了各植被类型和群系物种数量;以重要值（IV）为依据,分析了乔木、灌木、草本植物的空间结构和优势度。结果表明,调查的43个森林样方中共记录有乔木种类80种;常绿阔叶林和常绿针叶林是调查样方中占比较大的2种植被型;马尾松、檵木、杨桐、杉木、苦槠、毛竹是样方中的常见种;不同样方树种数量、空间结构和重要值均有较明显的差别,不同群系空间结构有较明显的差别。乔木层树高为3~20 m,其中毛竹林群系树高差别较小,米槠林群系树高差别较大;乔木层胸径为3~40 cm,其中栓皮栎林群系的乔木胸径差别最小,米槠林群系差别最大。     

Monitoring of a Coastal Mediterranean Area: Culturable Bacteria, Phytoplankton, Environmental Factors and their Relationships in the Southern Adriatic Sea

Culturable heterotrophic bacterial and phytoplanktonic densities were investigated at four sites in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Brindisi, S. Cataldo, Otranto and S. M. di Leuca) over an annual cycle. The main phytoplankton groups, the bacterial biodiversity, as well as the faecal contamination indicators were determined. Culturable bacterial numbers averaged 4.8 ± 0.2 log CFU ml⁻¹ whereas phytoplankton numbers averaged 2.1 ± 0.4 log cells ml⁻¹. Relationships between culturable bacteria, phytoplankton and the environmental factors were established. Bacterial and phytoplankton densities usually depended significantly on temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphate and nitrite only in the S. Cataldo transect. In all the examined transects phytoplankton showed a bloom during the January–February period followed by a bacterial peak during the February–March period. Thus we can suppose that the phytoplankton winter bloom is responsible for the availabily of organic matter for bacterial populations in the following months in this oligotrophic ecosystem.     

Mapping the Spatial Variability of Plant Diversity in a Tropical Forest: Comparison of Spatial Interpolation Methods

Knowledge of the spatial distribution of plant species is essential to conservation and forest managers in order to identify high priority areas such as vulnerable species and habitats, and designate areas for reserves, refuges and other protected areas. A reliable map of the diversity of plant species over the landscape is an invaluable tool for such purposes. In this study, the number of species, the exponent Shannon and the reciprocal Simpson indices, calculated from 141 quadrat sites sampled in a tropical forest were used to compare the performance of several spatial interpolation techniques used to prepare a map of plant diversity, starting from sample (point) data over the landscape. Means of mapped classes, inverse distance functions, kriging and co-kriging, both, applied over the entire studied landscape and also applied within vegetation classes, were the procedures compared. Significant differences in plant diversity indices between classes demonstrated the usefulness of boundaries between vegetation types, mapped through satellite image classification, in stratifying the variability of plant diversity over the landscape. These mapped classes, improved the accuracy of the interpolation methods when they were used as prior information for stratification of the area. Spatial interpolation by co-kriging performed among the poorest interpolators due to the poor correlation between the plant diversity variables and vegetation indices computed by remote sensing and used as covariables. This indicated that the latter are not suitable covariates of plant diversity indices. Finally, a within-class kriging interpolator yielded the most accurate estimates of plant diversity values. This interpolator not only provided the most accurate estimates by accounting for the indices' intra-class variability, but also provided additional useful interpretations of the structure of spatial variability of diversity values through the interpretation of their semi-variograms. This additional role was found very useful in aiding decisions in conservation planning.     

A New Approach to Plant Diversity Assessment Combining HPLC Data, Simplex Mixture Design and Discriminant Analysis

The quantitative assessment of plant diversity and its monitoring with time represent a key environmental issue for management and conservation of natural resources. Assessment of plant diversity could be based on chemical analyses of secondary metabolites (e.g. flavonoids, terpenoids), because of the substantial quantitative and qualitative between-individual variability in such compounds. At a geographical scale, the plant populations become widely dispersed, and their monitoring from numerous routine individual analyses could become restricting. To overcome such constraint, this study develops a multivariate calibration model giving the relative frequency of a particular taxon from a simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of a plant mixture. The model was built from a complete set of mixtures combining different taxons, according to an experimental design (Scheffé’s matrix). For each mixture, a reference HPLC pattern was simulated by averaging the individual HPLC profiles of the constitutive taxons. The calibration models, based on Bayesian discriminant analysis (BDA), gave statistical relationships between the contributions of each taxon in mixtures and reference HPLC patterns of these mixtures. Finally, these models were validated on new mixtures by using outside plants. This new biodiversity survey approach is illustrated on four chemical taxons (four chemotypes) of Astragalus caprinus (Fabaceae). The more differentiated the taxon, the better predicted its contributions (in mixtures) were by BDA calibration model. This new approach could be very useful for a global routine survey of plant diversity.     

森林、茶园和菜园3种土地利用类型下的蝴蝶群落物种与功能多样性比较研究

土地利用变化是蝴蝶多样性丧失的重要原因,为探究森林转变为茶园与菜园后蝴蝶多样性的变化特点,于2019年4—10月采用样线法在江苏宝华山逐月调查了上述3种土地利用类型下的蝴蝶多样性。调查结果显示,共监测到蝴蝶5科47属62种;森林的Shannon Wiener多样性指数、Margalef丰富度指数和Pielou均匀度指数均高于茶园和菜园,但Simpson优势度指数茶园最高;功能丰富度指数（F_ric）、二次熵指数（RaoQ）都是森林显著高于其他2种土地利用类型,但菜园的F_ric显著高于茶园;功能离散度指数（F_div）和功能均匀度指数（F_eve）3种土地利用类型间无显著差异。蝴蝶群落物种和功能多样性与植被类型及其时空变化有明显的相关性,土地利用变化等人类活动对蝶类群落多样性有破坏作用。