木质素在海洋中的生物转化及其对海洋碳循环的影响

微型生物参与的海洋碳汇是海洋重要的储碳途径,可调节全球气候变化。木质素是地球上第二大光合而成的碳库,其在海洋中的生物地球化学过程与海洋碳循环密切相关。异养微生物所主导的代谢活动是木质素生物转化的主要途径。近年来,迅速发展的高通量测序技术与传统微生物技术相结合,在探索自然生境中木质素代谢菌群,发现木质素代谢新物种,挖掘相关功能基因等方面已取得一系列成果。然而绝大多数的研究主要集中于陆地生态系统,对于海洋生态系统的研究仍较少。陆源有机碳在海洋中的转化过程仍是一个"谜",故解析海洋木质素碳转化是海洋碳循环研究的重要任务。本文综述了参与海洋木质素转化的功能微生物、木质素代谢机理以及微生物碳代谢活动与海洋碳汇过程的内在联系,为今后的研究提供参考。     

陆地和淡水生态系统新型微生物氮循环研究进展

氮生物地球化学循环是地球物质循环的重要枢纽,是决定陆地生态系统生产力水平、水资源安全、温室气体生成排放的关键过程。氮循环是由微生物介导的一系列复杂过程,不同形态、价态氮化合物的转化分别由相应的功能微生物驱动完成。随着厌氧氨氧化、完全氨氧化等新型氮转化过程的相继报道和发现更新了人们对氮循环的认识。本文综述了陆地和淡水生态系统中厌氧氨氧化(anammox)、硝酸盐异化还原为铵(DNRA)、完全氨氧化(comammox)等新型氮循环过程的发生机制、热区分布及环境效应,并总结了这三种氮循环的相互关系。     

Temporal Stability of the Microbial Community in Sewage-Polluted Seawater Exposed to Natural Sunlight Cycles and Marine Microbiota

Billions of gallons of untreated wastewater enter the coastal ocean each year. Once sewage microorganisms are in the marine environment, they are exposed to environmental stressors, such as sunlight and predation. Previous research has investigated the fate of individual sewage microorganisms in seawater but not the entire sewage microbial community. The present study used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to examine how the microbial community in sewage-impacted seawater changes over 48 h when exposed to natural sunlight cycles and marine microbiota. We compared the results from microcosms composed of unfiltered seawater (containing naturally occurring marine microbiota) and filtered seawater (containing no marine microbiota) to investigate the effect of marine microbiota. We also compared the results from microcosms that were exposed to natural sunlight cycles with those from microcosms kept in the dark to investigate the effect of sunlight. The microbial community composition and the relative abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) changed over 48 h in all microcosms. Exposure to sunlight had a significant effect on both community composition and OTU abundance. The effect of marine microbiota, however, was minimal. The proportion of sewage-derived microorganisms present in the microcosms decreased rapidly within 48 h, and the decrease was the most pronounced in the presence of both sunlight and marine microbiota, where the proportion decreased from 85% to 3% of the total microbial community. The results from this study demonstrate the strong effect that sunlight has on microbial community composition, as measured by NGS, and the importance of considering temporal effects in future applications of NGS to identify microbial pollution sources.     

固氮蓝细菌束毛藻生物固氮策略研究进展

固氮蓝细菌束毛藻(Tricodesmium)是海洋中丰度最高的固氮微生物,贡献了约42%的海洋生物固氮,为海洋生态系统提供了新的氮源,驱动海洋初级生产力和食物网,在海洋生物地球化学循环中发挥重要作用。作为海洋中“新氮”主要贡献者,束毛藻是一种不产生异形胞的丝状固氮蓝细菌。因为生物固氮的关键酶固氮酶对氧气十分敏感,一般固氮蓝细菌通常产生异形胞或采用夜间固氮的方式进行生物固氮,避免氧气对固氮酶的抑制作用。近年来研究发现,束毛藻具有一套独特的生物固氮体系,能够使同一藻丝在白天同时完成光合作用和生物固氮,并具有复杂的调控机制。本文综述了近年来束毛藻生物固氮策略的最新研究进展,介绍了其生物固氮和光合作用之间的精密调控机制,对拓展固氮微生物尤其是海洋蓝细菌固氮机制的认识具有借鉴意义。     

Distribution and Diversity of Planktonic Fungi in the West Pacific Warm Pool

Fungi contribute substantially to biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial and marine habitats by decomposing matter and recycling nutrients. Yet, the diversity of their planktonic forms in the open ocean is poorly described. In this study, culture-independent and molecular approaches were applied to investigate fungal diversity and abundance derived from samples collected from a broad swath of the Pacific Warm Pool across major environmental gradients Our results revealed that planktonic fungi were molecularly diverse and their diversity patterns were related to major phytoplankton taxa and various nutrients including nitrate, nitrite, orthophosphate and silicic acid. Over 400 fungal phylotypes were recovered across this region and nearly half of them grouped into two major fungal lineages of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, whose abundance varied among stations. These results suggest that planktonic fungi are a diverse and integral component of the marine microbial community and should be included in future marine microbial ecosystem models.     

Geomicrobiology of the ocean crust: a role for chemoautotrophic Fe-bacteria

The delicate balance of the major global biogeochemical cycles greatly depends on the transformation of Earth materials at or near its surface. The formation and degradation of rocks, minerals, and organic matter are pivotal for the balance, maintenance, and future of many of these cycles. Microorganisms also play a crucial role, determining the transformation rates, pathways, and end products of these processes. While most of Earth's crust is oceanic rather than terrestrial, few studies have been conducted on ocean crust transformations, particularly those mediated by endolithic (rock-hosted) microbial communities. The biology and geochemistry of deep-sea and sub-seafloor environments are generally more complicated to study than in terrestrial or near-coastal regimes. As a result, fewer, and more targeted, studies usually homing in on specific sites, are most common. We are studying the role of endolithic microorganisms in weathering seafloor crustal materials, including basaltic glass and sulfide minerals, both in the vicinity of seafloor hydrothermal vents and off-axis at unsedimented (young) ridge flanks. We are using molecular phylogenetic surveys and laboratory culture studies to define the size, diversity, physiology, and distribution of microorganisms in the shallow ocean crust. Our data show that an unexpected diversity of microorganisms directly participate in rock weathering at the seafloor, and imply that endolithic microbial communities contribute to rock, mineral, and carbon transformations.     

A chemical arms race at sea mediates algal host-virus interactions

Despite the critical importance of viruses in shaping marine microbial ecosystems and lubricating upper ocean biogeochemical cycles, relatively little is known about the molecular mechanisms mediating phytoplankton host-virus interactions. Recent work in algal host-virus systems has begun to shed novel insight into the elegant strategies of viral infection and subcellular regulation of cell fate, which not only reveal tantalizing aspects of viral replication and host resistance strategies but also provide new diagnostic tools toward elucidating the impact of virus-mediated processes in the ocean. Widespread lateral gene transfer between viruses and their hosts plays a prominent role in host-virus diversification and in the regulation of host-virus infection mechanisms by allowing viruses to manipulate and 'rewire' host metabolic pathways to facilitate infection.     

大洋最小含氧带生物地球化学循环及微生物多样性研究进展

大洋的最小含氧带(oxygen minimum zones,OMZs)具有特殊的水动力和氧含量特征,该区域是氮流失的主要场所,也是各类生化反应发生的重要区域。OMZs的存在会对浮游生物的丰度、多样性、分布模式及呼吸方式产生较大影响。大洋OMZs中存在广泛的反硝化、厌氧氨氧化、甲烷厌氧氧化和隐性厌氧硫氧化作用等都是海洋物质循环的关键环节。全球海洋OMZs的规模在人类活动和全球变暖等因素的影响下也呈现出逐渐扩大的趋势。低氧环境的变化可以通过微生物多样性和群落结构稳定性进行判断,因此了解该区域的多样性水平是十分必要的。现有研究虽然对海洋OMZs的生物地球化学循环、微生物多样性和生态效应有了一定的认识,但对该区域总体情况和微生物生态学研究现状的系统性综合论述还较少,对海洋低氧环境的微生物活性、群落结构稳定性和分子代谢过程的研究还有较大的探讨空间。本文介绍了海洋低氧环境的分布情况和生态环境效应,全面且详细地论述了OMZs内各物质循环过程和微生物多样性的研究现状,指出尚未很好解决的生态学问题。     

Neutrophilic Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria in the Ocean: Their Habitats,Diversity, and Roles in Mineral Deposition,Rock Alteration,and Biomass Production in the Deep-Sea

The importance of metals to life has long been appreciated. Iron (Fe) is the fourth most abundant element overall, and the second most abundant element that is redox-active in near-surface aqueous habitats, rendering it the most important environmental metal. While it has long been recognized that microorganisms participate in the global iron cycle, appreciation for the pivotal role that redox cycling of iron plays in energy conservation among diverse prokaryotes has grown substantially in the past decade. In addition, redox reactions involving Fe are linked to several other biogeochemical cycles (e.g., carbon), with significant ecological ramifications. The increasing appreciation for the role of microbes in redox transformations of Fe is reflected in a recent surge in biological and environmental studies of microorganisms that conserve energy for growth from redox cycling of Fe compounds, particularly in the deep ocean. Here we highlight some of the key habitats where microbial Fe-oxidation plays significant ecological and biogeochemical roles in the oceanic regime, and provide a synthesis of recent studies concerning this important physiological group. We also provide the first evidence that microbial Fe-oxidizing bacteria are a critical factor in the kinetics of mineral dissolution at the seafloor, by accelerating dissolution by 6–8 times over abiotic rates. We assert that these recent studies, which indicate that microbial Fe-oxidation is widespread in the deep-sea, combined with the apparent role that this group play in promoting rock and mineral weathering, indicate that a great deal more attention to these microorganisms is warranted in order to elucidate the full physiological and phylogenetic diversity and activity of the neutrophilic Fe-oxidizing bacteria in the oceans.     

Marine viruses and global climate change

Sea-surface warming, sea-ice melting and related freshening, changes in circulation and mixing regimes, and ocean acidification induced by the present climate changes are modifying marine ecosystem structure and function and have the potential to alter the cycling of carbon and nutrients in surface oceans. Changing climate has direct and indirect consequences on marine viruses, including cascading effects on biogeochemical cycles, food webs, and the metabolic balance of the ocean. We discuss here a range of case studies of climate change and the potential consequences on virus function, viral assemblages and virus-host interactions. In turn, marine viruses influence directly and indirectly biogeochemical cycles, carbon sequestration capacity of the oceans and the gas exchange between the ocean surface and the atmosphere. We cannot yet predict whether the viruses will exacerbate or attenuate the magnitude of climate changes on marine ecosystems, but we provide evidence that marine viruses interact actively with the present climate change and are a key biotic component that is able to influence the oceans' feedback on climate change. Long-term and wide spatial-scale studies, and improved knowledge of host-virus dynamics in the world's oceans will permit the incorporation of the viral component into future ocean climate models and increase the accuracy of the predictions of the climate change impacts on the function of the oceans.     

微生物在珊瑚礁生态系统中的作用与功能

珊瑚礁是由珊瑚、鱼类、底栖生物、藻类以及微生物等多种生命形式组成的聚集体,代表着一类典型的海洋生态系统.珊瑚礁存在于热带和亚热带的寡营养环境,拥有极高的初级生产力和生产效率,被誉为“海底热带雨林”.微生物在珊瑚礁生态系统的生物地球化学循环、物质转化以及健康维护上具有重要作用.随着分子生态学的发展,微生物在珊瑚中的作用和功能日益凸显.本文总结了微生物生态学的研究现状,包括珊瑚生态系统中微生物的定植方式,共生微生物的特性(专一性、可塑性、协同进化),共生微生物与珊瑚疾病的关系与信号调节,以及微生物应对全球变化(气温升高、海水酸化、富营养化)的响应.从“珊瑚 微生物”共生体的发生、共生微生物的特性与生态功能,以及全球环境变化下微生物的衍生效应来梳理最新理论与成果,明确珊瑚微生物生态学机制,为更好地保护珊瑚资源、维护海洋生物多样性提供理论借鉴.     

Marine Siderophores and Microbial Iron Mobilization

Iron is essential for the growth of nearly all microorganisms yet iron is only sparingly soluble near the neutral pH, aerobic conditions in which many microorganisms grow. The pH of ocean water is even higher, thereby further lowering the concentration of dissolved ferric ion. To compound the problem of availability, the total iron concentration is surprisingly low in surface ocean water, yet nevertheless, marine microorganisms still require iron for growth. Like terrestrial bacterial, bacteria isolated from open ocean water often produce siderophores, which are low molecular weight chelating ligands that facilitate the microbial acquisition of iron. The present review summarizes the structures of siderophores produced by marine bacteria and the emerging characteristics that distinguish marine siderophores.     

深部生物圈古菌的研究进展与展望

古菌作为深部生物圈中常见的原核生物,广泛分布于各类海洋沉积生境中,在沉积物生物地球化学循环中发挥着重要作用。由于不同的古菌类群对环境条件存在生理适应性差异,它们分别在近岸沿海和开阔大洋沉积物中构成了厌氧微生物生态系统和好氧微生物生态系统。本文通过对近岸与远洋、沉积物与上覆水体两个不同维度的古菌群落结构进行比较,以及对出现在深部生物圈中的常见古菌(奇古菌门(Thaumarchaeota)、深古菌门(Bathyarchaeota)、底栖古菌目(Thermoprofundales)、Asgard古菌超级门、乌斯古菌门(Woesearchaeota))的分布、代谢和环境适应机制进行论述,总结了深部生物圈中古菌的研究进展,并在此基础上展望了几个未来研究的方向与重点。     

海洋奇古菌门认知的拓展：从新类群到新功能

奇古菌门是全球海洋中的重要微生物类群,在海洋原核浮游生物中的比例可达20%–40%。作为一类化能无机自养微生物,奇古菌门成员可通过氧化氨获得能量,实现不依赖光照的无机碳固定,在碳、氮等元素的地球化学循环中起关键作用。奇古菌门是海洋中氨氧化反应的主要执行者,其化能合成的有机质是海洋特别是深海环境中微生物的重要能量来源。随着研究的逐步深入,有关该类群生理代谢特性的认知不断被拓展,包括奇古菌门异养代谢的揭示、不具氨氧化能力类群在深海中的发现,以及最新报道的奇古菌门在厌氧条件下介导氧气、氧化亚氮和氮气的产生等。这些研究揭示了奇古菌门参与海洋生物地球化学循环和气候变化调节的新机制,为围绕该类群的深入探究和培养提供了新的思路和方向。本文从群落组成、环境适应、生态功能、进化历史和培养现状等方面综述了近年来有关海洋奇古菌门的新发现和新认识,以期增进对该类群的了解。     

Analysis of the global ocean sampling (GOS) project for trends in iron uptake by surface ocean microbes

Microbial metagenomes are DNA samples of the most abundant, and therefore most successful organisms at the sampling time and location for a given cell size range. The study of microbial communities via their DNA content has revolutionized our understanding of microbial ecology and evolution. Iron availability is a critical resource that limits microbial communities' growth in many oceanic areas. Here, we built a database of 2319 sequences, corresponding to 140 gene families of iron metabolism with a large phylogenetic spread, to explore the microbial strategies of iron acquisition in the ocean's bacterial community. We estimate iron metabolism strategies from metagenome gene content and investigate whether their prevalence varies with dissolved iron concentrations obtained from a biogeochemical model. We show significant quantitative and qualitative variations in iron metabolism pathways, with a higher proportion of iron metabolism genes in low iron environments. We found a striking difference between coastal and open ocean sites regarding Fe(2+) versus Fe(3+) uptake gene prevalence. We also show that non-specific siderophore uptake increases in low iron open ocean environments, suggesting bacteria may acquire iron from natural siderophore-like organic complexes. Despite the lack of knowledge of iron uptake mechanisms in most marine microorganisms, our approach provides insights into how the iron metabolic pathways of microbial communities may vary with seawater iron concentrations.     

Microbial ecology of expanding oxygen minimum zones

Dissolved oxygen concentration is a crucial organizing principle in marine ecosystems. As oxygen levels decline, energy is increasingly diverted away from higher trophic levels into microbial metabolism, leading to loss of fixed nitrogen and to production of greenhouse gases, including nitrous oxide and methane. In this Review, we describe current efforts to explore the fundamental factors that control the ecological and microbial biodiversity in oxygen-starved regions of the ocean, termed oxygen minimum zones. We also discuss how recent advances in microbial ecology have provided information about the potential interactions in distributed co-occurrence and metabolic networks in oxygen minimum zones, and we provide new insights into coupled biogeochemical processes in the ocean.     

热泉微生物驱动的氮循环研究进展及展望

热泉微生物是驱动热泉氮(N)循环的主导力量,开展热泉生态系统中驱动氮循环微生物种群构成及其与环境响应的研究,对于探索热泉中氮的生物地球化学循环、生命进化、生物修复等方面都具有重要的理论和应用价值。本文综合阐述了热泉生态系统驱动氮循环的功能微生物(如固氮菌、氨氧化菌、厌氧氨氧化菌、反硝化菌、异化硝酸盐还原菌)在系统发育学上的分布、功能基因的相对丰度、活性及其与环境因子(如温度、pH)的相关性等方面的研究现状和亟待解决的问题。并展望了热泉生境中驱动氮循环微生物未来的研究方向。     

A multitrophic model to quantify the effects of marine viruses on microbial food webs and ecosystem processes

Viral lysis of microbial hosts releases organic matter that can then be assimilated by nontargeted microorganisms. Quantitative estimates of virus-mediated recycling of carbon in marine waters, first established in the late 1990s, were originally extrapolated from marine host and virus densities, host carbon content and inferred viral lysis rates. Yet, these estimates did not explicitly incorporate the cascade of complex feedbacks associated with virus-mediated lysis. To evaluate the role of viruses in shaping community structure and ecosystem functioning, we extend dynamic multitrophic ecosystem models to include a virus component, specifically parameterized for processes taking place in the ocean euphotic zone. Crucially, we are able to solve this model analytically, facilitating evaluation of model behavior under many alternative parameterizations. Analyses reveal that the addition of a virus component promotes the emergence of complex communities. In addition, biomass partitioning of the emergent multitrophic community is consistent with well-established empirical norms in the surface oceans. At steady state, ecosystem fluxes can be probed to characterize the effects that viruses have when compared with putative marine surface ecosystems without viruses. The model suggests that ecosystems with viruses will have (1) increased organic matter recycling, (2) reduced transfer to higher trophic levels and (3) increased net primary productivity. These model findings support hypotheses that viruses can have significant stimulatory effects across whole-ecosystem scales. We suggest that existing efforts to predict carbon and nutrient cycling without considering virus effects are likely to miss essential features of marine food webs that regulate global biogeochemical cycles.