The influence of sediment composition and leaf litter on the distribution of tubificid worms (Oligochaeta)

Summary The horizontal distribution of three species of tubificid worm (Tubifex tubifex, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri and L. udekemianus in the sediment of a small stream was examined. Worm distribution was most strongly correlated with the distribution of leaf litter. This relationship was examined in the laboratory by means of choice chambers. It was concluded that; 1) the addition, to an inorganic substratum, of conditioned leaf material, enhanced its attractiveness to the worms; 2) a combination of silt-clay and leaf material was preferred by the worms to mixtures of leaf material and coarser inorganic substrata 3) some leaf species were more attractive to the worms than others; 4) there were differences between the worm species in their preferences for the various leaf species; 5) none of the three tubificid species was exclusively associated with its preferred leaf species; 6) worms would switch to less attractive leaf species if preferred alternatives were unavailable; 7) leaf material only attracted the worms once it had become conditioned; 8) this appeal was lost when the leaves were autoclaved; and 9) substratum choice was independent of worm size.We believe the worms were attracted to the leaves because the associated microfloras provided a concentration of bacterial food. Differences between the three tubificid species in their preferences for the various leaf species probably reduced trophic competition.     

水丝蚓对太湖沉积物有机磷组成及垂向分布的影响

以太湖常见底栖动物——水丝蚓为研究对象,借助室内流动培养装置和31P核磁共振技术(phosphorus-31 nuclearmagnetic resonance spectroscopy)(31P-NMR),研究生物扰动对太湖沉积物有机磷组成及垂向分布的影响。结果表明:短时间内水丝蚓扰动对沉积物有机磷化合物种类组成影响并不显著,但会引起上层沉积物中稳定性较差的有机磷化合物磷脂和DNA含量出现显著降低,同时沉积物中总磷和有机磷的垂向分布亦发生明显改变。此外,水丝蚓扰动下沉积物含水率、孔隙率和碱性磷酸酶活性显著增加,使活性较高的有机磷化合物分解加速,最终导致表层沉积物中的磷脂与DNA含量降低。     

Biology of Limnodrilus claparedeanus Ratzel (aligochaeta,Tubificidae) in the Tsimlyansk Reservoir

Limnodrilus claparedeanus with its high productivity is the most numerous tubificid species in the Tsimlyansk Reservoir. As a result of frequent reproduction, young worms are abundant in the population. Individuals mature in a short time and are able to lay cocoons nine weeks after hatching. The number of embryos in the cocoons varies from one to twenty-six, thirteen being most frequent. The young worms mature rapidly and early reproduction results in an increase in the population in autumn.     

The biology of Psammoryctides barbatus (Grube) in English chalk streams

The tubificid Psammoryctides barbatus is common in the sediments of English chalk streams. The species is primarily a spring and summer breeder with the most intense period of reproduction from April to June throughout its distribution in the river. Recruitment of juveniles takes place chiefly from June to August and most of the worms attain maturity in the following spring. In culture at 15 °C worms had attained 38 mm within 90 days of hatching and showed early signs of maturity. Growth rates and rates of cocoon production in culture are presented.     

Opportunist rotifers: colonising species of young ponds in Surrey,England

Quantitative substrate samples were collected at a newly constructed gravel bar habitat in the Tombigbee River, Mississippi, to characterize oligochaete (naididae and tubificidae) species richness and community composition. A total of 28 species of naidid and tubificid worms were indentified during the three-year study; Nais pardalis, Dero nivea, D. obtusa, Pristina aequiseta (naididae), and Branchiura sowerbyi (Tubificidae) were dominant. In June, 1985, three months after construction, 30 samples yielded seven taxa of oligochaetes; naidid and tubificid densities (± standard deviation) were 12.9 (± 29.7) and 10.1 m^–2 (±39.6), respectively. In October, 1985, 20 taxa were identified, and naidid and tubificid densities were 387.9 (± 300.5 and 22.9 m^–2 (± 50.7), respectively. Tubificid densities were highest in the spring, except during the first year, and naidid densities showed their highest densities in the fall during all years. Dominance changed from Nais pardalis and Dero nivea during the first year to Pristina aequiseta and D. nivea during the last year. The naididae, which typically inhabit gravel, exhibited more uniform colonization patterns than did the tubificidae. Comparatively low densities characterized the oligochaete community during the first year and high naidid densities during the last. Because this gravel bar is relatively isolated from similar substrates, and since oligochaetes disperse only via drift or crawling, colonization processes have been slow.     

The inconstant gut microbiota of Drosophila species revealed by 16S rRNA gene analysis

The gut microorganisms in some animals are reported to include a core microbiota of consistently associated bacteria that is ecologically distinctive and may have coevolved with the host. The core microbiota is promoted by positive interactions among bacteria, favoring shared persistence; its retention over evolutionary timescales is evident as congruence between host phylogeny and bacterial community composition. This study applied multiple analyses to investigate variation in the composition of gut microbiota in drosophilid flies. First, the prevalence of five previously described gut bacteria (Acetobacter and Lactobacillus species) in individual flies of 21 strains (10 Drosophila species) were determined. Most bacteria were not present in all individuals of most strains, and bacterial species pairs co-occurred in individual flies less frequently than predicted by chance, contrary to expectations of a core microbiota. A complementary pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicons from the gut microbiota of 11 Drosophila species identified 209 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs), with near-saturating sampling of sequences, but none of the OTUs was common to all host species. Furthermore, in both of two independent sets of Drosophila species, the gut bacterial community composition was not congruent with host phylogeny. The final analysis identified no common OTUs across three wild and four laboratory samples of D. melanogaster. Our results yielded no consistent evidence for a core microbiota in Drosophila. We conclude that the taxonomic composition of gut microbiota varies widely within and among Drosophila populations and species. This is reminiscent of the patterns of bacterial composition in guts of some other animals, including humans.     

Sublittoral and profundal Oligochaeta fauna of the Lake Constance (Bodensee-Obersee)

Fourteen tubificid species and one lumbriculid make up the oligochaete population of the northern half of Lake Constance, a meso- to mesoeutrophic lake. Tubifex tubifex makes up 72% of the total abundance, the clean water species Stylodrilus heringianus only 0.1%. No correlation exists between total worm abundance and organic carbon content of the sediment, only 4% of the organic carbon being used by the worms. A highly significant correlation between particulate organic matter loading and its organic carbon content from 10 tributaries and total oligochaete abundance is demonstrated. The ecological index I_PA is defined and used to assess the biologically relevant trophic status of the lake bed. This integrates information on the percent representation of three groups of worm species classified on atrophic basis and total abundance of the worms. Despite control of the increase in phosphorus loadings progressive eutrophication of sediments was observed after an 8 year interval.     

Analysis of the gut microbiota in the old order amish and its relation to the metabolic syndrome

Obesity has been linked to the human gut microbiota; however, the contribution of gut bacterial species to the obese phenotype remains controversial because of conflicting results from studies in different populations. To explore the possible dysbiosis of gut microbiota in obesity and its metabolic complications, we studied men and women over a range of body mass indices from the Old Order Amish sect, a culturally homogeneous Caucasian population of Central European ancestry. We characterized the gut microbiota in 310 subjects by deep pyrosequencing of bar-coded PCR amplicons from the V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Three communities of interacting bacteria were identified in the gut microbiota, analogous to previously identified gut enterotypes. Neither BMI nor any metabolic syndrome trait was associated with a particular gut community. Network analysis identified twenty-two bacterial species and four OTUs that were either positively or inversely correlated with metabolic syndrome traits, suggesting that certain members of the gut microbiota may play a role in these metabolic derangements.     

Application of Methods for Identifying Broiler Chicken Gut Bacterial Species Linked with Increased Energy Metabolism

A high-throughput microbial profiling tool based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism was developed to monitor the poultry gut microbiota in response to dietary manipulations. Gut microbial communities from the duodena, jejuna, ilea, and ceca of 48 birds fed either a barley control diet or barley diet supplemented with exogenous enzymes for degrading nonstarch polysaccharide were characterized by using multivariate statistical methods. Analysis of samples showed that gut microbial communities varied significantly among gut sections, except between the duodenum and jejunum. Significant diet-associated differences in gut microbial communities were detected within the ileum and cecum only. The dissimilarity in bacterial community composition between diets was 73 and 66% within the ileum and cecum, respectively. Operational taxonomic units, representing bacterial species or taxonomically related groups, contributing to diet-associated differences were identified. Several bacterial species contributed to differences between diet-related gut microbial community composition, with no individual bacterial species contributing more than 1 to 5% of the total. Using canonical analysis of principal coordinates biplots, we correlated differences in gut microbial community composition within the ileum and cecum to improved performance, as measured by apparent metabolizable energy. This is the first report that directly links differences in the composition of the gut microbial community with improved performance, which implies that the presence of specific beneficial and/or absence of specific detrimental bacterial species may contribute to the improved performance in these birds.     

The Intestinal Bacterial Community in the Food Waste-Reducing Larvae of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hermetia illucens</Emphasis>

As it is known that food waste can be reduced by the larvae of Hermetia illucens (Black soldier fly, BSF), the scientific and commercial value of BSF larvae has increased recently. We hypothesised that the ability of catabolic degradation by BSF larvae might be due to intestinal microorganisms. Herein, we analysed the bacterial communities in the gut of BSF larvae by pyrosequencing of extracting intestinal metagenomic DNA from larvae that had been fed three different diets. The 16S rRNA sequencing results produced 9737, 9723 and 5985 PCR products from larval samples fed food waste, cooked rice and calf forage, respectively. A BLAST search using the EzTaxon program showed that the bacterial community in the gut of larvae fed three different diets was mainly composed of the four phyla with dissimilar proportions. Although the composition of the bacterial communities depended on the different nutrient sources, the identified bacterial strains in the gut of BSF larvae represented unique bacterial species that were unlike the intestinal microflora of other insects. Thus, our study analysed the structure of the bacterial communities in the gut of BSF larvae after three different feedings and assessed the application of particular bacteria for the efficient degradation of organic compounds.     

A quantitative method for ranking the water quality tolerances of benthic species

This method compares relative tolerances of benthic organisms to levels of water pollutants using contingency table analyses. Ratings of the pollution tolerance of benthic species may thus be more accurately assigned, improving the previously proposed biotic indices. Preliminary application of this method utilizes six species of tubificid worms of the genera Limnodrilus and Tubifex, among which several trends in water tolerance seemed to have become apparent.Based on paper presented May 12, 1978 at the Twenty-sixth Annual Meeting of the North American Benthological Society, Winnipeg, Manitoba     

Dietary habits of fish populations in the Lower Medway Estuary

Populations of mainly first-year fish overwinter in the Medway Estuary, an area offering shelter and a rich and varied food supply. In the absence of previous investigations, the present study examines the dietary habits of four fish species; gadoids Merlangius merlangus and Trisopterus luscus , and pleuronectids Platichthys flesus and Pleuronectes platessa .
Gadoids fed predominantly on fast moving nektonic organisms such as brown shrimps, mysids and fish while pleuronectids preferred the slower moving tubificid and polychaete worms. Seasonal fluctuations of the dietary constituents are considered in relation to changes within the populations of both prey and predator organisms.     

Trichinella spiralis: acquired immunity in swine

The ability of domestic pigs to develop protective immunity to Trichinella spiralis in response to inoculation with different doses of muscle larvae was assessed. Adult worms developing from the inoculations of 112, 500, and 10,000 larvae were expelled from the intestine about 6 weeks after inoculation. Inoculation with 25,000 larvae, however, resulted in more rapid intestinal worms expulsion, indicating that gut expulsion is dose dependent. Secondary expulsion also tended to be dependent upon primary infection level. Pigs initially inoculated with 500 to 10,000 larvae expelled the challenge infection of adult worms after 22 to 25 days; in contrast, infection by inoculation of only 112 larvae failed to induce significant enchanced gut expulsion of the challenge infection intestinal worms. However, all primary infection levels, including inoculation with 112 larvae, induced nearly absolute resistance to the muscle establishment of larvae from challenge adult worms. The fecundity of female worms recovered from immune pigs was reduced 75% in comparison to controls. These results show that, in contrast to some host species, very rapid gut expulsion does not occur in domestic swine. Yet, immune responses at the gut level are important, perhaps responsible for much of the inhibition reflected as reduction in the establishment of muscle larvae.     

Distribution Pattern of γ-amino Butyric Acid Immunoreactive Neural Structures in the Central and Peripheral Nervous System of the Tubificid Worm, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri

By means of whole-mount immunohistochemistry, putative inhibitory (GABAergic) neural structures were identified in the central and peripheral nervous system of the tubificid worm, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri. In the supraoesophageal ganglion (brain) only few strongly labelled cells were observed. However, in its commissural part a high number of stained nerve fibres, arising mainly from the ventral nerve cord and prostomium, occurred. Except for the suboesophageal ganglion the arrangement of γ-amino butyric acid-immunoreactive (GABA-IR) structures proved to be identical in each VNC ganglion. Behind the first segmental nerves three pairs of heavily stained neurones were located. Their processes (both ipsi- and contralateral) form four bundles of fine-fibred polysegmental interneuronal tracts that run close to the dorsal giant axons from the terminal ganglion to the suboesophageal one without interruption. A few small motoneurons and a pair of large ones with contralateral processes were also identified. A bipolar (presumably sensory) neuron was located at the root of each second segmental nerve. GABA-IR neurons were also found in the stomatogastric ganglia and pharyngeal wall; however, the latter structure had a well-developed fibre network, as well. Present results suggest that GABA acts as a common neurotransmitter in sensory, interneuronal and motor system of L. hoffmeisteri. The possible functional role of the identified GABA-IR neural structures in locomotion, escape and withdrawal reflexes in tubificid worms is discussed.     

Live and dead GFP-tagged bacteria showed indistinguishable fluorescence in Caenorhabditis elegans gut

Caenorhabditis elegans has been used for studying host-pathogen interactions since long, and many virulence genes of pathogens have been successfully identified. In several studies, fluorescent pathogens were fed to C. elegans and fluorescence observed in the gut was considered an indicator for bacterial colonization. However, the grinder in the pharynx of these nematodes supposedly crushes the bacterial cells, and the ground material is delivered to the intestine for nutrient absorption. Therefore, it remains unclear whether intact bacteria pass through the grinder and colonize in the intestine. Here we investigated whether the appearance of fluorescence is indicative of intact bacteria in the gut using both fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In wild-type N2 C. elegans, Escherichia coli DH5α, and Vibrio vulnificus 93U204, both of which express the green fluorescence protein, were found intact only proximal to the grinder, while crushed bacterial debris was found in the post-pharyngeal lumen. Nevertheless, the fluorescence was evident throughout the lumen of worm intestines irrespective of whether the bacteria were intact or not. We further investigated the interaction of the bacteria with C. elegans phm-2 mutant, which has a dysfunctional grinder. Both strains of bacteria were found to be intact and accumulated in the pharynx and intestine owing to the defective grinder. The fluorescence intensity of intact bacteria in phm-2 worms was indistinguishable from that of crushed bacterial debris in N2 worms. Therefore, appearance of fluorescence in the C. elegans intestine should not be directly interpreted as successful bacterial colonization in the intestine.     

Effect of water temperature on the development, release and survival of the triactinomyxon stage of Myxobolus cerebralis in its oligochaete host.

The development of the triactinomyxon stage of Myxobolus cerebralis and release of mature spores from Tubifex tubifex were shown to be temperature dependent. In the present work, the effect of temperature over a range of 5-30 degrees C on the development and release of the triactinomyxon stages of M. cerebralis was studied. Infected T. tubifex stopped releasing triactinomyxon spores 4 days after transfer from 15 degrees C to 25 degrees C or 30 degrees C. Transmission electron microscopic examinations of the tubificids held at 25 degrees C and 30 degrees C for 3 days showed that all developmental stages degenerated and transformed to electron-dense clusters between the gut epithelial cells of T. tubifex. In contrast, tubificid worms held at 5 degrees C and 10 degrees C examined at the same time were heavily infected with many early developmental stages of triactinomyxon. At 15 degrees C, the optimal temperature for development, maturing and mature stages of the parasite were evident. Infected T. tubifex transferred from 15 degrees C to 20 degrees C stopped producing triactinomyxon spores after 15 days. However, 15 days at 20 degrees C was not sufficient to destroy all developmental stages of the parasite. When the tubificid worms were returned to 15 degrees C, the one-cell stages and the binucleate-cell stages resumed normal growth. It was also demonstrated that T. tubifex cured of infection by holding at 30 degrees C for 3 weeks and shifted to 15 degrees C could be re-infected with M. cerebralis spores. The waterborne triactinomyxon spores of M. cerebralis did not appear to be as short-lived as previously reported. More than 60% of experimentally produced waterborne triactinomyxon spores survived and maintained their infectivity for rainbow trout for 15 days at water temperatures up to 15 degrees C. In natural aquatic systems, the triactinomyxon spores may survive and keep their infectivity for periods even longer than 15 days.     

Phylogenetic and morphological diversity of Bacteroidales members associated with the gut wall of termites

The microbial community adherent directly or indirectly to the gut wall of termites is distinct from that of the other habitats in the gut. The bacterial 16S rRNA genes were identified from the fractionated gut walls of two termite species, Hodotermopsis sjoestedti and Neotermes koshunensis, and compared with those previously identified from Reticulitermes speratus. Surprisingly, the bacterial constituents were almost entirely different among the termites at the phylotype level (the criterion of the phylotype was >97% nucleotide identity). Bacteria in the order Bacteroidales, which were commonly abundant symbionts on gut walls, were phylogenetically analyzed. They were dispersed in a number of clusters formed by phylotypes from the guts of various termites. In situ hybridization with probes specific for some phylotypes and a phylogenetic cluster detected the cells of several Bacteroidales members with a significant variety of cell morphology in the gut wall fractions, which reflects the phylogenetic diversity of this order.     

Relative influences of submersed macrophytes and bioturbating fauna on biogeochemical processes and microbial activities in freshwater sediments

1. Invertebrates and aquatic plants often play a key role in biogeochemical processes occurring at the water–sediment interface of aquatic ecosystems. However, few studies have investigated the respective influences of plants and bioturbating animals on ecological processes (nutrient fluxes, benthic oxygen uptake, microbial activities) occurring in freshwater sediments. 2. We developed a laboratory experiment in aquaria to quantify the effects of (i) one invertebrate acting as a bioturbator (Tubifex tubifex); (ii) one submersed plant with a high sediment‐oxygenating potential (Myriophyllum spicatum) and (iii) one submersed plant with a low sediment‐oxygenating potential (Elodea canadensis). 3. The tubificid worms significantly increased the fluxes of nitrogen at the water–sediment interface (influx of nitrate, efflux of ammonium), whereas the two plant species did not have significant influences on these nitrogen fluxes. The differences in nitrogen fluxes between tubificid worms and plants were probably due to the bioirrigation process caused by T. tubifex, which increased water exchanges at the water–sediment interface. Tubifex tubifex and M. spicatum produced comparable reductions of nutrient concentrations in pore water and comparable stimulations of benthic oxygen uptake and microbial communities (percentages of active eubacteria and hydrolytic activity) whereas E. canadensis had a very weak influence on these variables. These differences between the two plants were due to their contrasting abilities to increase oxygen in sediments by radial oxygen losses (release of oxygen from roots). 4. Our study suggests that the bioirrigation process and radial oxygen loss are major functional traits affecting biogeochemical functioning at the water–sediment interface of wetlands.     

Influence of antimicrobial feed additives on broiler commensal posthatch gut microbiota development and performance

The effects of avilamycin, zinc bacitracin, and flavophospholipol on broiler gut microbial community colonization and bird performance in the first 17 days posthatch were investigated. Significant differences in gut microbiota associated with gut section, dietary treatment, and age were identified by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), although no performance-related differences between dietary treatments were detected. Similar age-related shifts in the gut microbiota were identified regardless of diet but varied between the ilea and ceca. Interbird variabilities in ileal bacterial communities were reduced (3 to 7 days posthatch) in chicks fed with feed containing antimicrobial agents. Avilamycin and flavophospholipol had the most consistent effect on gut microbial communities. Operational taxonomic units (OTU) linked to changes in gut microbiota in birds on antimicrobial-supplemented diets were characterized and identified. Some OTUs could be identified to the species level; however, the majority could be only tentatively classified to the genus, family, order, or domain level. OTUs 140 to 146 (Lachnospiraceae), OTU 186/188 (Lactobacillus johnsonii), OTU 220 (Lachnospiraceae), OTUs 284 to 288 (unclassified bacterial spp. or Ruminococcaceae), OTU 296/298 (unclassified bacterium or Clostridiales), and OTU 480/482 (Oxalobacteraceae) were less prevalent in the guts of chicks fed antimicrobial-supplemented diets. OTU 178/180 (Lactobacillus crispatus), OTU 152 (Lactobacillus reuteri or unclassified Clostridiales), OTU 198/200 (Subdoligranulum spp.), and OTU 490/492 (unclassified bacterium or Enterobacteriaceae) were less prevalent in the gut of chicks raised on the antimicrobial-free diet. The identification of key bacterial species influenced by antimicrobial-supplemented feed immediately posthatch may assist in the formulation of diets that facilitate beneficial gut microbial colonization and, hence, the development of alternatives to current antimicrobial agents in feed for sustainable poultry production.