Geographical distribution of zooplankton biodiversity in highly polluted running water ecosystems: Validation of fine‐scale species sorting hypothesis

Dispersal, rather than species sorting, is widely recognized as the dominant driver for determining meta‐community structure at fine geographical scales in running water ecosystems. However, this view has been challenged by a recently proposed “fine‐scale species sorting hypothesis,” where community structure can be largely determined by an environmental gradient formed by local pollution at fine scales. Here, we tested this hypothesis by studying community composition and geographical distribution of metazoan zooplankton in a heavily polluted river—the North Canal River in the Haihe River Basin, China. Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) showed that the community composition of metazoan zooplankton differed significantly (p = .001) along the environmental gradient. Ammonium (NH₄‐N) was the leading factor responsible for changes in zooplankton community structure and geographical distribution, followed by total dissolved solid (TDS), Na, dissolved oxygen (DO) and temperature (T). Variation partitioning revealed a larger contribution of environmental variables (21.6%) than spatial variables (1.1%) to the total explained variation of zooplankton communities. Our results support that species sorting, rather than dispersal, played a key role in structuring communities. Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis (TITAN) also revealed significant change points at both taxon and community levels along the gradient of NH₄‐N, providing further support for the influence of environmental variables on zooplankton communities. Collectively, we validate the fine‐scale species sorting hypothesis when an environmental gradient exists in running water ecosystems at fine geographical scales. However, future studies on interactions between pollutants and zooplankton communities are still needed to better understand mechanisms responsible for the meta‐community dynamics.     

Degradation of the Adriatic medusa <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aurelia</Emphasis> sp. by ambient bacteria

The decomposition of jellyfish after major bloom events results in the release of large amounts of nutrients, which can significantly alter nutrient and oxygen dynamics in the surrounding environment. The response of the ambient bacterial community to decomposing jellyfish biomass was evaluated in two marine ecosystems, the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea) and Big Lake (Mljet Island, southern Adriatic Sea). The major difference between these two ecosystems is that Aurelia sp. medusae occur throughout the year in the oligotrophic Big Lake, whereas in the mesotrophic Gulf of Trieste, they occur only seasonally and often as blooms. Addition of homogenized jellyfish to enclosed bottles containing ambient water from each of these systems triggered considerable changes in the bacterial community dynamics and in the nutrient regime. The high concentrations of protein, dissolved organic phosphorous (DOP), and PO₄ ³⁻ immediately after homogenate addition stimulated increase in bacterial abundance and production rate, coupled with NH₄ ⁺ accumulation in both ecosystems. Our preliminary results of the bacterial community structure, as determined with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, indicated differences in the bacterial community response between the two ecosystems. Despite divergence in the bacterial community responses to jellyfish homogenate, increased bacterial biomass and growth rates in both distinctive marine systems indicate potentially significant effects of decaying jellyfish blooms on microbial plankton.     

Singlet oxygen,a neglected but important environmental factor: short‐term and long‐term effects on bacterioplankton composition in a humic lake

Photolysis of dissolved organic matter (DOM) leads to contrasting effects on bacterioplankton dynamics, i.e. stimulation and inhibition of bacterial activity. In particular, the role of short‐lived reactive oxygen species (ROS), e.g. singlet oxygen (¹O₂), in altering microbial activity and species composition has scarcely been investigated. Therefore, we have artificially increased the natural rate of ¹O₂ formation in short‐term (～4 h) in situ and long‐term (72 h) laboratory incubations of surface water samples from a humic acid‐rich lake. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) patterns revealed significant changes in occurrence of abundant bacterioplankton phylotypes upon ¹O₂ exposure. Cluster analysis of DGGE patterns showed that a moderate increase in ¹O₂ exposure leads to similar changes in different years indicating the establishment of bacterial communities adapted to ¹O₂ exposure. Bacterioplankton phylotypes favoured under these conditions belonged to Betaproteobacteria of the beta II cluster (e.g. Polynucleobacter necessarius) and the beta I cluster related to Limnohabitans (R‐BT subcluster) as well as Alphaproteobacteria affiliated to Novosphingobium acidiphilum. In contrast, Actinobacteria of the freshwater acI‐B cluster were sensitive even against moderate ¹O₂ exposure. We conclude that ¹O₂ exposure due to DOM photolysis represents an important natural selective factor affecting bacterial species dynamics in aquatic ecosystems in many ways.     

Extreme storms cause rapid but short-lived shifts in nearshore subtropical bacterial communities

Climate change scenarios predict tropical cyclones will increase in both frequency and intensity, which will escalate the amount of terrestrial run-off and mechanical disruption affecting coastal ecosystems. Bacteria are key contributors to ecosystem functioning, but relatively little is known about how they respond to extreme storm events, particularly in nearshore subtropical regions. In this study, we combine field observations and mesocosm experiments to assess bacterial community dynamics and changes in physicochemical properties during early- and late-season tropical cyclones affecting Okinawa, Japan. Storms caused large and fast influxes of freshwater and terrestrial sediment – locally known as red soil pollution – and caused moderate increases of macronutrients, especially SiO₂ and PO₄³⁻, with up to 25 and 0.5 μM respectively. We detected shifts in relative abundances of marine and terrestrially derived bacteria, including putative coral and human pathogens, during storm events. Soil input alone did not substantially affect marine bacterial communities in mesocosms, indicating that other components of run-off or other storm effects likely exert a larger influence on bacterial communities. The storm effects were short-lived and bacterial communities quickly recovered following both storm events. The early- and late-season storms caused different physicochemical and bacterial community changes, demonstrating the context-dependency of extreme storm responses in a subtropical coastal ecosystem.     

Temperature effects on oxygen thresholds for hypoxia in marine benthic organisms

The effect of warming on the oxygen requirements and the survival of benthic organisms under hypoxia was tested using a meta‐analysis of published results of experiments evaluating the effects of temperature on the median lethal time and median lethal concentration of benthic macrofauna under hypoxia. The meta‐analysis confirmed that survival times under hypoxia were reduced by on average 74% and that median lethal concentration increased by on average 16% when marine benthic organisms were exposed to warmer temperatures. Warming reduced survival times of marine benthic macrofauna under hypoxia by a median of 3.95±1.67 h °C^?1 and increased the oxygen thresholds for hypoxia‐driven mortality by a median of 1.02±0.15% saturation °C^?1 or 0.07±0.01 mg O₂ L^?1 °C^?1. The corresponding Q₁₀ values averaged 3.01±0.29 for the median survival time and 2.09±0.20 for the median lethal oxygen concentration. Use of these Q₁₀ values predicts that the 4 °C warming expected during the 21st century will lead to survival times 35.6% lower under hypoxia and that the threshold oxygen concentrations for high mortality to occur will increase by, on average, 25.5% if bottom water temperature increased by 4 °C. Hence, ocean warming is expected to increase the vulnerability of benthic macrofauna to reduced oxygen concentrations and expand the area of coastal ecosystems affected by hypoxia.     

Response of Bacterioplankton Communities to Cadmium Exposure in Coastal Water Microcosms with High Temporal Variability

Multiple anthropogenic disturbances to bacterial diversity have been investigated in coastal ecosystems, in which temporal variability in the bacterioplankton community has been considered a ubiquitous process. However, far less is known about the temporal dynamics of a bacterioplankton community responding to pollution disturbances such as toxic metals. We used coastal water microcosms perturbed with 0, 10, 100, and 1,000 μg liter⁻¹ of cadmium (Cd) for 2 weeks to investigate temporal variability, Cd-induced patterns, and their interaction in the coastal bacterioplankton community and to reveal whether the bacterial community structure would reflect the Cd gradient in a temporally varying system. Our results showed that the bacterioplankton community structure shifted along the Cd gradient consistently after a 4-day incubation, although it exhibited some resistance to Cd at low concentration (10 μg liter⁻¹). A process akin to an arms race between temporal variability and Cd exposure was observed, and the temporal variability overwhelmed Cd-induced patterns in the bacterial community. The temporal succession of the bacterial community was correlated with pH, dissolved oxygen, NO₃⁻-N, NO₂⁻-N, PO₄³⁻-P, dissolved organic carbon, and chlorophyll a, and each of these parameters contributed more to community variance than Cd did. However, elevated Cd levels did decrease the temporal turnover rate of community. Furthermore, key taxa, affiliated to the families Flavobacteriaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Erythrobacteraceae, Piscirickettsiaceae, and Alteromonadaceae, showed a high frequency of being associated with Cd levels during 2 weeks. This study provides direct evidence that specific Cd-induced patterns in bacterioplankton communities exist in highly varying manipulated coastal systems. Future investigations on an ecosystem scale across longer temporal scales are needed to validate the observed pattern.     

Biodiversity acts as insurance of productivity of bacterial communities under abiotic perturbations

Anthropogenic disturbances are detrimental to the functioning and stability of natural ecosystems. Critical ecosystem processes driven by microbial communities are subjected to these disturbances. Here, we examine the stabilizing role of bacterial diversity on community biomass in the presence of abiotic perturbations such as addition of heavy metals, NaCl and warming. Bacterial communities with a diversity gradient of 1–12 species were subjected to the different treatments, and community biomass (OD₆₀₀) was measured after 24 h. We found that initial species richness and phylogenetic structure impact the biomass of communities. Under abiotic perturbations, the presence of tolerant species in community largely contributed in community biomass production. Bacterial diversity stabilized the biomass across the treatments, and differential response of bacterial species to different perturbations was the key reason behind these effects. The results suggest that biodiversity is crucial for maintaining the stability of ecosystem functioning and acts as ecological insurance under abiotic perturbations. Biodiversity in natural ecosystems may also uphold the ecosystem functioning under anthropogenic disturbance.     

Bacterial communities at a groundwater-surface water ecotone: gradual change or abrupt transition points along a contamination gradient?

Microbial communities contribute greatly to groundwater quality, but the impacts of land-use practices on bacteria in groundwaters and groundwater-dependent ecosystems remain poorly known. With 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we assessed bacterial community composition at the groundwater-surface water ecotone of boreal springs impacted by urbanization and agriculture, using spring water nitrate-N as a surrogate of contamination. We also measured the rate of a key ecosystem process, organic matter decomposition. We documented a recurrent pattern across all major bacterial phyla where diversity started to decrease at unexpectedly low nitrate-N concentrations (100–300 μg L⁻¹). At 400 NO₃⁻-N μg L⁻¹, 25 bacterial exact sequence variants showed a negative response, resulting in a distinct threshold in bacterial community composition. Chthonomonas, Acetobacterales and Hyphomicrobium were the most sensitive taxa, while only three taxa (Duganella, Undibacterium and Thermoanaerobaculaceae) were enriched due to increased contamination. Decomposition rate responded unimodally to increasing nitrate-N concentration, with a peak rate at ~400 NO₃⁻-N μg L⁻¹, parallelly with a major shift in bacterial community composition. Our results emphasize the utility of bacterial communities in the assessment of groundwater-dependent ecosystems. They also call for a careful reconsideration of threshold nitrate values for defining groundwater ecosystem health and protecting their microbial biodiversity.     

Characterization of bacterial diversity in two aerated lagoons of a wastewater treatment plant using PCR-DGGE analysis

Aerated lagoons are commonly used for domestic and industrial wastewater treatment due to their low cost and minimal need of operational requirements. However, little information is known regarding microbial communities that inhabit these ecosystems. In this study, a 16S-DGGE approach was used to estimate bacterial diversity and to monitor community changes in two aerated lagoons from a wastewater treatment plant receiving urban and industrial effluents. Pronounced shifts between bacterial communities collected in winter–spring and summer–autumn months were detected. Temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH were the variables that most influenced the bacterial communities. Phylogenetic affiliation of predominant members was assessed by the determination of the 16S rDNA sequence of correspondent bands. Affiliations to Cytophaga–Flexibacter–Bacteroides (CFB) group, Firmicutes, and β- and ε-proteobacteria were found.     

Composition and Activity of Marine Alkane-Degrading Bacterial Communities in the Transition from Suboxic to Anoxic Conditions

The impact of the oxygen supply rate (OSR) on the metabolic activity and on the composition of hexadecane-degrading bacterial communities in a quasi-anoxic milieu (nominal DOT=0%) was studied in continuous cultures containing intertidal sediment. The dilution rate was kept constant at 0.035 h⁻¹. The OSR was stepwise reduced from 3.5 mmol O₂L⁻¹ h⁻¹ to 0.06 mmol O₂L⁻¹ h⁻¹. Activity was determined by analyzing the respiration quotient (RQ) and the rates of hexadecane degradation (Q_Hex), of hexadecane mineralization, and of protein production (PPR). The community composition and size were investigated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), by dilution plating (colony forming units or CFU), and by most probable number (MPN). The culture showed an aerobic hexadecane metabolism down to an OSR of 0.35 mmol O₂L⁻¹ h⁻¹. Below this OSR, anaerobic metabolism was initiated. The relationship among the RQ, PPR, Q_Hex, and the OSR can be approximated by hyperbola (Michaelis-Menten kinetics). We suggest that the metabolic adaptation of the culture to low OSRs is due to regulation of protein expression and enzyme activity. Reducing the OSR resulted in minor but significant changes in the concentration of different physiological and phylogenetic groups. This means that, in addition to protein expression and activity regulation, the adaptation of the population to low OSRs is due to changes in the community composition.     

Impacts of 3 years of elevated atmospheric CO2 on rhizosphere carbon flow and microbial community dynamics

Carbon (C) uptake by terrestrial ecosystems represents an important option for partially mitigating anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Short‐term atmospheric elevated CO₂ exposure has been shown to create major shifts in C flow routes and diversity of the active soil‐borne microbial community. Long‐term increases in CO₂ have been hypothesized to have subtle effects due to the potential adaptation of soil microorganism to the increased flow of organic C. Here, we studied the effects of prolonged elevated atmospheric CO₂ exposure on microbial C flow and microbial communities in the rhizosphere. Carex arenaria (a nonmycorrhizal plant species) and Festuca rubra (a mycorrhizal plant species) were grown at defined atmospheric conditions differing in CO₂ concentration (350 and 700 ppm) for 3 years. During this period, C flow was assessed repeatedly (after 6 months, 1, 2, and 3 years) by ¹³C pulse‐chase experiments, and label was tracked through the rhizosphere bacterial, general fungal, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities. Fatty acid biomarker analyses and RNA‐stable isotope probing (RNA‐SIP), in combination with real‐time PCR and PCR‐DGGE, were used to examine microbial community dynamics and abundance. Throughout the experiment the influence of elevated CO₂ was highly plant dependent, with the mycorrhizal plant exerting a greater influence on both bacterial and fungal communities. Biomarker data confirmed that rhizodeposited C was first processed by AMF and subsequently transferred to bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere soil. Over the course of 3 years, elevated CO₂ caused a continuous increase in the ¹³C enrichment retained in AMF and an increasing delay in the transfer of C to the bacterial community. These results show that, not only do elevated atmospheric CO₂ conditions induce changes in rhizosphere C flow and dynamics but also continue to develop over multiple seasons, thereby affecting terrestrial ecosystems C utilization processes.     

Selection of Diazotrophic Bacterial Communities in Biological Sand Filter Mesocosms Used for the Treatment of Phenolic-Laden Wastewater

Agri effluents such as winery or olive mill wastewaters are characterized by high phenolic concentrations. These compounds are highly toxic and generally refractory to biodegradation. Biological sand filters (BSFs) represent inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and sustainable wastewater treatment systems which rely vastly on microbial catabolic processes. Using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism, this study aimed to assess the impact of increasing concentrations of synthetic phenolic-rich wastewater, ranging from 96 mg L^?1 gallic acid and 138 mg L^?1 vanillin (i.e., a total chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 234 mg L^?1) to 2,400 mg L^?1 gallic acid and 3,442 mg L^?1 vanillin (5,842 mg COD L^?1), on bacterial communities and the specific functional diazotrophic community from BSF mesocosms. This amendment procedure instigated efficient BSF phenolic removal, significant modifications of the bacterial communities, and notably led to the selection of a phenolic-resistant and less diverse diazotrophic community. This suggests that bioavailable N is crucial in the functioning of biological treatment processes involving microbial communities, and thus that functional alterations in the bacterial communities in BSFs ensure provision of sufficient bioavailable nitrogen for the degradation of wastewater with a high C/N ratio.     

Estuarine sediment hydrocarbon-degrading microbial communities demonstrate resilience to nanosilver

Little is currently known about the potential impact of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on estuarine microbial communities. The Colne estuary, UK, is susceptible to oil pollution through boat traffic, and there is the potential for AgNP exposure via effluent discharged from a sewage treatment works located in close proximity. This study examined the effects of uncapped AgNPs (uAgNPs), capped AgNPs (cAgNPs) and dissolved Ag₂SO₄, on hydrocarbon-degrading microbial communities in estuarine sediments. The uAgNPs, cAgNPs and Ag₂SO₄ (up to 50 mg L⁻¹) had no significant impact on hydrocarbon biodegradation (80–92% hydrocarbons were biodegraded by day 7 in all samples). Although total and active cell counts in oil-amended sediments were unaffected by silver exposure; total cell counts in non-oiled sediments decreased from 1.66 to 0.84 × 10⁷ g⁻¹ dry weight sediment (dws) with 50 mg L⁻¹ cAgNPs and from 1.66 to 0.66 × 10⁷ g⁻¹ dws with 0.5 mg L⁻¹ Ag₂SO₄ by day 14. All silver-exposed sediments also underwent significant shifts in bacterial community structure, and one DGGE band corresponding to a member of Bacteroidetes was more prominent in non-oiled microcosms exposed to 50 mg L⁻¹ Ag₂SO₄ compared to non-silver controls. In conclusion, AgNPs do not appear to affect microbial hydrocarbon-degradation but do impact on bacterial community diversity, which may have potential implications for other important microbial-mediated processes in estuaries.     

Effects of long term CO2 enrichment on microbial community structure in calcareous grassland

Elevated CO₂ generally increases plant productivity, and has been found to alter plant community composition in many ecosystems. Because soil microbes depend on plant-derived C and are often associated with specific plant species, elevated CO₂ has the potential to alter structure and functioning of soil microbial communities. We investigated soil microbial community structure of a species-rich semi-natural calcareous grassland that had been exposed to elevated CO₂ (600 μL L^?1) for 6 growing seasons. We analysed microbial community structure using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles and DNA fingerprints obtained by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rDNA fragments amplified by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). PLFA profiles were not affected by CO₂ enrichment and the ratio of fungal and bacterial PLFA did not change. Ordination analysis of DNA fingerprints revealed a significant relation between CO₂ enrichment and variation in DNA fingerprints in summer (P=0.01), but not in spring. This variation was due to changes in low-intensity bands, while dominant bands did not differ between CO₂ treatments. Diversity of the bacterial community, as assessed by number of bands in DNA fingerprints and calculation of Shannon diversity indices, was not affected by elevated CO₂. Overall, only minor effects on microbial community structure were detected, corroborating earlier findings that soil carbon inputs did probably change much less than suggested by plant photosynthetic responses.     

The Impact of Oxygen Tension on Cell Density and Metabolic Diversity of Microbial Communities in Alkane Degrading Continuous-Flow Cultures

Abstract The impact of the dissolved O₂ tension (DOT) and the dilution rate on the metabolic diversity of an autochthonous hexadecane-degrading community in continuous-flow cultures containing hexadecane-coated intertidal sediment was determined in a set of experiments. The DOT was kept constant within each culture at values of 80% (168 μmol O₂L⁻¹) or 0.4% (0.84 μmol O₂ L⁻¹). The dilution rate was increased from D= 0.012 h⁻¹ to D= 0.06 h⁻¹. To determine the culture activity, we analyzed the hexadecane degradation rate, the protein production rate, and the oxygen consumption rate. The cell concentration of different metabolic groups was determined by colony forming units (CFU), and by most probable number (MPN). The metabolic diversity was determined by the substrate utilization spectrum in Biolog GN microtiter plates. The substrate utilization pattern of the cultures decreased considerably as D increased. This effect was more pronounced at 0.4% of DOT than at 80% of DOT. The MPN and CFU revealed that as D increased, only minor changes occurred in the community structure. The hexadecane degradation rate, the protein production rate, and the oxygen consumption rate increased parallel to D independently of the DOT. This means that the biocenosis at 0.4% of DOT was different from the biocenosis at 80% of DOT, although the metabolic activity of the cultures was unaffected by a 200-factor difference in the oxygen tension and revealed a considerable buffer capacity with respect to changes in DOT. Received: 23 May 1998; Accepted: 24 August 1998     

Livestock exclusion reduces the spillover effects of pastoral agriculture on soil bacterial communities in adjacent forest fragments

Forest-to-pasture conversion is known to cause global losses in plant and animal diversity, yet impacts of livestock management after such conversion on vital microbial communities in adjoining natural ecosystems remain poorly understood. We examined how pastoral land management practices impact soil microorganisms in adjacent native forest fragments, by comparing bacterial communities sampled along 21 transects bisecting pasture–forest boundaries. Our results revealed greater bacterial taxon richness in grazed pasture soils and the reduced dispersal of pasture-associated taxa into adjacent forest soils when land uses were separated by a boundary fence. Relative abundance distributions of forest-associated taxa (i.e., Proteobacteria and Nitrospirae) and a pasture-associated taxon (i.e., Firmicutes) also suggest a greater impact of pastoral land uses on forest fragment soil bacterial communities when no fence is present. Bacterial community richness and composition were most related to changes in soil physicochemical variables commonly associated with agricultural fertilization, including concentrations of Olsen P, total P, total Cd, delta ¹⁵N and the ratio of C:P and N:P. Overall, our findings demonstrate clear, and potentially detrimental effects of agricultural disturbance on bacterial communities in forest soils adjacent to pastoral land. We provide evidence that simple land management decisions, such as livestock exclusion, can mitigate the effects of agriculture on adjacent soil microbial communities.     

象山港电厂温排水增温对浮游细菌群落空间分布的影响

沿海电厂产生的温排水已造成了较严重的环境问题,如生物病害和赤潮暴发频率增加。现有研究多关注温排水增温对浮游动、植物多样性的影响,而缺乏在物质能量循环过程起核心纽带作用的微生物对增温的响应和反馈。考虑到生态系统对增温的反馈取决于浮游植物的初级生产力和微生物异养呼吸之间的平衡,利用Illumina测序技术结合水体理化性质研究了象山港电厂温排水增温梯度下浮游细菌的空间分布特征。温排水预期的海水增温显著地增加了水体中硝氮(P=0.041,单因素方差分析)、化学需氧量(P0.001)、油污(P=0.004)和余氯(P=0.003)的浓度;但降低了溶解氧(P=0.034)和叶绿素a(P=0.045)的含量。此外,相似性分析发现温排水增温显著地(r=0.338;P=0.042)改变了浮游细菌群落结构,空间分布遵循空间距离-群落相似性衰减(r=-0.582;P=0.026)模型,周转速率为0.0013。细菌多样性主要受水体溶解氧、化学需要量和叶绿素a的影响,分别控制了34.6%、20.1%和10.0%的多样性变异。冗余分析(RDA)群落变异主要受环境因子(包括温度、油污、溶解氧和叶绿素a)的影响,一共解释了55.6%的群落变异;增温仅解释了4.8%的群落变异。因此,浮游细菌群落结构主要受环境因子的影响,这种各因子对群落变异相对贡献比例的特征与增温主要通过改变水质和浮游植物特征,以间接作用影响细菌群落组成的观念一致。此外,细菌多样性和群落组成受不同环境因子的驱动。相比而言,空间距离只控制了较小比例的群落变异(7.1%)。此外,筛选到11个细菌科,这些科的相对丰度与增温幅度显著相关,变化特征与各科已知的生态功能相吻合,如海洋螺菌科(Oceanospirillaceae)中有些菌株能够降解石油污染物,其相对丰度在高油污浓度站点增加(油污浓度与增温幅度正相关,r=0.558;P=0.030);嗜温的弧菌科相对丰度与增温幅度正相关。综上,研究结果初步明确了浮游细菌群落对电厂温排水增温的响应特征,并筛选到敏感的细菌科来指示和预测增温对生态功能的潜在影响。     

Temperature controls on aquatic bacterial production and community dynamics in arctic lakes and streams

The impact of temperature on bacterial activity and community composition was investigated in arctic lakes and streams in northern Alaska. Aquatic bacterial communities incubated at different temperatures had different rates of production, as measured by ¹⁴C‐leucine uptake, indicating that populations within the communities had different temperature optima. Samples from Toolik Lake inlet and outlet were collected at water temperatures of 14.2°C and 15.9°C, respectively, and subsamples incubated at temperatures ranging from 6°C to 20°C. After 5 days, productivity rates varied from 0.5 to ～13.7 µg C l^?1 day^?1 and two distinct activity optima appeared at 12°C and 20°C. At these optima, activity was 2‐ to 11‐fold higher than at other incubation temperatures. The presence of two temperature optima indicates psychrophilic and psychrotolerant bacteria dominate under different conditions. Community fingerprinting via denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA genes showed strong shifts in the composition of communities driven more by temperature than by differences in dissolved organic matter source; e.g. four and seven unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found only at 2°C and 25°C, respectively, and not found at other incubation temperatures after 5 days. The impact of temperature on bacteria is complex, influencing both bacterial productivity and community composition. Path analysis of measurements of 24 streams and lakes sampled across a catchment 12 times in 4 years indicates variable timing and strength of correlation between temperature and bacterial production, possibly due to bacterial community differences between sites. As indicated by both field and laboratory experiments, shifts in dominant community members can occur on ecologically relevant time scales (days), and have important implications for understanding the relationship of bacterial diversity and function.     

Environmental gradients in a southern Europe estuarine system: Ria de Aveiro,Portugal implications for soft bottom macrofauna colonization

Four seasonal sampling surveys were carried out between December 1985 and September 1986 in Canal de Mira (Ria de Aveiro, Portugal). A total of 40 sampling stations, distributed over 13 transects, was used. Salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH of the water mass were measured. Sediment temperature, and salinity and pH of interstitial water were determined. Sediment variables also included granulometric composition and organic matter contents. Bottom macrofauna samples were collected at each station. Ordination (PCA and MDS) and classification of the sampling stations were performed, using the physicochemical and the biological data sets separately. Average linkage cluster analysis using the unweighted paired-group method, arithmetic averages, was used for both sets of data. With a salinity range from 35.1‰ to 0.0‰, Canal de Mira behaves like a tidally and seasonally poikilohaline estuary. Water temperature (8.5–24.7°C) decreased along the channel towards its inner part during the cold season; an inverse and more pronounced trend was observed during the hot season. Dissolved oxygen contents was generally high during the day (50% to 240% saturation). Oversaturation was observed throughout the growing season, with peaks in areas with large amounts of rooted vegetation. The pH values, largely correlated with dissolved oxygen, ranged from 6.8 to 8.9. Four types of sediment were present in Canal de Mira, medium and muddy sands being dominant. Two major gradients were identified: (i) a typical longitudinal estuarine gradient, associated with distance from the mouth, representing physicochemical variables such as tidal amplitude, salinity and temperature; this gradient was accompanied by an upstream increase in dominance; the community composition changes were mainly related to salinity; (ii) a lateral gradient, related to current velocity, depth and sediment composition; the subtidal community had a comparatively low species richness and abundance. Groups of stations could be recognized along the environmental gradients. Benthic community changes, however, appeared to be gradual rather than marked by abrupt transitions.     

Metabolic Quotient Measured by Free-Water Method in Six Enclosures with Different Silver Carp Densities

Quasi-continuous DO and pH measurements (total 47 days) were conducted during enclosure experiments (6 enclosures; 5 × 5 × 2.5 m), in which a biomass gradient of silver carp was created. After subtracting the air–water exchanges of O₂ and CO₂, the chemical and biochemical changes in DO (dissolved oxygen) and DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon) were estimated in order to evaluate MQ (metabolic quotient: DO change divided by DIC change) at intervals of 1 hour. By removing small absolute changes below the threshold value (0.01 mM h^?1), the averaged values of the 24 MQ means for the respective 1-hour periods ranged from 0.96 to 1.20 in the six enclosures. Because the MQs in the daytime inversely correlated well with the ratio of NH⁺ ₄–N to (NH⁺ ₄–N + NO^? ₃–N), not the ecosystems, i.e., density of fish, community structure of zooplankton and phytoplankton, but the form of nitrogen uptaken for primary production principally determined the MQs. The higher MQs observed in the daytime compared with the nighttime (from 14% to 21% except 3% for one enclosure) could not be explained by the denitrification and/or dissolution of CaCO₃ in the sediments, therefore suggesting the selectively faster decomposition of part of the organic matter provided through primary production, in other words, an accumulation of another part of the organic matter in the diurnal and/or daily time scale.