Growth response of marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) to inoculation withGlomus mosseae,Trichoderma aureoviride andPythium ultimum in a peat-perlite mixture

The interactions between the mycorrhizal fungusGlomus mosseae, the plant pathogenPythium ultimum, and a pathogen-antagonistTrichoderma aureoviride in the rhizosphere ofTagetes erecta (marigold) were studied for their effects on plant growth in a peat-perlite substrate. Mycorrhizal fungus inoculation protected the plant againstP. ultimum, since both phytomass production and foliar development were higher in mycorrhizal plants.T. aureoviride had no effect on nonmycorrhizal plants in the presence or absence ofP. ultimum. However, more biomass was produced by mycorrhizal plants whenT. aureoviride was present, whether or not soil was infested withP. ultimum. ei]R Rodriguez-Kabana     

Physico-chemical characteristics of a permanent Spanish hypersaline lake: La Salada de Chiprana (NE Spain)

La Salada de Chiprana Lake, located in the Ebro River basin, northeastern Spain, is the only permanent and deep water hypersaline ecosystem in all of western Europe. With a total surface of 31 ha and a maximum depth of 5.6 m, it has several basins bounded by elongated sandstone-bodies or ribbons which are paleochannels of Miocene age. Its salinity varied from 30 to 73 g 1^–1 during the 1989 hydrological cycle and the most abundant ions were magnesium and sulphate. Depth-time distributions of major physico-chemical variables demonstrated that the lake was stratified in two distinctive layers during most of the year. The chemocline disappeared only in October, with the complete overturn of the water column. In the deep water, three conditions occurred which allowed development of green sulphur bacteria populations: (1) oxygen depletion, (2) presence of hydrogen sulphide and (3) presence of light. Benthic microbial mats covered the sediments of shallow shores of moderate slope.     

Continuous measurement of microbial heat production in laboratory fermentors

The possibility of continuously measuring the heat produced by microorganisms in an ordinary laboratory fermentor was studies. An inventory of the heat flows influencing the temperature of the culture was made. The magnitude and standard deviation in these heat flows were studied from theoretical and practical viewpoints. Calibration procedures were tested, and a model describing the heat flows in steady state and during dynamic conditions was made. Microbial heat production could be calculated accurately with the help of this model, appropriate temperature measurements, and equipment properties measured during the calibration procedures. It was found that the measurement of heat production could be done with an accuracy similar to that in the O(2) uptake measurement. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetics of competitive inhibition and cometabolism in the biodegradation of benzene, toluene, and p-xylene by two Pseudomonas isolates

Two Pseudomonas species (designated strains B1 and X1) were isolated from an aerobic pilot-scale fluidized bed reactor treating groundwater containing benzene, toluene, and p-xylene (BTX). Strain B1 grew with benzene and toluene as the sole sources of carbon and energy, and it cometabolized p-xylene in the presence of toluene. Strain X1 grew on toluene and p-xylene, but not benzene. In single substrate experiments, the appearance of biomass lagged the consumption of growth substrates, suggesting that substrate uptake may not be growth-rate limiting for these substrates. Batch tests using paired substrates (BT, TX, or BX) revealed competitive inhibition and cometabolic degradation patterns. Competitive inhibition was modeled by adding a competitive inhibition term to the Monod expression. Cometabolic transformation of nongrowth substrate (p-xylene) by strain B1 was quantified by coupling xylene transformation to consumption of growth substrate (toluene) during growth and to loss of biomass during the decay phase. Coupling was achieved by defining two transformation capacity terms for the cometabolizing culture: one that relates consumption of growth substrate to the consumption of nongrowth substrate, and second that relates consumption of biomass to the consumption of nongrowth substrate. Cometabolism increased decay rates, and the observed yield for strain B1 decreased in the presence of p-xylene. (c) 1993 Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Morphology,distribution, and preservation potential of microbial mats in the hydromagnesite-magnesite playas of the Cariboo Plateau,British Columbia,Canada

Benthic microbial mats are common in the alkaline hydromagnesite-magnesite playa lakes of Interior British Columbia. Four main zones are recognized based on mat morphology that can be related to the type and duration of wetting. From the basin margin toward the playa centre they are: (i) vegetated hummocky ground; (ii) polygonal hummocky ground; (iii) low-domal and stratiform mats, and (iv) laterally continuous and pustular mats. Mats in peripheral mudflats are commonly mineralized by hydromagnesite, mostly precipitated by capillary evaporation of shallow groundwaters. Mats forming in the ephemeral lake tend to have lower carbonate content.Although widespread, the mats are poorly preserved in the Holocene sedimentary record. Underlying sediments are commonly weakly bedded, disturbed or massive. Desiccation, dehydration, wetting-drying cycles, and grazing by invertebrates cause fragmentation of mats at the surface, facilitating erosion. Cryogranulation, interstitial mineral precipitation, vesiculation, bioturbation, compaction, and volume changes associated with diagenesis, disrupt and destroy lamination in the upper few centimetres. Most surviving organic matter is lost by early microbial degradation.     

Microbial nitrogen and phosphorus co-limitation across permafrost region

The status of plant and microbial nutrient limitation have profound impacts on ecosystem carbon cycle in permafrost areas, which store large amounts of carbon and experience pronounced climatic warming. Despite the long-term standing paradigm assumes that cold ecosystems primarily have nitrogen deficiency, large-scale empirical tests of microbial nutrient limitation are lacking. Here we assessed the potential microbial nutrient limitation across the Tibetan alpine permafrost region, using the combination of enzymatic and elemental stoichiometry, genes abundance and fertilization method. In contrast with the traditional view, the four independent approaches congruently detected widespread microbial nitrogen and phosphorus co-limitation in both the surface soil and deep permafrost deposits, with stronger limitation in the topsoil. Further analysis revealed that soil resources stoichiometry and microbial community composition were the two best predictors of the magnitude of microbial nutrient limitation. High ratio of available soil carbon to nutrient and low fungal/bacterial ratio corresponded to strong microbial nutrient limitation. These findings suggest that warming-induced enhancement in soil nutrient availability could stimulate microbial activity, and probably amplify soil carbon losses from permafrost areas.     

中国喀斯特地区微生物群落结构和功能的研究进展

频繁的人类生产活动使植被遭到破坏,造成基岩裸露的石漠化现象,严重制约了喀斯特地区自然和社会经济的发展,随着生态修复工程的大力开展,微生物群落的结构和功能在生态修复中逐渐受到重视,因为微生物作为喀斯特生态系统的重要组成部分,不仅在物质循环过程中起着重要作用,也在喀斯特生态系统修复中占有十分重要的地位。所以微生物群落结构和功能的研究可以作为衡量生态系统稳定性的重要指标。就中国喀斯特地区的典型植被恢复的不同阶段、成土过程、不同的土地利用方式、矿山修复过程以及不同水域中的微生物群落结构及功能等方面的研究状况进行系统梳理,结合实例综合论述喀斯特地区生态修复过程中微生物作用的研究进展,以期为喀斯特地区生态修复提供参考。     

微生物互营产甲烷过程中的种间电子传递

甲烷作为全球第二大温室气体,是典型的可再生清洁能源,也是碳循环中的重要物质组成。大气中约74%的甲烷由产甲烷古菌和其他微生物的互营产生,种间电子传递(interspecies electron transfer, IET)是微生物菌群降低热力学能垒、实现互营产甲烷的核心过程。IET可分为间接种间电子传递(mediated interspecies electron transfer,MIET)和直接种间电子传递(direct interspecies electron transfer, DIET)两种类型,其中MIET依赖氢气、甲酸等载体完成电子的远距离传输,而DIET则依赖导电菌毛、细胞色素c等膜蛋白,通过微生物的直接接触实现电子传递。本文将从IET的研究历程出发,从电子传递机制、微生物种类、生态多样性等方面对微生物互营产甲烷过程中的两种IET类型进行比较,最后对未来待探索的方向进行展望。本综述有助于加深对微生物互营产甲烷过程中IET的理解,为解决由甲烷引发的全球气候变暖等生态问题提供理论支撑。     

好氧反硝化细菌及其在微污染水源水修复中的应用研究进展

相比于氨氮,天然水体中的硝酸盐氮通常更稳定,导致更难将其从水中去除。由于好氧反硝化可以在有氧环境下进行反硝化作用去除硝酸盐氮,该过程对含有较高溶解氧的天然水体中硝酸盐氮处理有重要作用。本文综述了好氧反硝化菌的分离纯化现状、微生物代谢机制和环境影响因子,并介绍了功能菌群在微污染饮用水源水生物修复的应用研究进展。与一般的厌氧反硝化类似,好氧反硝化菌的种属分布较广,常见的如假单胞菌属(Pseudomoas)、产碱杆菌属(Alcaligenes)、副球菌属(Paracoccus)和芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)等所属部分微生物均有好氧反硝化能力。大部分好氧反硝化菌株在最佳生长条件下(25–37℃、溶解氧浓度为3–5mg/L、pH为7–8、碳氮比为5–10)具有高效的脱氮效率。但目前好氧反硝化作用在微污染饮用水源水的生物修复方面的应用仍有着脱氮性能不稳定、菌剂流失等不足。此外,目前较少相关中试及实际工程应用的研究,需要进一步的深入探究。