Bacterial olfaction

Sensing their environment is a crucial ability of all life forms. In higher eukaryotes the sensing of airborne volatile compounds, or olfaction, is well developed. In plants, slime moulds and yeast there is also compelling evidence that these organisms can smell their environment and respond accordingly. Here we show that bacteria are also capable of olfaction. Bacillus licheniformis was able to sense airborne volatile metabolites produced by neighbouring bacterial cultures and cells could respond to this chemical information in a coordinated way. When Bacillus licheniformis was grown in a microtitre plate adjacent to a bacterial culture of the same or a different species, growing in complex medium, biofilm formation and pigment production were elicited by volatile molecules. A weaker response occurred in increasingly distant wells. The emitted volatile molecule was identified as ammonia. These data demonstrate that B. licheniformis has evolved the ability collect information about its environment from the surrounding air and physiologically respond to it in a manner similar to olfaction. This is the first time that a behavioural response triggered by odorant molecules received through the gas phase is described in bacteria.     

Relationship between plasma ammonia and blood lactate concentrations after maximal treadmill exercise in circumpubertal girls and boys

The purpose of the study was to define a relationship between plasma ammonia [NH3]pl and blood lactate concentrations [la-]b after exercise in children and to find out whether the [NH3]pl, determined during laboratory treadmill tests, may be useful as a predictor of the children's sprint running ability. A group of 20 girls and 14 boys trained in athletics or swimming and 8 untrained boys, aged 13.2 to 13.7 years, participated in the study. Their [NH3]pl and [la-]b were measured before and after incremental maximal treadmill exercise. In addition, the subjects' running performance was tested in 30-, 60- and 600- or 1000-m runs under field conditions. The [NH3]pl during the treadmill runs increased by 20.1 (SD 17.3), 24 (SD 16.7) and 10 (SD 4.3) mumol.l-1 in the girls, the trained boys and the untrained boys, respectively. The postexercise [NH3]pl correlated positively with [la-]b (r = 0.565 in the girls and 0.812 in the boys) and treadmill speed attained during the test (r = 0.489 in the girls and 0.490 in the boys). Significant correlations were also found between [NH3]pl obtained during the treadmill test and the times of 30- and 60-m runs (r = -0.676 and -0.648, respectively) in the boys but not in the girls. A comparison of the present data with those reported previously in adults showed that increases in [NH3]pl during maximal exercise in children would seem to be lower than in adult subjects both in absolute values and in relation to [la-]b.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Vermifiltration as a stage in reuse of swine wastewater: Monitoring methodology on an experimental farm

Vermifiltration is a new technology using earthworms to process organically polluted water. A pilot associated with a swine facility (piggery) with 66 swine was developed to treat diluted manure, produce earthworms and vermicompost, and reduce air pollution. The aim of the experiment reported here was to devise an integrated method – biological, chemical and physical – for further research and development of vermifiltration in diluted swine manure, and provide some preliminary results. The earthworm population increased by 30% in 4 weeks, indicating the acclimation of the earthworms. A reduction in ammonia emission was observed of about 50% for the whole system. Higher water (+100%), carbon (+70%), and total nitrogen (+80%) gaseous losses were observed compared to conventional breeding on a slatted floor. This methodology can be used for further studies to develop vermifiltration for earthworm and vermicompost production from diluted animal manure, without pollution transfer.     

Effects of nitrogen on interspecific competition between two cell-size cyanobacteria: Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechococcus sp.

Micro-cyanobacteria and pico-cyanobacteria coexist in many lakes throughout the world. Their distinct cell sizes and nutrient utilization strategies may lead to dominance of one over the other at varying nutrient levels. In this study, Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechococcus sp. were chosen as representative organisms of micro- and pico-cyanobacteria, respectively. A series of nitrate and ammonia conditions (0.02, 0.1, 0.5, and 2.5 mg N L⁻¹) were designed in mono- or co-cultured systems, respectively. Growth rates of the two species were calculated and fitted by the Monod and Logistic equations. Furthermore, the interspecific competition was analyzed using the Lotka–Volterra model. In mono-cultures, the two cyanobacteria displayed faster growth rates in ammonia than in nitrate. Meanwhile, Synechococcus sp. showed faster growth rates compared to M. aeruginosa in lower N groups (≤ 0.5 mg N L⁻¹). However, in the highest nitrate treatment (2.5 mg N L⁻¹), M. aeruginosa achieved much higher biomass and faster growth rates than Synechococcus sp.. In co-cultures, Synechococcus sp. dominated in the lowest N treatment (0.02 mg N L⁻¹), but M. aeruginosa dominated under the highest nitrate condition (2.5 mg N L⁻¹). Based on the analysis of Raman spectra of living cells in mono-cultures, nitrate (2.5 mg N L⁻¹) upgraded the pigmentary contents of M. aeruginosa better than ammonia (2.5 mg N L⁻¹), but nitrogen in different forms showed little effects on the pigments of Synechococcus sp.. Findings from this study can provide valuable information to predict cyanobacterial community succession and aquatic ecosystem stability.     

日光温室番茄-西瓜轮作系统不同水氮处理氨挥发特征

为探究黄土高原地区日光温室果蔬栽培中氨挥发特征,在陕西省杨凌区选择当地典型的日光温室,设置4个不同的水氮处理,采用密闭式间歇抽气法监测番茄-西瓜轮作季的氨挥发特征.结果表明: 日光温室栽培土壤氮素转化快,施氮处理施肥后第1～2天氨挥发出现峰值,氨挥发峰值为0.26～2.02 kg N·hm^-2·d^-1,7 d左右各处理氨挥发通量相近;施氮处理间氨累积排放量无显著差异;相同施氮量条件下,降低灌溉量氨累积排放量两季平均增加了46.7%;不同种植季氨平均排放通量和累积排放量均表现为西瓜季高于番茄季,西瓜季高温促进了氨排放;土壤铵态氮含量、土壤孔隙含水量、0～5 cm地温和温室气温均对氨排放通量有极显著影响,而土壤pH值与氨挥发通量呈显著负相关关系.不同种植季氨挥发通量和累积排放量存在差异,降低施氮量可减少氨排放,相同施氮量条件下降低灌溉量增加了氨排放.     

氨氮降解菌的筛选、鉴定与复合菌水质调控效果研究

为寻找高效降解水体中氨氮的菌株并对其进行应用评价,研究从多种水产养殖池塘水体和底泥的混合物中筛选出2株氨氮降解菌,降解率分别达97.8%和98.5%,经鉴定均为凝结芽孢杆菌(Bacillus coagulans)。对筛选出的2菌株培养条件进行优化,2菌株pH、C/N适应范围广,并且耐高温、高盐。通过灌服试验表明所筛选菌株对养殖动物是安全的。在此基础上,将筛选菌株与本实验室前期诱变菌株B38复配后制成复合菌,通过养殖试验评价了复合菌对氨氮、亚硝酸盐及藻类数量的调控效果。与4种商品微生态制剂(光合细菌、酵母菌、强效EM和芽孢杆菌)相比,泼洒复合菌的池塘氨氮含量逐渐降低。在氨氮含量下降的同时,亚硝酸盐含量有上升的趋势,但在试验的第18天,复合菌组与酵母菌组亚硝酸盐含量有所降低。对藻类数量的影响结果显示,从第9天开始添加复合菌与芽孢杆菌组藻类数量高于其他各组,在第14天,这2组藻类数量大约为其他组的2倍。由此可见,复合菌具有明显的降氨氮特性,并能有效增加藻类数量,但对亚硝酸盐降解效果不显著。研究为复合型微生态制剂的开发提供了技术支撑。     

土壤盐渍化对尿素与磷酸脲氨挥发的影响

氨挥发是肥料氮素损失的重要途径之一,肥料类型、土壤类型、肥料用量以及土壤全盐量均影响氨挥发损失率及挥发特征。本文采用通气法测定了磷酸脲和尿素两种肥料六个施肥量处理分别施入六个不同盐渍化程度（1.7、9.9、16.4、23.2、29.1、37.9 g/kg）的土壤后氨挥发累积状况和动力学特性,以及土壤氨挥发累积量与土壤电导值之间的相关性。结果表明：（1）在土壤总盐介于1.66 -37.9 g/kg的范围内,随着土壤含盐量增加,尿素与磷酸脲处理的氨挥发累积量显著增加;土壤含盐量对氨挥发速率有显著的促进作用。（2）各处理二次线性函数拟合的二项式系数a均为负值,表明：在不同盐渍化条件下肥料的挥发速率是随着时间增长而降低的;一次线性函数和Elovich 方程的斜率a随土壤含盐量增加而增大,表明：土壤盐渍化将加剧土壤的氨挥发速率。（3）土壤氨挥发累积量与电导值拟合结果符合logistic方程（︱R︱分别为0.9732,0.9815,0.965,0.9182,0.9817,0.9971︱R︱>r0.01=0.9172, n=6）,氨挥发累积量随土壤电导值呈“S”型增长。     

不同施肥与灌水量对槟榔土壤氨挥发的影响

利用通气法田间原位试验,研究了不同施肥模式、灌溉量对槟榔土壤氨挥发速率和挥发量的影响。结果表明：槟榔恢复期和出花期追肥灌水后,不同施肥处理均在第3天出现氨挥发速率峰值（0.50-3.42 kg.hm-2.d-1）,而后迅速下降并进入低挥发阶段。出花期氨挥发速率峰值（1.50-4.42 kg.hm-2.d-1）比恢复期氨挥发速率峰值明显高。灌水量小(300 m3. hm-2)的氨挥发率和总量比灌水量大(600 m3. hm-2)的明显减小。在同一氮水平下,有机质含量较低的氨挥发率较高。在同一有机质含量条件,氨挥发率随着N肥含量增加而升高。与单施N肥处理相比,有机肥与N肥配施可明显减少氨挥发速率和总量,可减少氮损失。