Hydrocarbon Leaching, Microbial Population, and Plant Growth in Soil Amended with Petroleum

Two samples of oily waste organics (OWO) from petroleum wells were added to heath soils from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, and the effects on hydrocarbon leaching, microbial population, and plant growth were studied. These mixtures and a control soil were subjected to four deionized water leachates. For each leachate, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), aliphatic hydrocarbons (ALH), aromatic hydrocarbons (ARH) with three or fewer rings, ARH with more than three rings, and oil and grease (O&G) were measured. After leaching, six Dactylis glomerata L. plants were grown in each soil column. Plant growth and the total number of aerobic and nitrifier microorganisms were measured in soil. The 10% OWO sample increased the TPH in the leachate, but the 1% sample did not. The ALH, ARH, and O&G of each leachate followed patterns similar to that for TPH. Plant growth diminished and the total number of aerobic and nitrifier microorganisms decreased with increasing OWO, especially when the OWO was from a fresh residue rather than an aged residue. The greater inhibitive effect of fresh residue on plant growth was attributed to a higher concentration of light hydrocarbons, which are more toxic than heavy hydrocarbons. For soil with 1% OWO added, the TPH and other organics did not differ from the control soil. This result, combined with the 10-year average annual rainfall and the water table elevation at the site, suggests that the risk of contaminating the water table is relatively low. Thus, a 1% addition of OWO in soil would be appropriate to use in landfarming of OWO.     

Soil Type Is the Primary Determinant of the Composition of the Total and Active Bacterial Communities in Arable Soils

Degradation of agricultural land and the resulting loss of soil biodiversity and productivity are of great concern. Land-use management practices can be used to ameliorate such degradation. The soil bacterial communities at three separate arable farms in eastern England, with different farm management practices, were investigated by using a polyphasic approach combining traditional soil analyses, physiological analysis, and nucleic acid profiling. Organic farming did not necessarily result in elevated organic matter levels; instead, a strong association with increased nitrate availability was apparent. Ordination of the physiological (BIOLOG) data separated the soil bacterial communities into two clusters, determined by soil type. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of 16S ribosomal DNA identified three bacterial communities largely on the basis of soil type but with discrimination for pea cropping. Five fields from geographically distinct soils, with different cropping regimens, produced highly similar profiles. The active communities (16S rRNA) were further discriminated by farm location and, to some degree, by land-use practices. The results of this investigation indicated that soil type was the key factor determining bacterial community composition in these arable soils. Leguminous crops on particular soil types had a positive effect upon organic matter levels and resulted in small changes in the active bacterial population. The active population was therefore more indicative of short-term management changes.     

Population Dynamics of Soil and Vegetation Protozoa

Many fresh-water protozoa can be found in litters and soils,but the ubiquitous species are those which are able to copewith fluctuating moisture conditions. Terrestrial protozoa aremore characteristic of bryophyte-soil habitats than aquaticecosystems. Nutritionally, two groups have evolved in responseto the plant community: naked, predominantly bacterial feeders,whose abundance is determined by the decomposability of thelitter in which they live; and the slow growing, humusassociatedtestacea, which are more abundant in the litters of slow decomposability.Ubiquitous species comprise about 90% of the protozoa in soils.More continuous moisture conditions enhance the appearance ofadditional species. Hence species diversity indicates highermoisture content of a soil. Protozoa may contribute to the functioningof the soil ecosystem by inducing fiocculation of bacterialpopulations and recycling of minerals through ingestion of bacteriaand excretion of soluble products. The surface of vegetationappears to represent the most terrestrial habitat a protozoancan exploit, because in contrast to the litter-soil ecosystem,only one species, Colpoda cucullus, dominates the population.     

In Situ Spatial Patterns of Soil Bacterial Populations,Mapped at Multiple Scales,in an Arable Soil

Very little is known about the spatial organization of soil microbes across scales that are relevant both to microbial function and to field-based processes. The spatial distributions of microbes and microbially mediated activity have a high intrinsic variability. This can present problems when trying to quantify the effects of disturbance, management practices, or climate change on soil microbial systems and attendant function. A spatial sampling regime was implemented in an arable field. Cores of undisturbed soil were sampled from a 3 × 3 × 0.9 m volume of soil (topsoil and subsoil) and a biological thin section, in which the in situ distribution of bacteria could be quantified, prepared from each core. Geostatistical analysis was used to quantify the nature of spatial structure from micrometers to meters and spatial point pattern analysis to test for deviations from complete spatial randomness of mapped bacteria. Spatial structure in the topsoil was only found at the microscale (micrometers), whereas evidence for nested scales of spatial structure was found in the subsoil (at the microscale, and at the centimeter to meter scale). Geostatistical ranges of spatial structure at the micro scale were greater in the topsoil and tended to decrease with depth in the subsoil. Evidence for spatial aggregation in bacteria was stronger in the topsoil and also decreased with depth in the subsoil, though extremely high degrees of aggregation were found at very short distances in the deep subsoil. The data suggest that factors that regulate the distribution of bacteria in the subsoil operate at two scales, in contrast to one scale in the topsoil, and that bacterial patches are larger and more prevalent in the topsoil.     

Effect of Sodium Salicylate on the Population Dynamics of the Rhizobacterium Pseudomonas aureofaciens in the Wheat Rhizoplane and Adjacent Soil

The effect of sodium salicylate on the population dynamics of the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas aureofaciens BS1393 and its variant bearing the naphthalene biodegradation plasmid pBS216 was studied in the wheat rhizoplane and adjacent soil. Optimum salicylate concentration for the maintenance of the plasmid-bearing strain and for the normal growth of wheat was found to be 250 g/g soil. When the soil was supplemented with salicylate, the population of P. aureofaciens BS1393(pBS216) in the wheat rhizoplane and adjacent soil was, respectively, 4- and 20-fold higher than that of the parent strain lacking the plasmid.     

Moving Waves of Bacterial Populations and Total Organic Carbon along Roots of Wheat

Abstract To determine if spatial variation in soluble carbon sources along the root coincides with different trophic groups of bacteria, copiotrophic and oligotrophic bacteria were enumerated from bulk soil and rhizosphere samples at 2 cm intervals along wheat roots 2, 3, and 4 weeks after planting. There was a moderate rhizosphere effect in one experiment with soil rich in fresh plant debris, and a very pronounced rhizosphere effect in the second experiment with soil low in organic matter. We obtained wavelike patterns of both trophic groups of bacteria as well as water-soluble total organic carbon (TOC) along the whole root length (60 or 90 cm). TOC concentrations were maximal at the root tip and base and minimal in the middle part of the roots. Oscillations in populations of copiotrophic and oligotrophic bacteria had two maxima close to the root tip and at the root base, or three maxima close to the tip, in the middle section, and at the root base. The location and pattern of the waves in bacterial populations changed progressively from week to week and was not consistently correlated with TOC concentrations or the location of lateral root formation. Thus, the traditional view that patterns in bacterial numbers along the root directly reflect patterns in exudation and rhizodeposition from several fixed sources along the root may not be true. We attributed the observed wavelike patterns in bacterial populations to bacterial growth and death cycles (due to autolysis or grazing by predators). Considering the root tip as a moving nutrient source, temporal oscillations in bacterial populations at any location where the root tip passed would result in moving waves along the root. This change in concept about bacterial populations in the rhizosphere could have significant implications for plant growth promotion and bioremediation. Received: 11 May 1998; Accepted: 4 November 1998     

Feedback between Population and Evolutionary Dynamics Determines the Fate of Social Microbial Populations

The evolutionary spread of cheater strategies can destabilize populations engaging in social cooperative behaviors, thus demonstrating that evolutionary changes can have profound implications for population dynamics. At the same time, the relative fitness of cooperative traits often depends upon population density, thus leading to the potential for bi-directional coupling between population density and the evolution of a cooperative trait. Despite the potential importance of these eco-evolutionary feedback loops in social species, they have not yet been demonstrated experimentally and their ecological implications are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate the presence of a strong feedback loop between population dynamics and the evolutionary dynamics of a social microbial gene, SUC2, in laboratory yeast populations whose cooperative growth is mediated by the SUC2 gene. We directly visualize eco-evolutionary trajectories of hundreds of populations over 50–100 generations, allowing us to characterize the phase space describing the interplay of evolution and ecology in this system. Small populations collapse despite continual evolution towards increased cooperative allele frequencies; large populations with a sufficient number of cooperators “spiral” to a stable state of coexistence between cooperator and cheater strategies. The presence of cheaters does not significantly affect the equilibrium population density, but it does reduce the resilience of the population as well as its ability to adapt to a rapidly deteriorating environment. Our results demonstrate the potential ecological importance of coupling between evolutionary dynamics and the population dynamics of cooperatively growing organisms, particularly in microbes. Our study suggests that this interaction may need to be considered in order to explain intraspecific variability in cooperative behaviors, and also that this feedback between evolution and ecology can critically affect the demographic fate of those species that rely on cooperation for their survival.     

麦蚜自然种群的空间动态

一、引言在生态学中研究种群动态有两个分支,一是追踪数量随时间变化,既所谓数量动态的问题,另一是考查种群个体在空间散布状态的变化,即所谓空间动态的问题。关于空间动态中分布型的研究过去多采用传统的块面调查,用     

Tomato Growth in Soil Amended with Sugar Mill By-Products Compost

Sugar mill by-products compost may be a good soil amendment to promote tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) growth. In addition, the compost may further promote plant growth by inoculation with N₂-fixing bacteria. Compost from sugar-mill waste was prepared with and without the N₂-fixing bacteria, Azotobacter vinelandii, Beijerinckia derxii and Azospirillum sp. and incubated for 50 days. Each compost type was added to 10 kg of soil in pots at rates of 0, 15, and 45 g with and without fertilizer N at rates of 0, 0.75, and 1.54 g. A blanket application of P and K was applied to all pots. Shoot and root dry weights and N content of the whole plant was measured at 55 days. Dry weight of tomato shoots was increased by 40% by addition of fertilizer N and root weight was increased by 66%. Without fertilizer N the high rate of inoculated compost increased shoot growth 180% and uninoculated compost increased shoot growth 112%. For most treatments with and without fertilizer N, inoculated compost enhanced shoot growth and nitrogen content more than uninoculated compost. Root weights were nearly doubled by addition of either compost in comparison to the 0 N treatment. At the low rate of compost addition without fertilizer N, root weight was the same for uninoculated and inoculated compost but at the high rate of compost addition root weight was 32% higher for inoculated compost. The N₂-fixing bacteria colonized roots when inoculated compost was used. Sugar mill by-products compost proved to be an effective soil amendment for promoting the growth of tomato plants.     

Invasion Waves in Populations with Excitable Dynamics

Whilst the most obvious mechanism for a biological invasion is the occupation of a new territory as a result of direct ingress by individuals of the invading population, a more subtle “invasion” may occur without significant motion of invading individuals if the population dynamics in a predator prey scenario has an “excitable” character. Here, “excitable” means that a local equilibrium state, either of coexistence of predator and prey, or of prey only, may, when disturbed by a small perturbation, switch to a new, essentially invaded state. In an invasion of this type little spatial movement of individuals occurs, but a wave of rapid change of population level nevertheless travels through the invaded territory. In this article we summarise and review recent modelling research which shows that the macroscopic features of these invasion waves depend strongly on the detailed spatial dynamics of the predator–prey relationship; the models assume simple (linear) diffusion and pursuit-evasion, represented by (non-linear) cross-diffusion, as examples. In the context of plankton population dynamics, such waves may be produced by sudden injections of nutrient and consequent rapid increase in plankton populations, brought about, for example, by the upwelling caused by a passing atmospheric low pressure system.     

Effects of Peanut-Tobacco Rotations on Population Dynamics of Meloidogyne arenaria in Mixed Race Populations

A 3-year microplot study was initiated to characterize the population dynamics, reproduction potential, and survivorship of single or mixed populations of Meloidogyne arenaria race 1 (Ma1) and race 2 (Ma2), as affected by crop rotations of peanut ''Florigiant'' and M. incognita races 1 and 3-resistant ''McNair 373'' and susceptible ''Coker 371-Gold'' tobacco. Infection, reproduction, and root damage by Ma2 on peanut and by Ma1 on resistant tobacco were limited in the first year. Infection, reproduction, and root-damage potentials on susceptible tobacco were similar for Ma1 and Ma2. In the mixed (1:1) population, Ma1 was dominant on peanut and Ma2 was dominant on both tobacco cultivars. Crop rotation affected the population dynamics of different nematode races. For years 2 and 3, the low numbers of Ma1 and Ma2 from a previous-year poor host increased rapidly on suitable hosts. Ma1 had greater reproduction factors ([RF] = population density at harvest/population density at preplandng) than did Ma2 and Ma1 + Ma2 in second-year peanut plots following first-year resistant tobacco, and in third-year peanut plots following second-year tobacco. In mixed infestations, Ma1 predominated over Ma2 in previous-year peanut plots, whereas Ma2 predominated over Ma1 in previous-year tobacco plots. Moderate damage on resistant tobacco was induced by Ma1 in the second year. In the third year, moderate damage on peanut was associated with ''Ma2'' from previous-year peanut plots. The resistant tobacco supported sufficient reproduction of Ma1 over 2 years to effect moderate damage and yield suppression to peanut in year 3.     

Dynamics of a Pasture Soil Microbial Community after Deposition of Cattle Urine Amended with [13C]Urea

Within grazed pastures, urine patches are hot spots of nitrogen turnover, since dietary N surpluses are excreted mainly as urea in the urine. This short-term experiment investigated ¹³C uptake in microbial lipids after simulated deposition of cattle urine at 10.0 and 17.1 g of urea C m⁻². Confined field plots without or with cattle urine amendment were sampled after 4 and 14 days, and soil from 0- to 5-cm and 10- to 20-cm depths was analyzed for content and composition of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and for the distribution of urea-derived ¹³C among individual PLFAs. Carbon dioxide emissions were quantified, and the contributions derived from urea were assessed. Initial changes in PLFA composition were greater at the lower level of urea, as revealed by a principal-component analysis. At the higher urea level, osmotic stress was indicated by the dynamics of cyclopropane fatty acids and branched-chain fatty acids. Incorporation of ¹³C from [¹³C]urea was low but significant, and the largest amounts of urea-derived C were found in common fatty acids (i.e., 16:0, 16:1ω7c, and 18:1ω7) that would be consistent with growth of typical NH₄⁺-oxidizing (Nitrosomonas) and NO₂⁻-oxidizing (Nitrobacter) bacteria. Surprisingly, a 20‰ depletion of ¹³C in the cyclopropane fatty acid cy17:0 was observed after 4 days, which was replaced by a 10 to 20‰ depletion of that in cy19:0 after 14 days. Possible reasons for this pattern are discussed. Autotrophic nitrifiers could not be implicated in urea hydrolysis to any large extent, but PLFA dynamics and the incorporation of urea-derived ¹³C in PLFAs indicated a response of nitrifiers which differed between the two urea concentrations.     

Evolution of Germline-Limited Sequences in Two Populations of the Ciliate Chilodonella uncinata

Ciliates are microbial eukaryotes that separate their nuclear functions into a germline micronucleus and a somatic macronucleus. During development of the macronucleus the genome undergoes a series of reorganization events that includes the precise excision of intervening DNA. Here, we determine the architecture of four loci in the micronuclear and macronuclear genomes of the ciliate Chilodonella uncinata and compare the levels of variation in micronuclear-limited sequences to macronuclear destined sequences at two of these loci. We find that within a population, germline-limited sequences are evolving at the same rate as other putatively neutral sites, but between populations germline-limited sequences are accumulating mutations at a much faster rate than other sites. We also find evidence of macronuclear recombination and incomplete elimination of intervening DNA, which result in increased diversity in the macronuclear genome. Our results support the assertion that the unusual genomic features of ciliates can result in rapid and unpredicted patterns of diversification.     

Evolutionary Game Dynamics in Populations with Heterogenous Structures

Evolutionary graph theory is a well established framework for modelling the evolution of social behaviours in structured populations. An emerging consensus in this field is that graphs that exhibit heterogeneity in the number of connections between individuals are more conducive to the spread of cooperative behaviours. In this article we show that such a conclusion largely depends on the individual-level interactions that take place. In particular, averaging payoffs garnered through game interactions rather than accumulating the payoffs can altogether remove the cooperative advantage of heterogeneous graphs while such a difference does not affect the outcome on homogeneous structures. In addition, the rate at which game interactions occur can alter the evolutionary outcome. Less interactions allow heterogeneous graphs to support more cooperation than homogeneous graphs, while higher rates of interactions make homogeneous and heterogeneous graphs virtually indistinguishable in their ability to support cooperation. Most importantly, we show that common measures of evolutionary advantage used in homogeneous populations, such as a comparison of the fixation probability of a rare mutant to that of the resident type, are no longer valid in heterogeneous populations. Heterogeneity causes a bias in where mutations occur in the population which affects the mutant''s fixation probability. We derive the appropriate measures for heterogeneous populations that account for this bias.     

Archaeal Population Dynamics during Sequential Reduction Processes in Rice Field Soil

The population dynamics of Archaea after flooding of an Italian rice field soil were studied over 17 days. Anoxically incubated rice field soil slurries exhibited a typical sequence of reduction processes characterized by reduction of nitrate, Fe³⁺, and sulfate prior to the initiation of methane production. Archaeal population dynamics were followed using a dual approach involving molecular sequence retrieval and fingerprinting of small-subunit (SSU) rRNA genes. We retrieved archaeal sequences from four clone libraries (30 each) constructed for different time points (days 0, 1, 8, and 17) after flooding of the soil. The clones could be assigned to known methanogens (i.e., Methanosarcinaceae, Methanosaetaceae, Methanomicrobiaceae, and Methanobacteriaceae) and to novel euryarchaeotal (rice clusters I, II, and III) and crenarchaeotal (rice clusters IV and VI) lineages previously detected in anoxic rice field soil and on rice roots (R. Grosskopf, S. Stubner, and W. Liesack, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64:4983–4989, 1998). During the initiation of methanogenesis (days 0 to 17), we detected significant changes in the frequency of individual clones, especially of those affiliated with the Methanosaetaceae and Methanobacteriaceae. However, these findings could not be confirmed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of SSU rDNA amplicons. Most likely, the fluctuations in sequence composition of clone libraries resulted from cloning bias. Clonal SSU rRNA gene sequences were used to define operational taxonomic units (OTUs) for T-RFLP analysis, which were distinguished by group-specific TaqI restriction sites. Sequence analysis showed a high degree of conservation of TaqI restriction sites within the different archaeal lineages present in Italian rice field soil. Direct T-RFLP analysis of archaeal populations in rice field soil slurries revealed the presence of all archaeal lineages detected by cloning with a predominance of terminal restriction fragments characteristic of rice cluster I (389 bp), Methanosaetaceae (280 bp), and Methanosarcinaceae/rice cluster VI (182 bp). In general, the relative gene frequency of most detected OTUs remained rather constant over time during the first 17 days after flooding of the soil. Most minor OTUs (e.g., Methanomicrobiaceae and rice cluster III) and Methanosaetaceae did not change in relative frequency. Rice cluster I (37 to 30%) and to a lesser extent rice cluster IV as well as Methanobacteriaceae decreased over time. Only the relative abundance of Methanosarcinaceae (182 bp) increased, roughly doubling from 15 to 29% of total archaeal gene frequency within the first 11 days, which was positively correlated to the dynamics of acetate and formate concentrations. Our results indicate that a functionally dynamic ecosystem, a rice field soil after flooding, was linked to a relatively stable archaeal community structure.     

Nutrient and Microbial Dynamics in Biosolids Amended Soils Following Rainfall Simulation

Municipal waste treatment plants are mandated by U.S. EPA to treat domestic wastewater prior to releasing it to receiving streams. The dewatering and high temperature drying processes at the plant are considered effective in reducing microbial contaminants in the waste. The resulting solid material (biosolid) is rich in nutrients that may serve as a value-added product for plant growth. In this study, we examined the nutrient value of biosolids, their potential biological and chemical risks that could result from surface application to two Mid-Atlantic soils: Bojac (coarse-loamy, mixed, thermic Typic Hapludult) and Cullen (clayey, mixed, thermic Typic Hapludult). Soils were placed on tilt beds and packed to their respective bulk density. Biosolids were added at a rate of 2.24 Mg/ha equivalent and mixed with the top 5 cm of the soil bed. Simulated rain was applied at a rate of 65 mm h^?1 for 45 minutes. Surface runoff and percolation water were collected and analyzed for elemental content, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and total coliform bacteria. Among the nutrient elements of concern (P, Zn, Mn, and Cu) in biosolids, none were found to be higher than the specified EPA limits. The concentration of P was highest in runoff and percolation water from beds packed with Bojac and biosolids. The combined effects of high clay (35%), Al (1.14%), and Fe (5.11%) in Cullen increased its P-adsorbing capacity. Low levels of E. coli and other coliform bacteria were present in samples from biosolids-treated beds packed with Cullen. Microbial counts in runoff and percolation samples varied with soil type; in some instances they were ten-fold higher in Bojac than in Cullen. The results obtained in this study suggest that surface runoff from land applications of biosolids might contribute to microbial contamination of receiving waters near agricultural fields.     

Self-Transmissible Mercury Resistance Plasmids with Gene-Mobilizing Capacity in Soil Bacterial Populations: Influence of Wheat Roots and Mercury Addition

A set of mercury resistance plasmids was obtained from wheat rhizosphere soil amended or not amended with mercuric chloride via exogenous plasmid isolation by using Pseudomonas fluorescens R2f, Pseudomonas putida UWC1, and Enterobacter cloacae BE1 as recipient strains. The isolation frequencies were highest from soil amended with high levels of mercury, and the isolation frequencies from unamended soil were low. With P. putida UWC1 as the recipient, the isolation frequency was significantly enhanced in wheat rhizosphere compared to bulk soil. Twenty transconjugants were analyzed per recipient strain. All of the transconjugants contained plasmids which were between 40 and 50 kb long. Eight selected plasmids were distributed among five groups, as shown by restriction digestion coupled with a similarity matrix analysis. However, all of the plasmids formed a tight group, as judged by hybridization with two whole-plasmid probes and comparisons with other plasmids in dot blot hybridization analyses. The results of replicon typing and broad-host-range incompatibility (Inc) group-specific PCR suggested that the plasmid isolates were not related to any previously described Inc group. Although resistance to copper, resistance to streptomycin, and/or resistance to chloramphenicol was found in several plasmids, catabolic sequences were generally not identified. One plasmid, pEC10, transferred into a variety of bacteria belonging to the β and γ subdivisions of the class Proteobacteria and mobilized as well as retromobilized the IncQ plasmid pSUP104. A PCR method for detection of pEC10-like replicons was used, in conjunction with other methods, to monitor pEC10-homologous sequences in mercury-polluted and unpolluted soils. The presence of mercury enhanced the prevalence of pEC10-like replicons in soil and rhizosphere bacterial populations.The potential use of genetically modified bacteria in agriculture has raised questions pertaining to the spread of introduced recombinant DNA through soil bacterial communities. Gene transfer in soil via conjugation has received much attention, and the focus of most studies has been the transfer and fate of introduced plasmids (6, 22, 27–29, 39). Under favorable conditions, in specific soil microhabitats, or under selection conditions, both self-transmissible and mobilizable plasmids present in introduced hosts can be transferred to introduced recipients, as well as to a variety of indigenous bacteria (15, 20, 27, 28, 33). In particular, rhizospheres of crop plants, such as wheat and sugar beet, provide conditions conducive to conjugal plasmid transfer between bacterial inhabitants (15, 36). When genetically modified bacteria are developed as inoculants for the rhizosphere, insertion of heterologous DNA into non-self-transmissible plasmids or the chromosome might restrict conjugal transfer of this DNA to members of the indigenous bacterial community. However, mobilizing or retromobilizing (33) plasmids present in indigenous soil bacteria could potentially still effect the transfer of the less mobile heterologous DNA via chromosome or plasmid mobilization, which may involve cointegration (9, 19, 31). Such plasmids might thus be responsible for the escape of heterologous DNA from genetically modified bacteria introduced into soil.There is a paucity of knowledge concerning the incidence of plasmids with mobilizing capacity in soils and rhizospheres, as well as concerning the effects of soil factors, such as stresses resulting from pollution or from natural causes (e.g., rhizosphere acidity), on plasmid prevalence and transfer (e.g., reference 38). Whereas it has been suggested that chemical stress often does not enhance plasmid incidence in selected soil bacterial populations (40), pollution in river water or mines (in particular mercury pollution) has been found to exert a selective (enhancing) effect (4, 13).Plasmids of environmental bacteria have classically been obtained by endogenous isolation procedures (20). Endogenous isolation implies that putative plasmid hosts with the phenotype of interest are isolated from soil, after which plasmids are extracted from pure cultures of these strains. On the other hand, pioneering studies performed with river stone epilithon (9) and later extended to soil and sediment (32) have shown that plasmids can be obtained directly from indigenous bacterial communities in new hosts by exogenous isolation. In this approach, plasmids are captured in selectable recipient strains by using mating between these strains and the total bacterial community obtained from an environmental sample. Following incubation, the mating mixture is plated with selection for the recipient and an additional marker gene presumedly located on a plasmid present in the indigenous bacteria (6). The advantage of the exogenous isolation procedure is that no culturing step is required in the mating, which thus allows isolation of plasmids from nonculturable hosts. Furthermore, plasmids are directly selected for their transfer capacity, in addition to the presence of a specific selectable marker.In this study, exogenous plasmid isolation was employed to obtain transferable plasmids from soil bacteria by using mercury resistance as the selectable marker. The objective of this work was to gain insight into the potential present in soil bacterial populations to (retro)mobilize genes out of introduced bacteria into members of the soil bacterial community. Since the incidence of plasmids in soil bacteria is likely influenced by soil ecological factors and selection pressure, the presence of wheat roots and selection by mercury (25) were studied as experimental variables.     

冬小麦不同生育期植株与土壤的硫素动态

S是植物生命活动必需元素之一,在植物细胞的结构和生理生化功能中都具有不可替代的作用.如在植物体中参于蛋白质合成、光合作用、呼吸作用、脂类合成、生物固氮、糖代谢等.     

A Morphometric Study of Euryhalinity in Marine Populations of the Ciliate Genus Euplotes

ABSTRACT. Twenty different clonal strains of marine and brackish Euplotes , representing four morphotypes, were tested for hyposalinity tolerance by a method which gradually acclimated the cells to lower salinity medium. The lowest salinities in which the strains could thrive ranged from 60% of normal seawater to complete freshwater. The morphological effects of culture medium salinity were also examined for two strains of a small "Euplotes charon" morphotype, as well as for two mating compatible "Euplotes vannus" strains and several of their exconjugates. There were no differences between the euryhaline strains grown in fresh or saltwater, except for a slight increase in overall cell size in one strain when cultured in freshwater medium. E. vannus strains increased in overall cell size with decreased salinity; also, the dorsal surface of the cells can become disorganized when the cells are cultured in 30% normal seawater.     

Simultaneous Simulations of Uptake in Plants and Leaching to Groundwater of Cadmium and Lead for Arable Land Amended with Compost or Farmyard Manure

The water budget of soil, the uptake in plants and the leaching to groundwater of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were simulated simultaneously using a physiological plant uptake model and a tipping buckets water and solute transport model for soil. Simulations were compared to results from a ten-year experimental field study, where four organic amendments were applied every second year. Predicted concentrations slightly decreased (Cd) or stagnated (Pb) in control soils, but increased in amended soils by about 10% (Cd) and 6% to 18% (Pb). Estimated plant uptake was lower in amended plots, due to an increase of K_d (dry soil to water partition coefficient). Predicted concentrations in plants were close to measured levels in plant residues (straw), but higher than measured concentrations in grains. Initially, Pb was mainly predicted to deposit from air into plants (82% in 1998); the next years, uptake from soil became dominating (30% from air in 2006), because of decreasing levels in air. For Cd, predicted uptake from air into plants was negligible (1–5%).