Succession of chitinolytic microorganisms in chernozem soil

The chitinolytic prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial complex of chernozem soil has been investigated in the course of a succession initiated by the introduction of chitin and humidification. The dynamics of the cell numbers of chitinolytic microorganisms and of their biomass was assessed by fluorescent microscopy and by inoculation of selective media. Emission of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, as well as dinitrogen fixation, was assessed by gas chromatography. It was found that, when the succession was initiated by the introduction of both chitin and humidification, it resulted in greater cell numbers and biomass of chitinolytic microorganisms and higher levels of CO2 and N2O emission and of nitrogen fixation than when the succession was initiated by humidification alone. As compared to the control samples, a significant (twofold) increase in the prokaryote cell number and biomass was found on the fourth day of the succession initiated by humidification and introduction of chitin. One week after the initiation of succession, the fungal biomass and length of mycelium were twice as high as those in the control samples. These results led to the conclusion that chitin utilization in chernozem soil starts during the initial stages of succession and is performed by both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms.     

Activity of microorganisms decomposing cholesterol]

The rates of cholesterol decomposition was compared among cell suspensions of different microorganisms. Fifty seven cultures were studied: 2 strains of actinomycetes, 23 strains of proactinomycetes, 22 strains of mycobacteria, and 10 strains of bacteria. During four hours of incubation, 11 strains virtually did not decompose cholesterol at all, 10 strains decomposed it by up to 20 per cent, 21 strains by 20 to 70 per cent, and 15 strains by 70 to 100 per cent. The highest activity was displayed by Mycobacterium rubrum 297 and Mycobacterium sp. 2B, which decomposed all cholesterol in the sample within 4 hours. The high activity was also displayed by Proactinomyces sp. 2006, Nocardia opaca JMET 7030, and Nacardia erythropolis JMET 7252.     

Cellulose decomposing ability of Trichoderma in relation to their saprophytic survival

Abstract

Forty one strains of Trichoderma were isolated from four provinces in the Philippines and tested for their cellulose adequacy indices (CAI). T. harzianum strain no. 94-016 with the highest CAI was further tested for its saprophytic colonization in pots relative to the amount of inoculum. The higher the amount of inoculum of T. harzianum strain no. 94-016, the higher percentage colonization of rice straw in the soil. Further tests were done to compare the decomposition of rice straw on the surface and buried in the soil and the effect of moisture on soil decomposition. Buried rice straw inoculated with T. harzianum strain no. 94-016 watered on a daily basis provided better decomposition.     

Microbial biomass and growth kinetics of microorganisms in chernozem soils under different land use modes

The carbon content of microbial biomass and the kinetic characteristics of microbial respiration response to substrate addition have been estimated for chernozem soils under different land use: arable lands used for 10, 46, and 76 years, mowed meadow, natural forest, and forest shelter belt. Microbial biomass and the content of microbial carbon in humus (C_mic /C_org) decreased in the following order: soils under forest cenoses—mowed meadow—10-year arable land—46- and 75-year arable land. The amount of microbial carbon in the long-plowed horizon was 40% of its content in the upper horizon of natural forest. Arable soils were characterized by a lower metabolic diversity of microbial community and by the highest portion of microorganisms able to grow directly on glucose introduced into soil. The effects of different scenarios of carbon sequestration in soil on the amounts and activity of microbial biomass are discussed.     

白酒可培养微生物数据库构建

【目的】白酒可培养微生物的分离筛选是白酒行业重要的研究内容,本文旨在构建中国白酒生产环境中可培养微生物信息数据库。【方法】数据库信息主要来源于通过人工查阅和整理目前已发表的白酒微生物的相关的文献报道和菌种保藏中心相关的筛选自白酒生态系统的微生物信息。数据库主要设计3个功能:(1)白酒可培养微生物信息检索:通过菌株名称、分离位置、培养基、代谢产物等为条件检索相关的白酒可培养微生物信息,从而获取该白酒微生物详细的生理生化与分类学信息;(2)培养基信息检索:通过特定培养基成分,培养基编号和名称检索相关的培养基信息,包括培养的组成和配制方法。(3)数据更新:在线上传新的可培养微生物和培养基信息。【结果】目前数据库共收1221种白酒可培养微生物和295种培养基信息,网址为:http://cmbaijiu.i-sanger.com/。【结论】本数据库是我国白酒领域首个可培养微生物信息的数据库,将有助于白酒微生物培养的相关研究工作开展。     

Nitrogen mineralization in native cultivated and abandoned fields in shortgrass steppe

We conducted a set of in situ incubations to evaluate patterns of N availability among dominant land uses in the shortgrass steppe region of Colorado, USA, and to assess recovery of soil fertility in abandoned fields. Replicated 30 d incubations were performed in 3 sets of native (never cultivated), abandoned (cultivated until 1937), and currently cultivated, fallow fields. Net N mineralization and the percentage of total N that was mineralized increased in the order: native, abandoned, cultivated. Higher soil water content in fallow fields is the most likely reason for greater mineralization in cultivated fields, while higher total organic C and C/N ratios in native and abandoned fields may explain differences in mineralization between these land uses. Recovery of soil organic matter in abandoned fields appears to involve accumulation of soil C and N under perennial plants, but probable methodological artifacts complicate evaluation of the role of individual plants in recovery of N availability. Higher N mineralization and turnover in cultivated fields may make them more susceptible to N losses; recovery of N cycling in abandoned fields appears to involve a return to slower N turnover and tighter N cycling similar to native shortgrass steppe.     

Microbial biomass and growth kinetics of microorganisms in chernozem soils under different farm land use modes

The carbon content of microbial biomass and the kinetic characteristics of microbial respiration response to substrate introduction have been estimated for chernozem soils of different farm lands: arable lands used for 10, 46, and 76 years, mowed fallow land, non-mowed fallow land, and woodland. Microbial biomass and the content of microbial carbon in humus (Cmic/Corg) decreased in the following order: soils under forest cenoses-mowed fallow land-10-year arable land-46- and 75-year arable land. The amount of microbial carbon in the long-plowed horizon was 40% of its content in the upper horizon of non-mowed fallow land. Arable soils were characterized by a lower metabolic diversity of microbial community and by the highest portion of microorganisms able to grow directly on glucose introduced into soil. The effects of different scenarios of carbon sequestration in soil on the reserves and activity of microbial biomass are discussed.     

Influence of antibiotics (benzylpenicillin,pharmazin, and nystatin) on the number of microorganisms in ordinary chernozem

In model experiments, the influence of pharmaceutical antibiotics (benzylpenicillin, pharmazin, and nystatin) in different doses (100, 300, 450, and 600 mg/kg) on a number of microorganisms of the chernozem region has been studied. All the studied doses of antibiotics had reliable and overwhelming impacts on the amount of soil microorganisms. The time between a dose of antibiotics and a change in the number of microorganisms in the soil is shown to have a linear dependence. The studied groups of soil microorganisms in relation to pharmaceutical antibiotics showed a hierarchy of resistance (high concentration): Azotobacter > amylolytic bacteria > ammonifying bacteria > micromycetes.     

Repression of reserve lipid turnover in Cunninghamella echinulata and Mortierella isabellina cultivated in multiple-limited media

AIMS: To study patterns of reserve lipid biosynthesis and turnover (degradation) in two oleaginous Zygomycetes, namely Cunninghamella echinulata and Mortierella isabellina under various growth conditions. Fatty acid composition of the reserve lipid of both strains was also studied in all growth steps. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cunninghamella echinulata and Mortierella isabellina were grown in carbon-excess batch cultures. In the investigated strains, accumulation of reserve lipid occurred only when the activity of both NAD(+)-isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) and NADP(+)-ICDH were not detectable in the cell-free extract. Specifically, in C. echinulata, NAD(+)-ICDH activity was detected even after depletion of ammonium nitrogen in the medium, resulting in a delay of the initiation of lipid accumulation period. On the contrary, in M. isabellina, lipid accumulation occurred simultaneously with ammonium nitrogen exhaustion in the growth medium, as the activity of both NAD(+)- and NADP(+)-ICDH were not detectable after nitrogen depletion. In C. echinulata reserve lipid was not degraded after glucose had been exhausted. Supplementations of the medium with Fe(3+), yeast extract or Mg(2+) induced, however, reserve lipid breakdown and formation of lipid-free material. In M. isabellina after glucose exhaustion, notable lipid degradation occurred, accompanied by a significant lipid-free material biosynthesis. Nevertheless, in multiple-limited media, in which Mg(2+) or yeast extract, besides carbon and nitrogen, were limiting nutrients, reserve lipid breakdown was repressed. In both strains, the quantity of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in the reserve lipids [varying between 9 and 16% (w/w) in C. echinulata and 1.5-4.5% (w/w) in M. isabellina] was proportional to lipid-free biomass. CONCLUSIONS: Lipid accumulation period in Zygomycetes is initiated by the attenuation of ICDH activity in the mycelium while the regulation of ICDH from ammonium nitrogen is strain specific. While a single nitrogen limitation was enough to induce lipid accumulation, however, multiple limitations were needed in order to repress lipid turnover in oleaginous Zygomycetes. As for GLA, its biosynthesis in the mycelium seemed proportional to lipid-free biomass synthesis. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Several nutrients are indispensable for functioning the mechanisms involved in the mobilization of reserve lipid in oleaginous moulds. Therefore, reserve lipid turnover in oleaginous moulds could be repressed in multiple-limited media.     

Protein profile variation in cultivated and native freshwater microorganisms exposed to chemical environmental pollutants

Assimilation of ³⁵S-precursors into microbial proteins was used to investigate toxicity and adaptational responses that occur in nutrient enriched and natural freshwater samples experimentally contaminated with benzene, toluene, trichloroethylene (TCE), or xylene. Experiments were conducted to analyze (1) the potential of using microbial community protein profiles for responsive identification of chemical pollutant exposure, (2) the inhibition of microbial productivity through reduction in rate of protein synthesis caused by specific chemical pollutants, and (3) whether selection of subpopulations in freshwater microbial communities challenged with chemical pollutants leads to adaptive strategies mediated by production of particular polypeptides. The results show that distinct banding patterns of polypeptides in the range of 30 to 100 kilodaltons that were obtained following collective cultivation of freshwater microorganisms differ with each chemical pollutant. Protein yield and radioisotope incorporation were reduced within ten minutes of microbial exposure to chemical pollutants in the following order: xylene < toluene < benzene < TCE. Adaptation of the freshwater microbial community to chemical pollutants prior to radioisotope incorporation produced differences in polypeptide profiles, in the banding patterns of radioactive polypeptides, and in the rate of radioisotope incorporation. The rate of radioisotope incorporation by freshwater microorganisms pre-adapted to chemical pollutants was lowest with xylene (88.1% reduction), followed by TCE (84.0% reduction), toluene (67.3% reduction), and benzene (43.5% reduction). In long-term radioisotope incorporation experiments, protein yield and polypeptide radioactivity was higher in the presence of chemical pollutants than in uncontaminated control samples, suggesting increased metabolic productivity attributable to the chemical pollutants. Correspondence to: O.A. Ogunseitan.     

Carbon and nitrogen mineralization from decomposing gypsy moth frass

Defoliation of forests by insects is often assumed to produce a pulse of available nitrogen (N) from the decomposition of frass pellets. In this study we measured rates of carbon (C) and N mineralization from gypsy moth frass incubated with and without soil, and for soil alone. Incubations were at constant temperature and soil moisture conditions and lasted for 120 days. We found that gypsy moth frass contains much labile C as well as extractable N, and that the stimulation of microbial growth by the labile C results in immobilization of essentially all of the extractable N in the frass. The response of the microbes is fast, beginning within 1 day and lasting at least 90 days. This immobilization response represents an efficient mechanism for conserving N within a forest ecosystem after a defoliation event.     

荒漠草原区弃耕地植被演替过程中植物群落生物量及土壤养分变化

采用空间变化代替时间变化的方法,以荒漠草原区不同年限(1、4、9、12和20年)弃耕地为对象,研究弃耕演替过程中植物群落生物量与土壤养分的变化特征.结果表明： 随弃耕年限的增加,弃耕地植物群落地上生物量呈先减少后增加的趋势,0～60 cm土层的土壤全氮、全磷和有机碳含量及碳密度均呈先增大后减小再增大的趋势,4年和20年弃耕地的土壤全氮、全磷含量达到峰值.弃耕演替过程中土壤全氮和有机碳含量对植物群落生物量的影响大于土壤容重和土壤全磷.     

Evaluation of quantitative and qualitative composition of cultivated acidophilic microorganisms by real-time PCR and clone library analysis

Quantitative and qualitative composition of the cultivated acidophilic microorganisms obtained from the enrichment cultures on the universal medium inoculated with the samples of Shanuch deposit (Kamchatka peninsula) was investigated. The clone library (N = 93) containing eubacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene insertions was analyzed. DNA sequences were grouped into 5 ribotypes related to four known genera and one family. Most microorganisms (92%) were shown to belong to the genus Acidithiobacillus. One more group of microorganisms was identified as belonging to the family Acetobacteriaceae (3%); one microorganism was identified as a member of the genus Acidiphilium. Apart from eubacteria, the sequences specific for archaea of the genera Thermococcus (3%) and Ferroplasma (2%) were found; however, these sequences could not be reliably referred to any known species. Quantitative ratio of the microorganisms from the enrichment cultures was determined using real-time PCR. Species-specific test systems were used to determine that the sequences of A. ferrooxidans, A. thiooxidans, and Ferroplasma acidiphilum present in the samples in the ratio of 62, 4, and 0.14%, respectively.     

Isolation and characterization of membranes from the cultivated mushroom

The membranes of sporophore cap tissue from the cultivated mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Sing., were isolated using discontinuous sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation of a tissue homogenate. A membrane-rich fraction was concentrated at the 1.16/1.18 g/cc interface and a mitochondria-rich fraction at the 1.18/1.20 g/cc interface. The membrane fraction was judged to be greater than 90% membrane vesicles by electron microscopy. The protein to lipid ratio of the membrane fraction was 1.1; the molar ratio of sterol to phospholipid was 0.77. The specific radioactivity of a Mg-activated ATPase was 2.5 times greater in the membrane fraction than in the homogenate. No 5′-nucleotidase or Na-K-Mg-activated ATPase activity was observed.