Winter fluxes of methane from Minnesota peatlands

Winter fluxes of methane were investigated in northern Minnesota during 1988–89 and 1989–90. Two bogs and a fen emitted methane throughout the snow-covered season (November through March). Fluxes decreased to a low level of 3–16 mg CH₄ m^–2 d^–1 in late March, reflecting decreasing peat temperatures and (in 1989–90) increasing depth of frost in the peat. Winter fluxes calculated by integration for an open poor fen, an open bog, a forested bog hollow, and a hummock site in the forested bog averaged 49, 12, 13, and 5 mg m^–2 d^–1, respectively, in 1989–1990 (the year most measurements were made). These comprised 11%, 4%, 15%, and 21% of total annual flux.     

Microbial diversity of soda lakes

Soda lakes are highly alkaline extreme environments that form in closed drainage basins exposed to high evaporation rates. Because of the scarcity of Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ in the water chemistry, the lakes become enriched in CO₃ ²⁻ and Cl⁻, with pHs in the range 8 to >12. Although there is a clear difference in prokaryotic communities between the hypersaline lakes where NaCl concentrations are >15% w/v and more dilute waters, i.e., NaCl concentrations about 5% w/v, photosynthetic primary production appears to be the basis of all nutrient recycling. In both the aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities the major trophic groups responsible for cycling of carbon and sulfur have in general been identified. Systematic studies have shown that the microbes are alkaliphilic and many represent separate lineages within accepted taxa, while others show no strong relationship to known prokaryotes. Although alkaliphiles are widespread it seems probable that these organisms, especially those unique to the hypersaline lakes, evolved separately within an alkaline environment. Although present-day soda lakes are geologically quite recent, they have probably existed since archaean times, permitting the evolution of independent communities of alkaliphiles since an early period in the Earth's history. Received: January 22, 1998 / Accepted: February 16, 1998     

Microbial diversity of cellulose hydrolysis

Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose by microorganisms is a key step in the global carbon cycle. Despite its abundance only a small percentage of microorganisms can degrade cellulose, probably because it is present in recalcitrant cell walls. There are at least five distinct mechanisms used by different microorganisms to degrade cellulose all of which involve cellulases. Cellulolytic organisms and cellulases are extremely diverse possibly because their natural substrates, plant cell walls, are very diverse. At this time the microbial ecology of cellulose degradation in any environment is still not clearly understood even though there is a great deal of information available about the bovine rumen. Two major problems that limit our understanding of this area are the vast diversity of organisms present in most cellulose degrading environments and the inability to culture most of them.     

Microbial diversity of Alcyonium digitatum

Marine multi-cellular organisms are described as sources of many newly discovered bioactive compounds. Meanwhile, it has been demonstrated repeatedly for several natural products of reputed multicellular origin that they are, in fact, produced by endophytic unicellular organisms—such as microbial fungi or bacteria. Consequently, while studying compounds isolated from a living organism, it is essential to ensure that the sample integrity is not compromised. To test the diversity of the endobiome from Alcyonium digitatum, a cold water coral found along the Atlantic coasts of the northern hemisphere, we performed a culture dependent surveyed using a phylogenetic approach. A 1 cm³ cube from the interior tissue of A. digitatum was excised under aseptic conditions, homogenized, spread onto agar-based growth medium plates and incubated in 22 °C to promote microbial growth. Colonies were transferred to secondary medium plates, incubated, and after harvesting lysed using sterile water to release DNA. 16S and 23S rDNA regions were amplified using PCR, and sequenced for systematic evaluation using phylogenetic analysis. From this survey we identified a broad selection of bacteria, predominantly of the α-proteobacterial, bacteriodete, actinobacterial and firmicute lineages, demonstrating a significant biodiversity of the coral bacterial endobiome.     

盐碱地微生物类群的多样性

土壤是微生物的大本营,由于土壤理化性质的不同,与环境相适应的土壤微生物种类也各不相同。土壤盐碱化是一个世界性的难题,在我国主要分布在淮河以北、西北及新疆、青藏高原等内陆干旱、半干旱地区的河流冲积平原、盆地和湖泊沼泽地区。     

Positive trends in plant,dragonfly, and butterfly diversity of rewetted montane peatlands

Drainage and afforestation of peatlands cause extensive habitat degradation and species losses. Restoration supports peatland biodiversity by creating suitable habitat conditions, including stable high water tables. However, colonization by characteristic species can take decades or even fail. Peatland recovery is often monitored shortly after restoration, but initial trends may not continue, and results might differ among taxonomic groups. This study analyzes trends in plant, dragonfly, and butterfly diversity within 18 years after rewetting of montane peatlands in central Germany. We compared diversity and species composition of 19 restored sites with three drained peatlands and one near‐natural reference site. Restoration resulted in improved habitat conditions and benefited species diversity, but there were marked differences among taxonomic groups. Dragonflies rapidly colonized small water bodies but their diversity did not further increase in older restoration sites. Characteristic peatland vegetation recovered slowly, since it depended on a high water holding capacity that was only reached after peat started accumulating. Generally, plant diversity developed toward reference conditions albeit incompletely, even 18 years after restoration. Butterflies responded less to peatland restoration; generalists increased only temporarily and specialists could not establish. In conclusion, peatland restoration improves habitat conditions and biodiversity, while trajectories of recovery are nonlinear and incomplete after two decades. This highlights the need for long‐term monitoring and a strategic selection of indicator species for evaluation of restoration success.     

Microbial genomes: dealing with diversity

We have now complete genome sequences of several pairs of closely related prokaryotes (conspecific strains or congeneric species). Surprisingly, even strains of the same species can differ by as much as 20% in gene content. Conceptual and methodological approaches for dealing with such diversity are now being developed, and should transform microbial genomics.     

生物造粒流化床污水处理反应器的微生物多样性

为了研究生物造粒流化床污水处理反应器颗粒污泥的微生物种群多样性,分别从生物造粒流化床10、60和110cm处取颗粒污泥,通过细胞裂解直接提取颗粒污泥细菌基因组DNA,PCR扩增后经变性梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE)分离,获得微生物群落的DNA特征指纹图谱,对特征条带进行序列测定及序列同源性分析。16S rRNA序列分析表明,获得的18个OTUs均属于细菌域,其中61%属于变形菌,17%属于放线菌,11%属于低G C革兰氏阳性菌,11%属于其它未知细菌。     

重金属污染土壤中微生物的多样性

<正>土壤重金属污染是指人类活动将重金属混入到土壤中,致使土壤中重金属含量明显高于原有含量,并造成生态环境质量恶化的现象[1]。污染土壤的重金属主要包括汞(Hg)、镉(Cd)、铅(Pb)、铬(Cr)和类金属砷(As)等生物毒性显著的元素,以及有一定毒性的锌(Zn)、铜(Cu)、镍(Ni)等元素。除了来自农药、废水、污泥和     

青藏高原微生物多样性研究

正青藏高原被誉为世界屋脊,其内部除平原外还有许多山峰、冰川、高山湖泊和高山沼泽,是生态环境最为奇特、生物资源最为丰富的自然资源宝库之一。同时,青藏高原的微生物群落结构及其多样性与其他区域存在巨大差异,因而具有极高的科学研究价值,并逐渐被人们所关注。研究发现气候变化对青藏高原高寒草地生态系统草丛-地境界面微生物会产生重要的影响[1]。冰川雪藻的研究主要在南部的Yala冰川开展,     

Microbial diversity of a mesophilic hydrogen-producing sludge

A hydrogen-producing sludge degraded 99% of glucose at 36 degrees C and pH 5.5, producing a methane-free biogas (comprising 64% hydrogen) and an effluent comprising mostly butyrate, acetate, and ethanol. The yield was 0.26 l H2 g(-1) glucose and the production rate per gram of volatile suspended solids was 4.6 1 H2 day(-1). A 16S rDNA library was constructed from the sludge for microbial species determination. A total of 96 clones were selected for plasmids recovery, screened by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and sequenced for rDNA. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of the rDNA sequences, 64.6% of all the clones were affiliated with three Clostridium species (Clostridiaceae), 18.8% with Enterobacteriaceae, and 3.1% with Streptococcus bovis (Streptococcaceae). The remaining 13.5% belonged to eight operational taxonomic units, the affiliations of which were not identified.     

温泉微生物多样性与酶类分析

温泉微生物多样性包括物种多样性、遗传多样性、生理多样性和生态多样性。温泉微生物多样性受地理位置、温度和酸碱度、水化学成分(硫、硼、铁、砷等离子和化合物)及氧气和光照等生态因子的影响。目前已经从温泉微生物中筛选出了许多具有热稳定性的酶。本文分析了温泉微生物多样性及其影响因素,并讨论了具有广泛应用价值的温泉微生物酶,为拓展我国温泉微生物多样性研究、深入认识和开发温泉微生物资源提供基础。     

Biological diversity of the Minnesota caddisflies (Insecta, Trichoptera)

The caddisfly fauna of Minnesota contains at least 277 species within 21 families and 75 genera. These species are based on examination of 312,884 specimens from 2,166 collections of 937 Minnesota aquatic habitats from 1890 to 2007. Included in these totals is my own quantitative sampling of 4 representative habitat types: small streams, medium rivers, large rivers, and lakes, from each of the 58 major Minnesota watersheds from June through September during 1999-2001. All species are illustrated herein, and their known Minnesota abundances, distributions, adult flight periodicities, and habitat affinities presented. Four species: Lepidostoma griseum (Lepidostomatidae), Psilotreta indecisa (Odontoceridae), and Phryganea sayi and Ptilostomis angustipennis (Phryganeidae) are added to the known fauna. An additional 31 dubious species records are removed for various reasons. Of the 5 determined caddisfly regions of the state, species richness per watershed was highest in the Lake Superior and Northern Regions, intermediate in the Southeastern, and lowest in the Northwestern and Southern. Of the 48 individual collections that yielded >40 species, all but 1 were from the Northern Region. Many species, especially within the families Limnephilidae and Phryganeidae, have appeared to decrease in distribution and abundance during the past 75 years, particularly those once common within the Northwestern and Southern Regions. Many species now appear regionally extirpated, and a few have disappeared from the entire state. The loss of species in the Northwestern and Southern Regions, and probably elsewhere, is almost certainly related to the conversion of many habitats to large-scale agriculture during the mid-20th century.     

啶虫脒污染下土壤微生物多样性

避开传统的分离培养过程,采用现代分子生物学方法探讨了杀虫剂啶虫脒污染条件下旱地土壤微生物种群多样性.通过对不同培养时间、不同浓度啶虫脒污染下旱地土壤微生物进行DGGE基因多样性的分子指纹图谱分析,发现随着培养时间不同,各处理之间的土壤微生物基因多样性出现了一定的差异.但在整个试验过程中,正常田间使用浓度（0.5mg kg^-1干土）的啶虫脒对土壤微生物群落的影响不明显,DGGE图谱条带与对照没有明显差异,土壤微生物基因多样性没有明显下降,这说明在旱地中使用正常田间浓度的啶虫脒不会对微生物群落造成较大的影响,高浓度啶虫脒对土壤微生物群落基因多样性有一定的影响,但是影响时间不长.在培养第五周时,浓度为5 mg kg^-1干土的土样出现了特异性条带,为对照所没有,其他处理浓度染色暗淡.经序列比对分析,与来自土壤的Uncultured bacterium具有100﹪的相似率,可能为不可培养或未培养过的细菌种.     

Microbial diversity as a source of useful biopolymers

Conclusions The few examples presented here, taken from research performed in my laboratory during the last 15 years, provide additional evidence that bacteria are a rich source of highly specialized polymers, many of which have potential commercial applications. Although modern molecular genetics is a valuable tool for modifying and overproducing proteins, the wonderful diversity of the microbial world remains the major source for discovering new and useful biopolymers. More than ever, the rate-limiting steps in discovering these microbial materials are imagination and techniques for enriching and screening for microorganisms that produce the desired products.     

Microbial diversity of Late Pleistocene Siberian permafrost samples

A metagenomic study of the Kolyma lowland permafrost samples, 20–35 thousand years, performed using a Geneclean for Ancient DNA kit (Bio101, United States), revealed 8 phylotypes which belonged to the phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene clone library showed that most of the clones (48% and 29%) were represented by the genera Arthrobacter and Bradyrhizobium, respectively. For the first time microorganisms of the genera Williamsia, Bradyrhizobium, Filomicrobium and Hansschlegelia were observed in the ancient microbial communities of these ecosystems. Analysis of the isolates 16S rRNA genes revealed the presence of the microorganisms—the representatives of the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria phylogenetically related to known species and being obvious representatives of novel taxa. In situ electron-microscope analysis of total preparations of the studied samples showed the presence of intact bacterial cells of different morphotypes.