Soluble nitrogen and phosphorus excretion of exotic freshwater mussels (Dreissena spp.): potential impacts for nutrient remineralisation in western Lake Erie

1. Recent increases in phytoplankton biomass and the recurrence of cyanobacterial blooms in western Lake Erie, concomitant with a shift from a community dominated by zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) to one dominated by quagga mussels (D. bugensis), led us to test for differences in ammonia‐nitrogen and phosphate‐phosphorus excretion rates of these two species of invasive molluscs. 2. We found significant differences in excretion rate both between size classes within a taxon and between taxa, with zebra mussels generally having greater nutrient excretion rates than quagga mussels. Combining measured excretion rates with measurements of mussel soft‐tissue dry weight and shell length, we developed nutrient excretion equations allowing estimation of nutrient excretion by dreissenids. 3. Comparing dreissenid ammonia and phosphate excretion with that of the crustacean zooplankton, we demonstrated that the mussels add to nitrogen and phosphorus remineralisation, shortening nitrogen and phosphorus turnover times, and, importantly, modify the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in Lake Erie. The increased nutrient flux from dreissenids may facilitate phytoplankton growth and cyanobacterial blooms in well‐mixed and/or shallow areas of western Lake Erie.     

Regeneration of inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen from decomposition of seston in a freshwater sediment

The mineralization of phosphorus and nitrogen from seston was studied in consolidated sediment from the shallow Lake Arreskov (July and November) and in suspensions without sediment (July). In the suspension experiment, phosphorus and nitrogen were mineralized in the same proportions as they occurred in the seston. During the 30 days suspension experiment, 47 and 43% of the particulate phosphorus and nitrogen, respectively, was mineralized with constant rates.Addition of seston to the sediment had an immediate enhancing effect on oxygen uptake, phosphate and ammonia release, whereas nitrate release decreased due to denitrification. The enhanced rates lasted for 2–5 weeks, while the decrease in nitrate release persisted throughout the experiment. The increase in oxygen uptake (equivalent to 21% of the seston carbon) was, however, only observed in the July experiment. The release of phosphorus and nitrogen from seston decomposing on the sediment surface differed from the suspension experiments. Thus, between 91 and 111% of the phosphorus in the seston was released during the experiments. Due to opposite directed effects on ammonium and nitrate release, the resulting net release of nitrogen was relatively low.A comparison of C/N/P ratios in seston, sediment and flux rates indicated that nitrogen was mineralized faster than phosphorus and carbon. Some of this nitrogen was lost through denitrification and therefore not measurable in the flux of inorganic nitrogen ions. This investigation also suggests that decomposition of newly settled organic matter in sediments have indirect effects on sediment-water exchanges (e.g. by changing of redox potentials and stimulation of denitrification) that modifies the release of mineralized phosphate and nitrogen from the sediment.     

The protein coats or ghosts or coliphage T2. III. Metabolic studies of Escherichia coli B infected with T2 bacteriophage ghosts

Assimilation of oxygen, inorganic phosphate, and ammonia nitrogen by normal T2 phage and T2 ghost-infected E. coli B was studied. The rate of oxygen and phosphorus uptake by ghost-infected bacteria is similar to that of normal and phage-infected cells. The R.Q. in glucose-salts medium remains approximately 1. Assimilation of ammonia nitrogen by ghost-infected bacteria is maintained at a rate approximately 80 per cent of normal. The inorganic phosphate which is assimilated was found to be incorporated into TCA-soluble compounds which were rapidly released into the medium. Within 5 minutes after absorption of the ghosts there was a loss from the cell of TCA-soluble constituents including organic phosphorus and compounds which absorb at 260 mmicro. No corresponding breakdown of nucleic acid present in the cell prior to infection could be detected. The incorporation of inorganic phosphate into organic linkages in the ghost-infected cell and its release into the medium were found to proceed at a rate approaching that of the incorporation of inorganic phosphorus into the nucleic acid of normal cells. The net increase in 260 mmicro absorbing compounds appeared to be inhibited.     

Nitrogen and Phosphorus in a Stretch of the Guadalupe River,Texas, with Five Main-Stream Impoundments by

Nitrogen and phosphorus were studied in a 168-km stretch of the Guadalupe River that had five main-stream impoundments. Flow through the study area was controlled by releases from these five reservoirs and from Canyon Reservoir, a deep-storage reservoir, located 30 km upstream. Parameters measured monthly on a diel basis at 16 stations were nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, Kjeldahl nitrogen, inorganic phosphate phosphorus, organic phosphate phosphorus, and total phosphate phosphorus.Inorganic nitrogen concentrations observed in this study were as high or higher than that previously reported for other bodies of water. Nitrate nitrogen entered the study area in relatively high concentrations from Comal Springs which was a major source of water for the Guadalupe River. Water from Canyon Reservoir, the other major source of water, was relatively low in nitrate nitrogen. The concentration of nitrate nitrogen was, therefore, dependent in part upon the portion of the total river flow originating from the two sources. Increased discharge from Canyon Reservoir and utilization by plants in areas of high chlorophyll a resulted in low nitrate-nitrogen levels. Retention of water in reservoirs reduced the concentration of nitrate nitrogen due to increased utilization by plants in areas of low flow. Nitrate nitrogen, in general, reached seasonal minima in summer and maxima in winter. Nitrite nitrogen showed considerable variation with no meaningful pattern except that higher concentrations occurred in association with high chlorophyll a and high Kjeldahl nitrogen, regions and periods of low river flow, and large phytoplankton populations. There was no increase in concentration of any form of nitrogen in the vicinity of sewage outfalls and no downstream accrual.Phosphorus levels in the study area were as high or higher than those reported in studies of other bodies of water. Sewage treatment plants at New Braunfels and Seguin, Texas, were major sources of phosphorus to the Guadelupe River. Total phosphate phosphorus was determined to be the most critical phosphate parameter in assessing eutrophication. Seasonally, it ranged from a winter high to a summer low. Concentrations were highest immediately below sewage outfalls and decreased as water progressed downstream. Inorganic-phosphate-phosphorus concentrations showed no clear seasonal trend but were clearly associated with sewage outfalls. Since large standing crops of phytoplankton were observed in areas of low inorganic phosphate phosphorus, it was not considered to limit photosynthesis. Total organic phosphate phosphorus varied seasonally, with high concentrations occurring during the spring and low concentrations in the fall. Total organic phosphate phosphorus showed no correlation with sewage outfalls, but was correlated to a degree with total Kjeldahl nitrogen and chlorophyll a. No consistent pattern of diel fluctuations was evident for any phosphorus or nitrogen compounds analyzed.     

Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus dynamics during leaf decay in nutrient-enriched stream microecosystems

We investigated the effects of long-term enrichment with nitrate, phosphate, and nitrate+phosphate on the first 5 weeks of leaf detritus processing in laboratory stream microecosystems. Enrichment with nitrate+phosphate accelerated leaf weight loss and increased rates of respiration associated with the leaves. However, whole-system respiration was little changed from that observed in the control stream since respiration in the water was greatly reduced. Enrichment with phosphate alone had little effect except to lower respiration associated with leaf discs. Enrichment with nitrate alone also decreased leaf-disc respiration but resulted in a greatly increased rate of respiration in the water. Net leaching and fragmentation of carbon from the leaves was also increased by nitrate enrichment. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels in leaf material were little affected by enrichment with nitrate or phosphorus alone. Leaves in those streams and in the control stream released nitrogen and phosphorus to the water. In contrast, percent nitrogen and phosphorus increased greatly in the leaves in the stream enriched with both nitrate and phosphate. The leaves in this system immobilized both nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. We also studied the importance of nitrogen fixation as a vector for nitrogen incorporation associated with leaf decomposition in streams. Somewhat surprisingly, fixation by microbes associated with the leaves and by microbes suspended in the water occurred under all three experimental enrichment treatments as well as in the control, casting doubt on the effectiveness of nitrate in inhibiting nitrogenase synthesis in nature. However, N₂-fixation is only a minor source of nitrogen for leaves decaying under the conditions studied.     

Biological nutrient removal by a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) using an internal organic carbon source in digested piggery wastewater

Experiments in a lab-scale SBR were conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of using an internal carbon source (non-digested pig manure) for biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal in digested piggery wastewater. The internal C-source used for denitrification had similar effects to acetate. 99.8% of nitrogen and 97.8% of phosphate were removed in the SBR, from an initial content in the feed of 900 mg/l ammonia and 90 mg/l phosphate.     

Metabolism and elemental composition of aggregate and solitary forms of Salpa thompsoni (Tunicata: Thaliacea) in waters off the Antarctic Peninsula during austral summer 1999

Oxygen consumption, ammonia excretion and phosphate excretionrates were measured on the aggregate form (aggregated sexualblastozooid generation) and solitary form (solitary asexualoozooid generation) of Salpa thompsoni sampled from waters offthe Antarctic Peninsula from December 1999 to February 2000,in conjunction with body composition analysis (water, ash, carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus). The specific metabolic rates of S.thompsoni were weight-independent. No significant differencesbetween the aggregate and solitary forms were observed for theweight-specific rates with the exception of the oxygen consumptionrate on phosphorus weight. Metabolic loss estimated for theaggregate and solitary forms was 3.0 and 3.5% day^–1 forbody carbon, 1.6 and 1.8% for body nitrogen, 3.9 and 10.6% forbody phosphorus, respectively. Contents of carbon (6.0% of dryweight for the aggregate form and 5.1% for the solitary form),nitrogen (1.5 and 1.3%) and phosphorus (0.15 and 0.11%) tendedto decrease with the increase of dry weight. All mean valuesof each body constituent (water, ash, C, N and P) for the aggregateand solitary forms were not significantly different in the samedry weight ranges.     

NITRATE AND PHOSPHATE UPTAKE INTERACTIONS IN A MARINE PRYMNESIOPHYTE1

The short- and long-term uptake of nitrate and phosphate ions, and their interactions, were studied as functions of the preconditioning of Pavlova lutheri (Droop) Green. Populations were preconditioned in continuous culture at a variety of growth rates and N:P supply ratios. The maximum uptake rates cell^?1 for nitrate and phosphate were of similar magnitudes, in spite of the forty-fold smaller requirement for phosphorus. Short-term phosphate uptake was independent of the nitrate concentration, but the short-term nitrate uptake rate was reduced in the presence of phosphate. The severity of inhibition of nitrate uptake by phosphate was positively correlated with the preconditioning N:P supply ratio and the preconditioning growth rate. In response to large additions of nutrients, P. lutheri was able to increase its phosphorus content sixty-fold, but was only able to take up enough nitrate to double its nitrogen content. The high rate of phosphate uptake relative to its requirement, the inhibition of nitrate uptake by phosphate, and the large capacity for phosphorus storage relative to its requirement, all of which were observed even under N limitation, may imply that even where nitrogen is limiting there can be interspecific competition for available phosphate.     

Strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa--producer of bioPAV

A Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain producing an extracellular surfactant (biosurfactant) was isolated. The growth of this strain, referred to as 50.3, on a mineral glycerol-containing medium produces an emulsifying activity (60%) and decreases the surface tension of the culture liquid by a factor of 2.8 (to 25 mN/m). The optimum conditions for its growth and production of biosurfactants: intense aeration, pH 7.0-8.0, and the presence of Mg2+. The optimum biosurfactant properties were achieved when glucose was used as the only source of carbon and energy and NH4Cl was used as a source of nitrogen. The biosurfactant was isolated from the culture liquid by extraction and precipitation.     

Response of irrigated dry-seeded rice to nitrogen and phosphorus in a semi-arid environment

Summary Under semi-arid conditions, three field experiments were conducted at Gezira Research Station to determine response of irrigated dry-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L. var IR 2053-206-1-3-6) to addition of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. The experimental treatments included the factorial combinations of seven levels of nitrogen applied as urea and four levels of phosphorus applied as super phosphate. Plant growth and grain yield were significantly and progressively increased with the rise in the levels of added nitrogen and phosphorus. However, response to added phosphorus was restricted by the applied level of nitrogen. The responses of grain yield to nitrogen and phosphorus levels are given by quadratic regression equations. Without addition of nitrogen or phosphorus grain yield averaged 1.52 t/ha compared to 6.07 t/ha with addition of the optimal levels (160 kg N plus 35 kg P/ha). The high potential for rice production in semi-arid environment is evidently restricted by addition of relatively high rates of nitrogen and phosphorus.     

A Biosurfactant-Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain

A Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain producing an extracellular surfactant (biosurfactant) was isolated. The growth of this strain, referred to as 50.3, on a mineral glycerol-containing medium produces an emulsifying activity (60%) and decreases the surface tension of the culture liquid by a factor of 2.8 (to 25 mN/m). The optimum conditions for its growth and production of biosurfactants are intense aeration, pH 7.0–8.0, and the presence of Mg²⁺. The optimum biosurfactant properties were achieved when glucose was used as the only source of carbon and energy and NH₄Cl was used as a source of nitrogen. The biosurfactant was isolated from the culture liquid by extraction and precipitation.     

杭州西湖北里湖沉积物氮磷内源静态释放的季节变化及通量估算

通过采集北里湖不同季节的柱状芯样,在实验室静态模拟沉积物氨氮(NH+4-N)和可溶解性磷酸盐(PO3-4-P)的释放,同时研究了沉积物间隙水中NH+4-N及PO3-4-P的垂直分布特征.结果表明,沉积物间隙水NH+4-N随深度的增加有上升的趋势,PO3-4-P随深度的增加呈先升后降的趋势.氮、磷营养盐在沉积物—水界面均存在浓度梯度,表明存在自间隙水向上覆水扩散的趋势.沉积物NH+4-N在春季、夏季、秋季、冬季的释放速率分别为0.074 mg·m-2· d-1、0.340mg· m-2· d-1、0.087 mg· m-2· d-1、0.0004 mg·m-2·d-1,pO3-4-P的释放速率则分别为0.340 mg·m-2·d-1、0.518 mg·m-2·d-1、0.094 mg·m-2·d-1、-0.037 mg· m-2·d-1.不同采样点表现出明显的季节和空间差异性,释放速率表现为夏季＞春季、秋季＞冬季.根据静态模拟出的不同季节下内源氮、磷释放速率计算,全湖内源氮、磷营养盐的贡献分别为0.0037、0.0057t/a.该研究可为北里湖富营养化及内源污染的治理提供基础数据.     

Solubilization of Morocco phosphorite by Aspergillus niger

Phosphorus containing fertilizers have an important role in agriculture. Conventionally phosphate fertilizers are obtained by rock phosphate (RP) dissolution using mineral acids. Biotechnological methods can be a promising alternative in RP processing. The influence of Aspergillus niger strain, the composition of a nutritive medium, Morocco phosphorite (MP) concentration in the liquid medium, the time of bioconversion and the preliminary mechanical activation (PMA) of MP on the phosphorite microbial solubilization has been presented. The phosphorus concentration (as P2O5), citric acid production, glucose concentration and pH in the cultural medium were monitored. The phosphate concentration was expressed as water soluble - alpha1 (in the native cultural liquid), citrate soluble - alpha2 (after treating the biomass and remaining mineral mass with citric acid) and biomass available phosphorus - alpha3. Phosphate dissolution was not strongly correlated both with the citric acid production and the incubation period. When the fungi were grown without water soluble phosphorus compounds the MP solubilization had higher values. A maximum of 94.80% total P2O5 extraction was achieved. The PMA activity does not facilitate MP dissolution during the bioconversion.     

Phosphorus scavenging in the unicellular marine diazotroph Crocosphaera watsonii

Through the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen and photosynthesis, marine diazotrophs play a critical role in the global cycling of nitrogen and carbon. Crocosphaera watsonii is a recently described unicellular diazotroph that may significantly contribute to marine nitrogen fixation in tropical environments. One of the many factors that can constrain the growth and nitrogen fixation rates of marine diazotrophs is phosphorus bioavailability. Using genomic and physiological approaches, we examined phosphorus scavenging mechanisms in strains of C. watsonii from both the Atlantic and the Pacific. Observations from the C. watsonii WH8501 genome suggest that this organism has the capacity for high-affinity phosphate transport (e.g., homologs of pstSCAB) in low-phosphate, oligotrophic systems. The pstS gene (high-affinity phosphate binding) is present in strains isolated from both the Atlantic and the Pacific, and its expression was regulated by the exogenous phosphate supply in strain WH8501. Genomic observation also indicated a broad capacity for phosphomonoester hydrolysis (e.g., a putative alkaline phosphatase). In contrast, no clear homologs of genes for phosphonate transport and hydrolysis could be identified. Consistent with these genomic observations, C. watsonii WH8501 is able to grow on phosphomonoesters as a sole source of added phosphorus but not on the phosphonates tested to date. Taken together these data suggest that C. watsonii has a robust capacity for scavenging phosphorus in oligotrophic systems, although this capacity differs from that of other marine cyanobacterial genera, such as Synechococcus, Prochlorococcus, and Trichodesmium.     

Pseudomonas aeruginosa biosurfactant production in continuous culture with glucose as carbon source.

Rsan-ver, a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated at this department, was used for the development of a continuous process for biosurfactant production. The active compounds were identified as rhamnolipids. A final medium for production was designed in continuous culture by means of medium shifts, since the formation of surface-active compounds was decisively influenced by the composition and concentration of the medium components. In the presence of yeast extract, biosurfactant production was poor. For the nitrogen-source nitrate, which was superior to ammonium, an optimum carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of ca. 18 existed. The iron concentration needed to be minimized to 27.5 micrograms of FeSO4 X 7H2O per g of glucose. A carbon-to-phosphate ratio below 16 yielded the maximum production of rhamnolipids. The final productivity dilution rate diagram indicated that biosurfactant production was correlated to low growth rates (dilution rate below 0.15 h-1). With a medium containing 18.2 g of glucose liter-1, a biosurfactant concentration (expressed as rhamnolipids) of up to 1.5 g liter-1 was obtained in the cell-free culture liquid.     

Utilization of organophosphonates by environmental micro-organisms

A survey of the utilization by environmental micro-organisms of a range of compounds containing the carbon–phosphorus (C–P) bond was carried out. Elective culture studies indicated that 15 of 19 alkylphosphonates tested served only as a sole source of phosphorus for microbial growth. Their metabolism did not lead to the extracellular release of inorganic phosphate. However, four organophosphonates—phosphonoacetate, phosphonoalanine, 2-aminoethylphosphonate and phosphonomycin—supported microbial growth when supplied as either a phosphorus source or as a carbon and energy source, with near-quantitative inorganic phosphate release. Four of five aminoalkylphosphonates tested were also utilized as a nitrogen source in the presence of 1 mmol l⁻¹ inorganic phosphate. In a subsequent screening programme, 99% of bacterial isolates tested were able to utilize 2-aminoethylphosphonate as a sole phosphorus source, 61% as a nitrogen source, 10% as a source of nitrogen and phosphorus, and 2% as a source of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus ; 2% of isolates used phosphonoalanine as a nitrogen source. These results suggest that the uptake and metabolism of organophosphonates by bacteria is less `tightly' regulated by phosphorus starvation than has previously been supposed.     

Pseudomonas aeruginosa biosurfactant production in continuous culture with glucose as carbon source

Rsan-ver, a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated at this department, was used for the development of a continuous process for biosurfactant production. The active compounds were identified as rhamnolipids. A final medium for production was designed in continuous culture by means of medium shifts, since the formation of surface-active compounds was decisively influenced by the composition and concentration of the medium components. In the presence of yeast extract, biosurfactant production was poor. For the nitrogen-source nitrate, which was superior to ammonium, an optimum carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of ca. 18 existed. The iron concentration needed to be minimized to 27.5 micrograms of FeSO4 X 7H2O per g of glucose. A carbon-to-phosphate ratio below 16 yielded the maximum production of rhamnolipids. The final productivity dilution rate diagram indicated that biosurfactant production was correlated to low growth rates (dilution rate below 0.15 h-1). With a medium containing 18.2 g of glucose liter-1, a biosurfactant concentration (expressed as rhamnolipids) of up to 1.5 g liter-1 was obtained in the cell-free culture liquid.     

大叶藻对氮磷营养盐的吸收动力学特征

营养盐是影响海草生长的关键因子, 目前有关海草不同组织对不同形式氮和磷的吸收特征尚不明确。该研究通过利用海草地上和地下组织分隔培养装置, 设置不同的氨态氮、硝态氮和磷酸盐浓度, 探究了大叶藻(Zostera marina)植株及其地上和地下组织对氮磷营养盐的吸收动力学特征。结果显示: (1)大叶藻对氮磷的吸收符合饱和吸收动力学特征, 吸收速率和水体氮磷浓度可用米式方程描述; (2)大叶藻植株对NH₄⁺-N的最大吸收速率(V_max, 52 μmol·g^-1·h^-1)显著高于其对NO₃^--N的V_max (39 μmol·g^-1·h^-1); (3)大叶藻地上组织和地下组织均可吸收氮磷, 但地上组织对氨态氮、硝态氮、磷酸盐的V_max分别为43.1、30.5和15.6 μmol·g^-1·h^-1, 为地下组织的2.6、1.2和6倍。结果表明, 大叶藻对氨态氮的吸收能力高于硝态氮, 且对氮磷的吸收可能主要依赖地上组织(叶片)。结果为查明大叶藻对氮磷的吸收利用机制及评估大叶藻的海洋生态效应提供了理论依据。     

Uptake kinetics of nitrogen and phosphorus by Zostera marina

Aims Nutrient availability is an external factor that affect the growth of seagrasses. However, the demand for and absorption of different forms of nitrogen and phosphorus by different tissues of seagrasses are unclear. In this study, the uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus by Zostera marina was studied to determine the nutrient uptake kinetics. The objectives of this research are to: 1) investigate the absorption characteristics of ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus in Z. marina; 2) evaluate the differences in absorption between the different forms of nitrogen; and 3) analyse the differences in absorption between the different tissues of Z. marina.Methods Equipment was used to separate the aboveground and belowground tissues of Z. marina. Six concentration levels of ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus were established to experimentally test the uptake kinetics of nutrients by Z. marina. The nutrient concentrations in different parts of seawater column were measured to determine the nutrient changes and calculate the kinetic characteristics of nutrient uptake.Important findings 1) The absorption of ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus by Z. marina was consistent with the characteristics of saturated absorption kinetics. The relationship between the absorption rate and the nutrient concentrations in water could be described by the Michaelis-Menten equation. 2) The maximum absorption rate (V_max) of ammonia nitrogen by Z. marina (52 μmol·g^-1·h^-1) was significantly higher than that of nitrate nitrogen (39 μmol·g^-1·h^-1). 3) Both aboveground and belowground tissues of Z. marina could absorb nutrient, but the V_max of leaves (aboveground tissues) for ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus absorption were 43.1, 30.5 and 15.6 μmol·g^-1·h^-1, respectively, which were 2.6-fold, 1.2-fold and 6-fold higher than the corresponding V_max of belowground tissues. The results show that the absorption capacity of Z. marina for ammonia nitrogen is higher than that for nitrate nitrogen, and the absorption of nitrogen and phosphorus may depend primarily on the aboveground tissues (leaves). The results provide a theoretical basis for the study of the mechanisms of nitrogen and phosphorus uptake and utilization by Z. marina and the evaluation of marine ecological impacts.     

Kinetics of nitrogen and phosphorus release in varying food supplies byDaphnia magna

Rates of nitrogen and phosphorus release from individualDaphnia magna were determined by measuring ammonia and soluble reactive phosphorus in successive 10-min incubations in small (0.05 ml) vessels after the animals were removed from their food. Release rates of both nutrients were generally highest initially and decreased with time after removal. The ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus released increased with time after animals were removed from an artificial detritus/bacterial food; ratios were lower and changed with time less for animals fed algae. These data suggest errors may be introduced by assumptions of constant stoichiometry for nutrient release in varying environments.GLERL Contribution No. 268