Oxygen transport in the submerged freshwater macrophyte Egeria densa planch. I. Oxygen production,storage and release

Oxygen exchange in the Egeria densa Planch. (Hydrocharitaceae) lacunar system was investigated using Clark-type oxygen electrodes to monitor root and shoot oxygen release into a bicompartment apparatus. An average root O₂ loss rate of 2.97±0.21 (s.e., n = 50) μl O₂ h⁻¹ cm⁻² root surface area was found, which was of a similar magnitude to values reported by other authors.Root O₂ loss was 4–5 times higher in the light than in the dark, and was approximately 60% higher with still water around the shoot than with a slow, continuous water flow across the shoot surface. Furthermore, both these root O₂ loss rates were reduced when the lower portion of the stem was darkened to simulate self-shading. Under illumination, the boundary layer and stem wall resistances caused thet stem lacunar oxygen partial pressure to be up to 5 kPa higher than in the water.Measurements of lacunar dimensions in Egeria allowed calculation of the oxygen gradient required to drive the observed transport rate. Simple gas-phase diffusion down a gradient of 5.49 × 10⁻² cm³ O₂ cm⁻³ m⁻¹ is sufficient to account for the oxygen transport rates in the experimental material.The ecological significance of the results is discussed, and a schematic model describing the diffusive transport of oxygen in the Egeria lacunar system is developed.     

Oxygen requirements of yeasts.

Type species of 75 yeast genera were examined for their ability to grow anaerobically in complex and mineral media. To define anaerobic conditions, we added a redox indicator, resazurin, to the media to determine low redox potentials. All strains tested were capable of fermenting glucose to ethanol in oxygen-limited shake-flask cultures, even those of species generally regarded as nonfermentative. However, only 23% of the yeast species tested grew under anaerobic conditions. A comparative study with a number of selected strains revealed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae stands out as a yeast capable of rapid growth at low redox potentials. Other yeasts, such as Torulaspora delbrueckii and Candida tropicalis, grew poorly mu max, 0.03 and 0.05 h-1, respectively) under anaerobic conditions in mineral medium supplemented with Tween 80 and ergosterol. The latter organisms grew rapidly under oxygen limitation and then displayed a high rate of alcoholic fermentation. It can be concluded that these yeasts have hitherto-unidentified oxygen requirements for growth.     

Oxygen toxicity in Streptococcus mutans: manganese, iron, and superoxide dismutase.

When cultured anaerobically in a chemically defined medium that was treated with Chelex-100 to lower its trace metal content, Streptococcus mutans OMZ176 had no apparent requirement for manganese or iron. Manganese or iron was necessary for aerobic cultivation in deep static cultures. During continuous aerobic cultivation in a stirred chemostat, iron did not support the growth rate achieved with manganese. Since the dissolved oxygen level in the chemostat cultures was higher than the final level in the static cultures, manganese may be required for growth at elevated oxygen levels. In medium supplemented with manganese, cells grown anaerobically contained a low level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity; aerobic cultivation increased SOD activity at least threefold. In iron-supplemented medium, cells grown anaerobically also had low SOD activity; aerobic incubation resulted in little increase in SOD activity. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the cell extracts revealed a major band and a minor band of SOD activity in the cells grown with manganese; however, cells grown with iron contained a single band of SOD activity with an Rf value similar to that of the major band found in cells grown with manganese. None of the SOD activity bands were abolished by the inclusion of 2 mM hydrogen peroxide in the SOD activity strain. S. mutans may not produce a separate iron-containing SOD but may insert either iron or manganese into an apo-SOD protein. Alternatively, iron may function in another activity (not SOD) that augments the defense against oxygen toxicity at low SOD levels.     

Response of the Microaerophilic Bifidobacterium Species, B. boum and B. thermophilum, to Oxygen

We investigated the effects of O₂ on Bifidobacterium species using liquid shaking cultures under various O₂ concentrations. Although most of the Bifidobacterium species we selected showed O₂ sensitivity, two species, B. boum and B. thermophilum, demonstrated microaerophilic profiles. The growth of B. bifidum and B. longum was inhibited under high-O₂ conditions accompanied by the accumulation of H₂O₂ in the medium, and growth was restored by adding catalase to the medium. B. boum and B. thermophilum grew well even under 20% O₂ conditions without H₂O₂ accumulation, and growth was stimulated compared to anoxic growth. H₂O-forming NADH oxidase activities were detected dominantly in cell extracts of B. boum and B. thermophilum under acidic reaction conditions (pH 5.0 to 6.0).